Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Suzanna Chak

Acute lung injury using the mouse model

This summer, I will continue to work on a project studying the role of macrophages in acute lung injury. Macrophages are part of the innate immune system and are important for preventing the spread of infection and in the healing process. We have been studying how macrophage affect fibrosis (scarring) of the lung and the local inflammatory response after injury.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you so much for your contributions to the stipends for the URAP summer program. This summer, I was able to continue working in the lab that I had been working in since last fall. It was definitely a much different experience in lab during the summer than it was during the semester. Being able to go into lab every day and stay for the full day meant I was able to see and help with experiments from beginning to end. Because of this continuity, I was able to learn a lot more, both about my mentor’s project and how to conduct biological scientific research as a whole. I was able to attend lab meetings, something I had always missed because I had class during that time, and it allowed me to see what a collaborative process research really is. This research experience has helped me decide if I want to continue to do biological research in the future. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work in a research lab and receive a stipend, which helped a lot with costs such as transportation and allowed me to work full time in the lab. Thank you very much for your generosity!