UAF BLaST alumni share the program's impact
By Amy Topkok
Through UAF BLaST, many undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and many others participated in biomedical research for the first time, or discovered new friends and colleagues as they continued their research journey.
They are excited for them to continue finding ways to see how they are scientists, and how to work with others in research. Many students appreciated the support given, often sharing the gratitude in their yearly annual surveys.
Julie-Anne Brown, BLaST Scholar (four years, 2020-2024) and 2024 UAF graduate
Brown working on graphing at her desk at UAF, 2024. Photo credit: J. Brown.
“I want to thank Hoshi Sugiura (lab technician) and Dr. Kelly Drew for helping me navigate the world of research as well as teaching me the importance of patience in the research world.
It was a slow start and at times it was difficult to make hours, but they always helped me even when I had questions which had quite simple answers.”
Michelle Quillin, BLaST Scholar (three years, 2018-2021) and 2021 UAF graduate
Quillin capturing salmon as field technician for the Alaska Department Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK (July 2018). Photo Credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
“I’ve always been passionate about wildlife conservation. I grew up with a unique perspective and valuable understanding of how the land and the food that we gather, and hunt are all connected.
Being Alaska Native gives me the ability to combine traditional knowledge and scientific research. I’m hoping to inspire more Alaska Natives to get involved in the wildlife field.”
James McKay, BLaST URE (Summer 2018, and academic years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021) and 2021 UAF graduate
BLaST Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) student James McKay, Fairbanks, AK (2021). Photo Credit: J. McKay
“BLaST has allowed me to become a proud member of the scientific community. By allowing me to pursue my passion for research, BLaST has connected me with like-minded individuals with a curiosity for the natural world.
In addition, BLaST has provided an environment in which to practice the skills, both in and out of the lab, which contribute to my abilities to perform research.”
Craig Chythlook, BLaST URE (2018-2019) and BLaST Scholar (2019-2020 and 2020-2021)
Chythlook enjoying fishing outside the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska (Summer 2019). Photo Credit: C. Chythlook.
“For my project, I asked rural residents about how water impacts their ability to subsist and to their own self-described metrics of what is a successful water system in their communities, and how that affects their ability to sustain their subsistence activities.
There has been much academic interest in subsistence, food sovereignty, and food security issues and a noticeable lack of studies to help understand how Alaska Native residents gauge success within their communities.”
Meghan Reese, BLaST URE (Spring 2020, Spring 2021 and 2021-2022) and 2022 UAF Graduate
Reese enjoying the outdoors, Fairbanks, Alaska (2021). Photo credit: M. Reese.
“This project has really cultivated my love for science and inspired me to consider a career in women’s health or oncology.
My experience in the URE program has also given me the opportunity to apply the knowledge I have been learning while pursuing my degree and allowed me to find a bright and devoted network of peers and professors.”
Jeremiah Brown, BLaST Scholar (2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022) and 2022 UAF graduate
Brown at the 2021 BLaST Orientation. Photo Credit: J.R. Ancheta.
“This project was a great experience and opened my eyes on what research looks like and helped me understand how it can lead to possible advancements leading to amazing medical discoveries. This lab also sparked my interests in the field of oncology and cancer research.
I hope to conduct research while in medical school and after I become a physician. I could see myself being a part of cancer research because of the great experience I gained from working in Dr. Podlutsky’s lab.”
The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
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