Summer at BMC

Sun-soaked postcards from Bryn Mawr College

August 21, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Shayoni Nag ’16

A Postcard From: Shayoni Nag ’16

Shayoni Nag '16Name: Shayoni Nag

Class Year: 2016

Major: Psychology / Pre-Med

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going: For the summer, I got accepted to be an Undergraduate Summer Clinical Research fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Here, I am working as a part of the clinical research team in the Plastic Surgery department under the guidance of Dr. Justin Sacks.

Living in Baltimore has been a great experience, and being part of this amazing medical community has been a great learning experience. My first project was entitled “Mastectomy Flap Weight and Intraoperative Tissue Expander Fill Volume Predict Skin Necrosis in Breast Reconstruction.” For this research project, we looked at various patient outcomes after a patient receives a mastectomy and breast reconstruction and strive to see what other factors and comorbidites are associated with a patient developing skin necrosis which is when skin and subcutaneous tissue necrosis occurs (tissue death). We just completed our abstract for this project, which I co-authored with second year JHU med student Georgia Yalanis under the direction of Dr. Sacks. We are in the works of completing a manuscript for this paper, as well.

I am planning to get involved in many other clinical research projects within the department of plastic surgery here, including looking at body dysmorphic disorder and rhinoplasty to looking at outcomes on reconstruction after post mastectomy radiation therapy. Aside from research, I have also been active in the clinic itself. From learning bedside manners and meeting with patients, to shadowing surgeons in the operating room itself. It has been really neat seeing the things I am studying in research being applied to the operating room. Seeing residents, medical students, and attendants all around me and learning from each and every one of them is an experience I could never gain from a textbook or classroom. This so far has been a tremendous experience, and has confirmed my desire to become a physician someday.

 

 

August 21, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Lauren Footman ’14: Evelyn Rich, Advocate of the Unheard

Lauren Footman ’14: Evelyn Rich, Advocate of the Unheard

Alexis De La Rosa '15 (left) with fellow intern Lauren Footman '14.

Lauren Footman ’14 (right) with fellow intern Alexis De La Rosa ’15.

Since my first blog I have had the pleasure to work with various college staff, and begin looking through Ms. Rich’s [distinguished alumna Evelyn Rich ’54] papers. Her papers contain information about the various organizations and companies she has worked for.

Her life’s work has been to advocate those whom often go unheard. The advocating she has done for the elderly and public education display her desire to dedicate her life to helping others. Using herself as an instrument of change seemed possible due to the tools she picked up along the way at Bryn Mawr. She has used her Bryn Mawr education as a foundation for her other degrees and as way to gain access to the power structures she wished to transform, by working for the New York City Public School System and Hunter College, among other institutions.

It was great as a current student to see how much her Bryn  Mawr education has impacted her life in a positive way, and how as student you can have your own agenda that you can work toward to propel you into success. I feel that listening to her oral history before going through her materials gave me insight into why she was a part of certain organizations. It was great seeing the papers she had about Bryn Mawr when she would come to visit for reunions, and other programs. The papers from Bryn Mawr displayed how involved she has been with the College since her graduation, and how she is interested in using the tools she at learned at Bryn Mawr to help transform this college, as well.

Her life seems to be one of service which is very admirable. All of her papers reveal how she is advocating for those who might often go unheard or ignored in the public sector. It was great to see that her desire to help others still continues, even with her contributing to this internship.

 

Throughout the summer, Lauren Footman ’15 and Alexis De La Rosa ’14, the inaugural Pensby Center interns, will blog about their research projects. The Pensby Center (formerly The Office of Intercultural Affairs) implements programs and activities that address issues of diversity, power and privilege, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, country of origin, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation and disability, with a goal of improving the campus climate and enhancing community life at Bryn Mawr College.

August 16, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Mikah Farbo ’14: National Autism Conference

Mikah Farbo ’14: National Autism Conference

Mikah FarboI attended the 17th annual National Autism Conference held at Penn State University. I had the honor of meeting many important researchers in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis as well as teachers, parents, and advocates.

Jodi DiPiazza, a young lady with autism, has been working with a board certified behavior analyst who uses applied behavior analysis techniques to improve Jodi’s vocabulary and skills. She was the focus of the keynote opening speaker and even performed two songs on the piano. Jodi is a talented, sweet, funny young lady. She has even performed with Katy Perry.

David Palmer discussed joint control and how natural it comes to typically developed people but people with autism struggle with joint control because they don’t have strategies to account for each component. Joint control is where two variables simultaneously control one outcome. For example—problem solving, memory tasks, and matching.

Mark Sundberg discussed motivation based off of Skinner’s book Verbal Behavior. He discussed that motivation can evoke or abolish behavior, what constitutes motivation, and other components that motivation does or doesn’t account for. He even said that “we’ve barely scratched the surface for what behavior analysis can do for children with autism.”

Later in the afternoon, I saw Carl Sundberg who discussed how useful sign language is because of how functional it is. Using communicative devices are bulky and time consuming and although not everyone knows sign, there are ways around that. Parents and teachers will say it’s hard to teach but they really only have to learn the signs as fast as the child is acquiring them.

Vincent Carbone (whose mentor, Jack Michael, attended and spoke during his presentation), discussed the reflexive conditioned motivative operation (CMO-R) which is in the presence of worsening conditions/onset of stimulus establishes own removal as type of reinforcement which will evoke behavior that previously was reinforced. Teachers do not want to be CMO-Rs or else students will try to run away when they see the teacher so in order to get around this, make instruction time enjoyable and fun and slowly work in the actual instruction.

Barb Esch discussed speech and effective ways to teach it and Faith Fisher presented on direct instruction to teach literacy to children with autism. The whole conference was an incredible experience and not only did I have fun, I also learned so much!

August 15, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on A Postcard from: Lauren Buckheit ’15

A Postcard from: Lauren Buckheit ’15

lauren_buckheitName: Lauren Buckheit

Class Year: 2015

Major: Political Science

What’s happening? We’d love to hear about your summer internship: I just finished up my internship with CeaseFirePA, a non-profit organization dedicated to taking a stand against gun violence. Throughout the internship I helped to manage the social media and website and spent the majority of my time organizing donations and fundraising for our Education Project.

A typical day starts with our Executive Director sending news stories that she wanted summarized and shared on the website. Then, I helped our Development Director log checks in a binder and on the software, NGP. This helps us keep track of every donation, which is especially useful when preparing the yearly budget and applying for grants. While logging the donations, I also updated each donor’s profile noting when we last called or emailed them, and whether or not they had RSVP’d to an upcoming event. Frequently, I also made pages of potential donors for the organization to contact.

Though it may not seem like the most exciting work, fundraising is key to keeping a non-profit open and knowing I was making a difference made the at times tedious work that much easier.

How I heard about my internship: I found my internship by reaching out to Bryn Mawr alumnae who worked in non-profits in the Philadelphia area. I highly recommend reaching out to any alums working in a field that interests you.

Why I applied for my internship: I applied to work at CeaseFirePA because I knew the small size of the organization would allow me to get an immense amount of experience, not just in fundraising but in how to run and manage a non-profit.

August 14, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Emily Adams ’14: More Workshops and Other Adventures

Emily Adams ’14: More Workshops and Other Adventures

Emily Adams '14Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop in the San Francisco juvenile hall. I had been going to workshops in Solano, which is about an hour outside of the city, but I just got approved for San Francisco, so last week was my first time attending the workshops there. The other intern warned me that it would be very different from the Solano workshops, saying that the kids were a lot more rowdy and less interested in the program, so I braced myself for a different evening, but I ended up liking it more than Solano.

The kids were definitely more rowdy, but it was a much more casual, laid-back atmosphere, which I found refreshing. It felt like we were hanging out with the kids, rather than teaching them, and the other facilitators seemed to be enjoying themselves more. I met one woman who has been volunteering as a facilitator for 17 years, which I think is absolutely incredible. They all encouraged me to keep going, even when the workshops get difficult, and to just focus on connecting with the kids, rather than trying to “save” them. That’s something I plan to keep in mind when I get discouraged in the future.

Back at the office, I’ve been spending most of my time translating the weekly topics into Spanish and dealing with all of the Spanish pieces that come back from the workshops. The volunteer who normally does translations is out of town for the summer, so I’ve taken on responsibility for anything written in Spanish and anything that needs to be written in Spanish. I’m reasonably fluent, but I’m not a native speaker, so this has been an interesting test of my language skills. I’ve already gotten a lot better at translation, though, which will certainly be useful for future jobs, and it’s been a great way to keep up with my Spanish over the summer. I’ve also learned a lot of Spanish slang, which is interesting, if not particularly useful. It can be frustrating sometimes to try to translate an English idiom, or to decipher messy handwriting in a foreign language, but I know this work is important, and I’m glad I have a skill that’s so useful and necessary to this organization.

August 13, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Alicia Ramirez ’15: Learning from the Masters

Alicia Ramirez ’15: Learning from the Masters

alicia_ramirezThe publishing world is a lot like New York City. It is fast-paced and is constantly evolving.

Throughout the course of my summer, I have attended seminars sponsored by the Association of Authors’ Representatives on different topics relevant to publishing. After all, a literary agent has to be in the know of the latest advances in the publishing industry. For those of you who are not familiar with the industry, the Association of Authors’ Representatives is an organization for literary agents and dramatic representatives. Literary agents work with books and dramatic agents deal with musicals, plays, television and screenplays.

For the past couple of weeks, I have gone to “toolbox” events on the legal aspects of publishing and sales, which have been insightful. However, at most of them, I was the only intern. What made the latest one the most memorable to date was that it was devoted to interns. I got to surround myself with aspiring literary agents like myself. The “Summer Interns Toolbox” panel was made up of the Senior Editor at Little, Brown & Co; the Editorial Director at Pantheon Books, the Vice President and Editorial Director at Ecco; and, the Senior Vice President, and Director of Sales at Penguin Young Readers Group. It was inspiring to hear the different stories of how these professionals jumpstarted their careers and how they are embracing the changes the publishing industry is going through. I learned that I have to be fearless, passionate, and most importantly, be willing to learn and improve.

It reassured me that I am taking the necessary steps to becoming a literary agent.

August 12, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Lauren Footman ’14: A Touchstone for Summer Research

Lauren Footman ’14: A Touchstone for Summer Research

Alexis De La Rosa '15 (left) with fellow intern Lauren Footman '14.

Lauren Footman ’14 (right) with fellow intern Alexis De La Rosa ’15.

Listening to [distinguished alumna Evelyn Rich ’54]’s interview provided a great place to begin my research for the summer. Since she graduated in 1954 she had a different experience compared to the black students who succeeded her, providing a context to the era in which my research would begin. I reflected on how much adversity she faced because of the racial tension on campus, while still having to manage her studies. When she explained she felt she was graded unfairly because her race, and felt isolated in other settings it made me admire her perseverance. She endured many tribulations because of her socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, but she remained focused and accomplished her personal agenda.

When listening to her reason for attending Bryn Mawr which was to change her life, I was impressed with her understanding of societal power structures and her place in relation to them. When she identified Bryn Mawr as a portal to power structures it made me reflect on the “tools” the College provides to its students. Even though she was bitter after graduation, it was great to hear how she thinks that attending Bryn Mawr explains her future success. She was able to provide a retrospective glimpse in her experience and is able to accept and understand how the adversity she faced in college help prepare her for life post-graduation.

It was interesting to note that her experiences are similar to those of students that have succeeded her here at Bryn Mawr. Certain feelings of not belonging linger, and it is my hope with this summer research, the College can find more methods to help remedy this feeling. After listening to her interview I am interested in looking through her papers once they arrive. I think it will provide more insight to her life at Bryn Mawr, and how her time here has impacted her life.

Throughout the summer, Lauren Footman ’15 and Alexis De La Rosa ’14, the inaugural Pensby Center interns, will blog about their research projects. The Pensby Center (formerly The Office of Intercultural Affairs) implements programs and activities that address issues of diversity, power and privilege, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, country of origin, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation and disability, with a goal of improving the campus climate and enhancing community life at Bryn Mawr College.

August 8, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Mikah Farbo ’14: Early Intervention

Mikah Farbo ’14: Early Intervention

Mikah FarboThis week I’m in an Early Intervention (EI) classroom for children with autism. All early intervention is backed by the intermediate unit (IU) in that particular county. The children range in age from 3-6. After their time is over in the EI classroom, they are placed in general education kindergarten, an autism support classroom, or a developmental delay classroom. In order to qualify for services, the child’s parents must ask the IU to be evaluated. The evaluation team consists of a teacher, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, and a psychologist. Some tests are given and then a decision is made after observing the child on what services to administer to the child.

There are two classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Much like the classroom I was in earlier this summer, it is a VB classroom meaning they follow the verbal behavior program and track students’ progress on a VB-MAPP.  Both the morning and afternoon classes have seven students, one lead teacher, two PCA’s (personal care assistants), and two paraeducators.

Because they are preschool age, they have a slightly different schedule than school age children—they are only at school for two and a half hours, have gym (sensory room, play outside or go to the gymnasium) every day, and have reinforcers that are age appropriate. Reinforcers include toys and a lot of physical interaction like hugging, squeezing and tickles. The children in the classroom are adorable and charming! It is great that they have been given the opportunity to be in an EI classroom because the earlier autism is noticed and addressed, the better the outcome for the student.

My experiences thus far have come full circle—I have gone through and tested teachers on the procedures that I then got to use in the EI classroom. It’s rewarding to see the processes carried out and actually work on children with autism.

August 6, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on A Postcard from: Sarah Ferrieri ’15

A Postcard from: Sarah Ferrieri ’15

Name: Sarah Ferrieri

Class Year: 2015

Camp Kala activityMajor: History of Art

What’s happening? We’d love to hear about how your internship is going: This week, I am finishing up my internship with Kala Art Institute‘s Camp Kala Program. Throughout my internship experience, I worked with three art instructors and practicing artists to foster a creative and pleasant atmosphere to teach the children participating in Camp Kala. We worked with three age groups: elementary students, middle school students, and high schools in a series of one week classes, each with a distinct theme and curriculum.

My favorite themed week was titled Graphic Novel. In this class, the kids explored self-publication through the lens of the graphic novel and even created a Zine comprised of their own one page comics which the other interns and myself compiled into one book for the students to take home. At the end of the week, as with every week, we installed student work in the gallery space and held a small exhibition for the families and friends of the students.

Working at Kala has been a wonderful experience. I will miss the enthusiasm and inspiration that the Kala staff brings to their organization once my internship comes to an end. This experience has allowed me to determine the aspects of arts education and arts programming that inspire me, and has exposed me to a variety of career paths in the art field that I might hope to pursue in the future.

How I heard about my internship: I found my internship with Kala Art Institute while searching through the internship search engine Idealist.org.

Why I applied for my internship: I applied for this internship because I felt Kala would allow me to further the explore arts education in a direct way by aiding the art instructors running the Camp Kala program. Additionally, Kala would also expose me to other elements of public art programming as I would be working within an art gallery and studio space.

August 1, 2013
by Alyssa Banotai
Comments Off on Ivana Wang ’15: It’s Working!

Ivana Wang ’15: It’s Working!

Ivana WangGood news! I started my project over again, and everything is working! I isolated plasmids from BP clonase colonies, and the insert was in the plasmid, as confirmed after sequencing.  The LR reaction was run after this, using both PDEST and PLEX as destination vectors so that both bacteria and mammals can express this gene. The LR reaction was also successful for both PDEST and PLEX, and plasmids were isolated for both.

I found it surprising how fast Gateway cloning was compared to traditional cloning, which didn’t work. For traditional cloning, there were two colonies on one plate, but those colonies were “fake” colonies that grew for other reasons. I think they were mutants.

The next part of my project is to make a lentivirus, so that my insert can be delivered into host cells, so it functions as a gene delivery vector. I am using HEK cells to make the lentivirus. So far, I am growing two flasks with HEK cells and I am waiting for the cells to be confluenced so that I can transfect these cells with my insert.