Hi, my name is Kelly Stellmacher and I am currently an intern at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. This is an overview of my first week working online with professors and students from the school.
This week has been a roller coaster of challenging obstacles and gratifying successes.
Because my internship is occurring in a virtual format, I have been hard at work downloading computer software, familiarizing myself with the properties of protein structures, and communicating with fellow interns and guides. I am learning from two incredible affiliates of UC Davis – Professor Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, and Ph.D. candidate Brandon Harris.
I am fortunate enough to be participating in this internship alongside another local student: Eliram Reyes-Powell from Montrose, Colorado. We are encouraged to collaborate together as well as with two other students who are interning with Professor Yarov-Yarovoy.
The internship so far has involved four different computer programs: Foldit, Terminal, Chimera, and Rosetta.
Foldit is a tool used to familiarize oneself with the concepts of protein structures, clashes, and hydrogen bonds through visual imagery and direct instruction.
Terminal is an IOS application used to view and manipulate data on the computer in a text form. Chimera is a visualization program that allows one to view and manipulate different proteins. Rosetta is the program that is able to process the proteins en mass to provide thousands of results or more at a time. Below is an image of a Cardiac Sodium Channel visualized in the program Chimera:
The final two programs mentioned above are directly tied to advanced academic research with the goal of discovering new protein structures. The aforementioned discoveries could be the key to generating new breakthroughs in medicine including universal flu shots, a cure for Parkinson’s Disease, and much more. Because of the real-world significance of this research, I feel that my contribution will be meaningful in helping the lives of others.
This experience so far has been one of the greatest opportunities I have ever had to collaborate and learn from fellow students and teachers alike in an intensive academic environment. With the teachings and support from my collaborators and teachers, I feel prepared for any tasks to come in future weeks.
The inability to travel to the UC Davis campus has been both a hindrance and an advantage. Because I am not able to meet any of my fellow students and teachers in person, it creates a feeling of isolation despite the ability to connect over video calls. I am also spending an undesirably large percentage of my days on the computer, which is not ideal for the health of my computer and myself alike.
Despite these minor inconveniences, remaining at home and conducting the internship digitally had come with quite a few positive aspects. I continue to actively engage in my community. I recently participated in a Black Lives Matter protest in Ouray, Colorado to voice my support for all who encourage an end to racial discrimination and oppression. Below are two photos of me with my sign that I wrote and carried across the town.
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