Rogayah Alamarie

I completed an undergraduate research experience while writing my honors thesis in biology. This semester, I focused on analyzing data from experiments I conducted during the summer after my freshman year. I spent a significant amount of time developing the results and discussion sections of my thesis while interpreting findings related to cortisol’s impact on gene expression and neuronal growth. I also reviewed primary research literature to contextualize my findings and connect them to broader mechanisms in neurodevelopment. This experience strengthened my scientific writing, data analysis, and critical thinking skills, and I especially enjoyed integrating multiple studies to better understand how stress hormones influence brain development.

One thing that surprised me during this experience was how complex and time-consuming scientific writing and data analysis can be. I did not realize how much effort it takes to interpret experimental results (with multiple trials!) and connect them with existing research in the scientific literature.

This experience helped me see how medicine and research are closely integrated, as scientific discoveries help us better understand diseases and develop new treatments. It reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in oncology where I can combine research and clinical practice to improve patient care.

I plan to take the research and scientific writing skills I developed through this experience and apply them to future research opportunities. These skills will help me continue exploring biological mechanisms of disease and support my long-term goal of pursuing a career in medicine and oncology.

Receiving an award from the Honors program supported my experience by allowing me to focus on writing and analyzing my thesis research instead of working during that time. This gave me the opportunity to fully engage with my project and strengthen my research and scientific writing skills.