Country: New Zealand, 2013
Mentor: Kevin Schey
Hi, I’m Mitchell Nye-Wood, from Hamilton, New Zealand. I’ve studied at the University of Auckland for four years pursuing a Bachelor of Science specialising in Biomedical Science. In my fourth year I was admitted into an Honours programme spent conducting primary research in the department of Optometry and Vision Science. My project focussed on applying MALDI imaging mass spectrometry to the ocular lens and observing distributions of small molecules, which vary with radius and change with age. It’s a matter of time before the lens becomes cloudy, causing cataracts.

In this project I regularly referred to literature from Vanderbilt’s Mass Spectrometry Research Centres and in particular the Schey lab group. Vanderbilt is the site of the National Research Resource for Imaging Mass Spectrometry and was where MALDI imaging mass spectrometry was pioneered some 15 years ago, and continues to be a great centre of science and R&D. It’s too bad the mass spectrometer with a 15 Tesla electromagnet arrives a few months after VISRA 2013 ends – well in time for VISRA 2014.

I heard of VISRA during my Honours year and realised it posed an amazing opportunity: to practice a technique using cutting-edge technology, alongside expert scientists, generating meaningful data, all in Music City! While pursuing this opportunity has temporarily taken me away from the society and time zone I’m used to, being here means seeing and doing things I could have otherwise only imagined.

Nashville’s atmosphere has been eye-opening. The people I’ve met are friendly, the music scene pervasive (in a good way) and, coming from New Zealand, the buildings themselves seem supersized. Being in Nashville puts places like Graceland and even New York within travelling distance, and having a progressive American city literally on your doorstep can’t be overlooked.

I have every confidence VISRA is a life-changing journey. Discovering new places, ideas, skills, friends and colleagues are very important to me and VISRA is a great way to do all this and more. I would strongly encourage like-minded students to test their comfort zones and make the most of VISRA’s amazing opportunity.

My name is Sovia Brown and I recently completed my Bachelor of Basic Medical Science Degree in Pharmacology at the University of the West Indies Mona campus, located in Jamaica.

Biomedical research has always been an interest of mine and so when my lecturer told me of the VISRA program at Vanderbilt University, I decided to apply as I thought the experience would help me in deciding my future in research. Here in the VISRA program I am working with Dr. Maureen Hahn in the division of Genetic Medicine, whose research is geared toward understanding the physiology of Norepinephrine (NE) signaling with special attention to the impact of NE dysregulation on psychiatric (depression) and cardiovascular diseases.

My experience in Nashville has been wonderful thus far. The beauty of Vanderbilt is astonishing and the resources available to do research are just amazing. The environment in the lab is professional and comfortable and pushes you to want to do better. I would recommend future international students not only to consider participating in the program but also to consider attending this institution to participate in great research.

At Vanderbilt University I work in the Kaverina lab. I participate in project which focuses on investigation whether/how Golgi-derived microtubules direct insulin granule transport for beta cells in case of normal functioning and diabetes. Also my goal is to comprehend how Golgi-derived microtubules influence Golgi apparatus assembly after his dismantling with nocodazole.

It is a great pleasure for me to become a collaborator with outstanding researchers who share knowledges and experience with me during my being here in Nashville. I get to know new methods, secrets and mastery of scientific investigations and also I feel friendly environment and help every day in my lab and it inspires me to work and increases my wish to achieve the aims of my project. VISRA gives participants unique opportunity to be absorbed in atmosphere of scientific life, find new friends and colleagues and have fun in hospitable and cozy Nashville.

Rajaraman Gopalakrishnan (2012)
Country: India
VU Mentor: Bill Tansey

I am Rajaraman from India. I am currently pursuing my bachelors in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. I will be entering the final year of my undergraduation this August. My research interests primarily are in the area of gene regulation and epigenetics. I intend to pursue a PhD. in the same.

At Vanderbilt I am working in Prof. Bill Tansey’s lab and am studying the effect of the Gal4 transcription factor and Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) on transcriptional gene regulation. Everyone in the lab and the university in general are very friendly and extremely helpful. I believe this is an excellent opportunity to experience research in a completely different environment and learn a lot of new things. With students being selected from different parts of the world, it is fun getting to know each other and learning about different cultures. The program too has been wonderfully planned and gives ample time for relaxation and entertainment in between the busy research schedule.

Nashville is a beautiful place, and is famous for its country music. You can just head downtown and find numerous concerts taking place daily. So if you are really passionate about research and want pursue it as your career, this is a good place to get started.

**Rajaraman will be starting his PhD in Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University in Fall 2013

My name is Michael, I come from Romania (Dracula’s land) and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany.

I have been offered the wonderful opportunity to work in the lab of Dr. David Cortez, Professor of Biochemistry and Ingram Professor of Cancer Research. The Cortez Lab is interested in the mechanisms that maintain genome integrity, in particular those which control the cell cycle along with the DNA replication and DNA repair processes.  I am focusing on the study of DNA damage response, a very exciting but at the same time challenging research topic. As defects in genome maintenance can cause cancer as well as neurodegenerative disorders and premature aging, a better understanding of the mechanisms by which DNA damage response is triggered in cells and how it is regulated could lead to the development of very potent drugs against these specific diseases.

Nashville is a great city with a very well-developed country music culture, but not only, offering numerous interesting entertainment opportunities throughout the year. With more than a few remarkable tourist attractions, Tennessee is a state that you definitely want to visit when coming to the US.

VISRA is unique in many aspects providing you with a great summer experience that you are going to remember for the rest of your life as well as with new friends from all over around the world. VISRA perfectly balances the passionate research work with relaxation opportunities thus making you feel as you would have completed both an internship and a vacation in a very nice location.

This summer, I am very fortunate to be able to join Dr. Chen's lab to investigate the efficacy of EphA2 receptor kinase inhibitors in lung cancer and study the possible resistance mechanisms of cancer cells for targeted therapy. Although eight-weeks is really short for a research project, it is always possible that Impossible is Nothing, and I will try my best to work on it. I am sure the experience will not only open my eyes and minds to new research techniques and ideas, I will also be inspired by the researchers around me to learn the essential qualities to be a scientist.

Being at one of the top medical schools in the states and working at a medical center, I am excited to find that biomedicine has never been so close to me. Working on a project related to cancer therapy, working with people who are from medical schools or delicated to pursue medicine, meeting doctors and residents everywhere around the campus, the experience will definitely help me consider deeply why and how to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.

Outside the lab, we have mentoring sessions every week from the faculty members, which are great opportunities for us to talk to the scientists face to face to learn their experiences in scientific research. There are also outings arranged by VISRA every Saturday for us to explore the fun and beauty of Nashville.  VISRA is really a great summer research program that deeply cares and helps students who are interested in biomedical research.

**Shiyang will be starting the Duke-Singapore MD/PhD program in Fall 2013

At Vanderbilt University I have joined the laboratory of Neil Osheroff, Ph.D., from department of Biochemistry. This lab is specialized on function and biology of DNA topoisomerases which is very useful for various antibiotic and anticancer drugs development. My summer project will involve the characterization of topoisomerase IV from E.coli and identification of various topoisomerase – drug interactions. It sounds really interesting so far and I am sure it will extend my scientific horizons.

I’ve always been interested in immunology and fortunately, here at Vanderbilt, I have the chance to work at Dr. Luc Van Kaer’s laboratory under the tutoring of Ph.D. Vrajesh Vasantkumar Parekh. In his laboratory, Dr. Van Kaer and his research group investigate about NKT cells and their influence on autoimmune diseases among other pathologies. Throughout these 8 weeks I’ll try to become skilled in several immunological techniques, develop myself as a researcher and find out the dos and don’ts in science and investigation.

I applied to the Vanderbilt International Summer Research Academy because I aim to be a biomedical researcher and when I found out that I was selected I knew my goals could be accomplished. When I first arrived in Nashville, the organization and peacefulness of the city amazed me…Such a modern yet environmental place. If I had any advice for anyone interested in this program it would be to enjoy, learn and never stop pursuing a dream; and if that dream is becoming a biomedical researcher, then Vanderbilt is a great place to start.

Sheridan Carrington (2011)
Country: Barbados
VU Mentor: Ryan Delahanty

My name is Sheridan Carrington and I am from the small island of Barbados in the West Indies. I attended the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica, where I recently completed a Bachelor of Basic Medical Science Degree in Pharmacology. Prior to this, I attained a triple major Associate Degree in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.

My future aspirations are to attain a PhD in Pharmacology and to pursue a career in Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine. Here at Vanderbilt in the VISRA program, I am working with Dr. Ryan Delahanty in the Division of Epidemiology at the Vanderbilt Medical Center, elucidating interactions between genetic predispositions and the response of anticancer agents in Breast Cancer using population studies.

Coming to Vanderbilt and Nashville, I was astonished by the beauty of the campus and the relaxed nature of Nashville in general. It was very interesting to know that here at Vanderbilt many of the Faculty only pursue research with limited teaching commitments, including managing their own laboratories with fulltime research staff. This differs at the universities in the Caribbean, where faculty are fulltime lecturers while pursuing research interests.

For future international students who are considering participating in this program, this is indeed an extraordinary opportunity and with determination and passion for research, you can attain any of your future academic and career goals in biomedicine. This program can be your gateway to see these possibilities.

**Sheridan will be joining the Vanderbilt International Scholar Program and starting his PhD in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at Vanderbilt in August 2013.

Sara Kalman (2011)
Country: Hungary
VU Mentor: Karoly Mirnics

My name is Sara Kalman. I am currently a third-year medical student in the University of Szeged, Hungary. This means that I have 3 more years until I get my medical degree. I participate in the research work of the Department of Psychiatry of our university for 4 years. Within the wide field of neuroscience I am especially interested in the mechanism of neurodevelopment, learning and neurodegeneration. After my academic years, I would like to do a PhD before my residency years.

At Vanderbilt I got the unique opportunity to work in Prof. Karoly Mirnics`s laboratory for 8 weeks. The main research topic of the lab is the neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia. We study the effects of the activated maternal immune system on the embryonic brain gene expression on mouse model.

**Sara returned to Vanderbilt under the Short-Stay Fellowship Program in Summer 2012 and continues to collaborate with Dr. Karoly Mirnics on projects started during her time at VISRA.

Zuzana Tatarova (2011)
Country: Slovakia
VU Mentor: Vito Quaranta

I am Zuzana from Slovakia. Currently I am attending a Master degree in Cellular and Developmental Biology at Charles University in Prague. Last year I finished the study of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Organisms with a BSc. degree. In March 2009 I joined the Group of Cell Invasion in Cancer where I am participating mainly with methods of Molecular Biology, Proteomics combining them with Bioinformatical Analysis. However I am also interested in fields such as Biophysical Chemistry, Mathematical modeling or simulations of cell behaviour. Nobody knows what will be the main topic of my research in one or two years but it is definite that I will try to continue in studies and apply for a PhD. position in science research.

For the VISRA program I was invited to join the Laboratory of Dr. Vito Quaranta who is a Director of the Integrative Cancer Biology Center at Vanderbilt University. My summer project involves characterizing the drug response of cell behavior captured by time-lapse videomicroscopy. We use these to analyze the heterogeneity of cell population in order to optimize the clinical therapeutic strategies.

VISRA program has met many of my expectations. It has given me new insight into one of my interests at really high-level that I would not have otherwise been able to get before my PhD. study. This experience confirmed my belief that Science is going to be my future profession. 

Piece of advice: if you are looking for an exhausting but even more exciting time, you are applying for the right program.   

**Zuzana began her PhD studies at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland in Fall 2012