VOLUNTEER

Project Lead:Small bowel sampling study - characterizing Small Bowel Microbiome mechanisms and impact on Gut-Related Human Disease. We collect blood, aspirate, and biopsies from patients undergoing endoscopy for standard of care purposes and assay these samples for a wide range of biomarkers for metabolism and GI health. In addition, we perform 16S sequencing to garner a deeper understanding on the microbiome of the small intestine.First and contributing author: 7 abstracts submitted to Digestive Diseases Week, 2019Contributing Author: 5 abstracts submitted to Digestive Diseases Week, 2018Conferences Attended:Gut Microbiome Conference, September 21-22, 2019 | Huntington Beach, CADigestive Disease Week "DDW2019", May 18-21, 2019 | San Diego, CA | Poster Presenter, "Small Intestinal Aspirates Require Specific Treatment to Optimize Microbial Analysis: Validation of a Novel Technique from the REIMAGINE Initiative"19th Annual Educational Meeting in Gastroenterology, February 22-23, 2019 | Los Angeles, CAGut Microbiome Conference, October 27-28, 2018 | Huntington Beach, CADigestive Disease Week "DDW2018", June 2-5, 2018 | Washington D.C. | Poster Presenter, "The Non-Absorbable Antibiotic Rifaximin Exhibits Weight Neutrality in the HostGut Microbiome Conference "A Decade of Microbiome Work: Where Do We Stand?", September 16-17, 2017 | Huntington Beach, CAMy research is focused on primarily answering the unknown questions about the human microbiome and its numerous relationships to health, disease, and longevity, as well as its dynamics over the course of life. Mentors: Dr. Mark Pimentel, Dr. Ruchi Mathur, Dr. Ali Rezaie

Goal of the Service Committee: Engage USC alumni in their first 10 years after graduation (Graduate degree-holding alumni up to the age of 35) through service fundraisers and events. Support and promote community causes as generational representatives of USC. Committee is responsible for hosting a variety of events including Day of SCervice, holiday drives, volunteer activities and the like. In addition, we serve as the main volunteer resource for university wide functions.Coordinated three projects in the Los Angeles Region for Young Alumni to give back to the community in areas such as homelessness and agriculture as the SCervice Committee Chair, 2018-2019Attended the USC Alumni Leadership Conference " Answering the Call", August 31, 2018 | University Park CampusDay of SCervice Project Coordinator, 2018 - Saint Francis Center, Los AngelesService Committee Ambassador 2017-2018

I oversaw the department coordinators/scholars in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit in a Level 1 trauma center, liaised with unit secretaries, oversaw over 30 scholars, and coordinated meetings; in addition to assisting with the professional development of the department coordinators, delegating, and improving program policies and administration.I was responsible for training and mentoring Health Scholars through lectures (Patient Satisfaction, First Shift Expectations), hands-on training (vitals, positioning patients), and hospital tours.

Rotations: Telemetry, Trauma, Peri-Operative Serivces, Emergency Department I have over 300 hours of patient care experience, making a difference in the lives of patients in the emergency room of a level 1 trauma center. Working side by side with nurses and physicians, I provided admission assistance and basic care for patients. I helped patients walk, fed them when they couldn't themselves, checked vitals, assisted with suturing, assisted with escort, observed basic procedures, and much more. After an initial 30-hour intensive training program, I began clinical rotations on a med/surg floor and worked my way up through pre-surgery to the emergency room, where I discovered my passion for the intensity and intricacy of emergency medicine.

Advised the Vice President of Fraternal Relations

I worked under the direction of Dr. Sita Reddy in the USC Institute for Genetic Medicine, investigating molecular aspects of myotonic dystrophy. I have spent time perfecting basic molecular biology/biochemistry techniques, as well as assisting with protocol development and lab management. Independently, I created and worked on a set of experiments working specifically with Muscleblind proteins and the heart cre transgene, and their relationship to myotonic dystrophy. My experiments involved everything from mouse colony organization to genotyping, PCR reactions, genomic DNA/RNA extraction, cDNA processing, RNA splice analysis and Western blotting.

The Office of Cultural Relations and University Events employs 80 Student Staff members who have been well-trained to support any event held through a variety of academic and athletic department at USC. Student Host/Hostesses are available to assist in a variety of ways including: check-in, set-up, clean-up, program distribution, bartending, etc. I served as a bartender at the Associates Football Tailgate parties for three football seasons.I served as a reservations phones and office assistant, working with a team to accept reservations and ensure guest satisfaction for two years and four months.

During the summer, I lived on campus and worked full time for USC Housing as the university welcomes thousands of guests, families, and students to campus. I worked in one of six customer service centers in six unique residential buildings on USC's main campus and the surrounding community.

"At the Nuzhdin Lab, we are focused in research related to quantitative genetics, population genetics, and the genetics of speciation of Drosophila. In addition, members of the lab work on a variety of other systems and topics including environmental interactions and maternal effects in Medicago, stem-cell migration and differentiation in Planaria, and social interaction and aggression among Drosophila genotypes." (http://nlab.usc.edu/Home.html)I worked with a post-doctoral research scientist on a behavioral project. The work involved monitoring flies, exposing them to ethanol, and maintaining the laboratory environment. My summer work was funded by the USC Provost's Undergraduate Research Associates Program.

Materials Science and Technology DivisionMentors: Dr. Chaitanya Narula & Dr. Yang Zhang Funded by the United States Department of EnergyI was assigned to work on a project involving the conversion of natural gas (methane) to hydrocarbons using a zeolite catalyst. The catalyst activates carbon-hydrogen bonds in methane to facilitate coupling reactions. The experimental protocol involves zeolite-based catalyst synthesis, carrying out the reaction under various conditions, and monitoring their product yields (using a GCMS (gas chromatography and mass spectrometer)). The challenge is to maximize methane conversions to hydrocarbons under moderate conditions.Why? The US reserves of shale gas (which has a high percent composition of methane) are estimated to be about a third of global reserves. The availability of shale gas makes the substitution of petroleum with natural gas highly attractive. It is highly desirable to convert natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons for the ease of transport. Furthermore, liquid hydrocarbons can be substituted for gasoline in automotive engines without any modifications to said engines.