By Rachael Metzger, Marin Science Seminar Intern
Stephanie Rasmussen
holds a Bachelor’s
degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Biology from Dominican
University of California and is coming to Marin Science Seminar Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 to speak about
her research on malaria in Uganda.
Stephanie Rasmussen first became interested in biology as a
high school student, but it was not until her freshman year of college that she
learned what research was and thus realized her passion. Research sparked her
fascination with lab work, which allowed her to test biological theories in a lab. Rasmussen
decided to study biochemistry because she wanted to "have a
deeper understanding of why different reactions happen inside cells to make
them work correctly,” as well as to “help scientists, doctors, and other health
professionals understand how and why different diseases make people
sick.”
As a sophomore in college, Rasmussen
worked in her graduate student advisor’s malaria lab. She volunteered in the
lab all through her undergraduate years and continued to work in the lab after
she graduated to get her Master’s degree in biology. Rasmussen’s passion is in
studying human diseases; working in the malaria lab helped further her
interest. Graduate school was when she started studying malaria parasites on
location in Uganda. Rasmussen shares how this excited her, “I got to travel to
a malaria endemic region, where I worked on parasites coming directly
from malaria patients.”
 |
| Mosquitoes carry malaria (Source: scientistsagainstmalaria.net) |
Today, Rasmussen’s lab works with
people both in the USA and in Uganda. On the importance of teamwork she says, “I love all of my coworkers. Success in science is all about teamwork
and collaboration.” She enjoys working with a diverse group of people that
share similar interests and have a shared goal: reducing the malaria burden. She
encourages anyone interested in pursuing biomedical research to make
connections with those in the field, and to learn about the work they are doing. She
emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of research opportunities in
college, “The only way people can find out if they like it is to try it.”
-->
Stephanie Rasmussen is happy to answer any questions about
research as a career at: Stephanie.rasmussen16@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment