Staff researcher in the lab of Dr. Bernadette Marquez-Nostra• Independently planning and performing laboratory experiments and animal studies in order to achieve project aims and objectives• Mentoring and training undergraduate and graduate students in the techniques used for experiments and studies• Acting as liaison for the UAB Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) by attending weekly meetings and communicating important updates to our laboratory staff• With training from SAIF personnel, independently operating or assisting laboratory staff in operating animal imaging equipment• Handling and documenting use of radioactivity in the lab in accordance with radiation safety standards and protocols set by the UAB Department for Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S)• Working with PI to improve protocols and optimize results in experiments and studies to be included in publications• Preparing and administering treatments and/or radioactive imaging tracers in mouse models for treatment or imaging studies• Collecting mouse organs in order to validate results from imaging studies via biodistribution studies and immunofluorescence staining• Assuming responsibility of husbandry during studies with mice that cannot be handled by UAB Animal Resources Program staff• Conducting statistical or other relevant analysis on data obtained from laboratory experiments and imaging studies• Ensuring lab is adequately stocked with necessary equipment, reagents, and other supplies by placing weekly orders and keeping updated inventory• Compiling and submitting weekly manifests for biohazard and radioactive waste to UAB EH&S

Student trainee in the lab of Dr. Bernadette Marquez-Nostra• Gained valuable insight on health disparities in various science fields through weekly workshops in bioethics, scientific writing, pathology, community-based research, and bioinformatics• Applied knowledge of cell culture technique to grow murine cancer cell lines to implant in mice for treatment and/or imaging studies• Trained with UAB Animal Resource Program personnel on techniques for properly handling and husbandry for mice, in addition to murine injection techniques including tail-vein, intraperitoneal, retro-orbital, and subcutaneous• Instructed by laboratory staff in handling of radioactive materials and radiochemistry techniques to be used in ongoing studies

• Performed laboratory experiments alongside team of four biotechnology graduate students, under supervision of internship director, thoroughly documenting all protocols, procedures, and results• Learned protocols for supercoiled DNA isolation and plasmid isolation and successfully performed on SARS-CoV-2 plasmid samples• Cultured mammalian cancer cell lines to perform transfection with isolated SARS-CoV-2 plasmids• Executed stable transfection of Calu-3 cells with isolated SARS-CoV-2 plasmid samples• Independently monitored progress of experiments daily using optical microscopy and/or immunofluorescence, reporting any significant results to internship director

• Documented vital signs, recorded blood glucose levels, and helped patients to maintain personal hygiene for average 10:1 patient-to-tech ratio• Collaborated with nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and respiratory therapists to consistently report patient conditions in Cerner EMR system• Assisted physicians and nursing staff during events of patient condition in rapid decline or cardiac arrest• Sterilized and prepared medical devices for measuring patient vitals and other hospital supplies for use by all staff on unit

• Learned how to properly operate and maintain various equipment in the lab including incubators, freezers, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, centrifuges, light microscopes, thermocyclers, and more• Trained in proper aseptic technique and other protocols with handling biological samples• Conducted PCR on 100+ biological DNA samples and reported any positive results to lab manager, initially under supervision of laboratory technician and later independently• Assisted laboratory technicians with sorting through and updating records of 1000+ biological DNA samples stored in laboratory• Performed immunofluorescence staining on plates of fetal and maternal DNA samples under supervision of lab manager