My name is Angel Enrique, and this summer I am doing a Pinhead Internship in chemistry at the University of California, San Diego.
My trip to San Diego began on June 28. My family flew out with me one week previous to my internship, so we could spend our summer vacation together. This was a great vacation as we went to many places. It all went by in the blink of an eye. Luckily I was able to spend the Fourth of July with them and watch a beautiful fireworks display.
As the last fireworks dwindled, I knew I was about to embark on a life changing journey.
Urey Hall, UCSD
I started my internship at UCSD’s Amaro Lab on July 5. The program I am working in is called BioChemCoRe, which is short for Biology and Chemistry Computational Research. The program was founded by Dr. Rommie Amaro, a brilliant chemist, whom I met on the first day. Dr. Amaro gave a presentation that helped me understand why computational chemistry is relevant in everyday life. She also discussed her work in predicting ways to reactivate protein cancer cells.
During my first day in the lab I was assigned to research the Ankyrin Repeat and SOCS box protein 9 (ASB9). After viewing numerous research articles and videos I was able to understand the premise of how the protein functions in its environment.
The ligand found in a sugar binding protein
One unique aspect of working in the Amaro Lab is understanding that not all experiments and research projects are done in the traditional lab with beakers, Bunsen burners, and microscopes. Due to the size of proteins, microscopes are unable to display their molecular structure, and this is why computational chemistry is used.
The entire sugar binding protein displayed in PyMol
On my third day in the lab Jeffrey Wagner, one of my mentors, instructed us on how to predict the structure of a protein using a program called PyMol. I chose to simulate the protein called 5l4v. I found this interesting because you are able to visualize how the ligand bonds to the protein.
When I’m not in the lab I can be found relaxing at my host family’s home or at the beach. On July 7 I headed to La Jolla shores to attempt surfing. Luckily I had a fellow Pinter to guide me on the water. He helped me catch a few waves by holding the board and telling me when to paddle.
I am very thankful for this amazing opportunity given to me by the Pinhead institute. I am also extremely grateful for my host family that has allowed me to stay in their home.
There are no comments published yet.