Exploring Opportunities
June 22, 2025
Hi! My name is Sofia, and I am a rising senior at the University of Delaware. I am a Human Physiology major with aspirations of pursuing a career in healthcare. I applied to the Empower Fellowship to explore the career path of scientific research, gain hands-on research experience, and obtain a deeper knowledge of cancer, its causes, and treatment. Starting my journey at Fox Chase Cancer Center, I was both nervous and excited, as this was my first experience in research. However, worries I had were soon washed away with the warm welcomes from Dr. Purdy and Dr. Austria, as well as the wonderful girls I have been getting to know, also part of the Empower Program!
Over the past three weeks here, I have already learned many new lab skills. In just my first week, I learned tips and tricks to better understand primary research articles, how to perform a restriction digest of plasmid DNA, separate DNA via gel electrophoresis, and purify and ligate DNA. In my second week, I began working in Dr. Yu (Sunny) Liu’s lab, and I had a great start with my mentor, Hannah Wilson, along with everyone else part of the lab. In the lab, I have been focusing on understanding the conformation and components of the protein complex cohesin, which plays a critical role in the folding and regulation of the genome. Specifically for my project, we want to know if it is feasible to add siRNA transfection to a semi-in vitro assay previously developed by the lab to study cohesin-chromatin interactions. So far, I have been performing Western Blots with samples that underwent siRNA transfection with non-targeting siRNA and observing protein knockdowns of various subunits of cohesin. In addition, I have been learning how to culture cells, isolate nuclei, and prepare samples for Hi-C. With every week, I learn more and more, eager to keep going forward!
Outside of the lab, I have been getting to know the girls better through fun activities and learning about their labs. We’ve been playing card games and board games, doing movie nights, and going out for sweet treats. We even planned a successful trip into Center City! It’s been interesting to find out the similarities and differences in the equipment and techniques we’ve been learning in our labs. I can’t wait to see what we do next!
Growing & Learning
July 13, 2025
As I have reached the halfway point of the Empower Program, my professional skills and lab skills continue to grow. One event that sticks out to me in particular in regard to developing my professional skills is the Mid-Atlantic Trainee Exchange (MATEs) Retreat. During this retreat, all of the Empower Fellows were able to meet other undergraduate students and first-year medical students also performing cancer research this summer. This was an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded students from around the country to around the world. Together we learned how to give a good elevator pitch. These elevator pitches focused specifically on our summer projects and from there we were able to improve through practice and giving constructive criticism. In the second half of the retreat, we focused on learning about healthcare disparities. Coming from different places and backgrounds, this further strengthened the meaningful and insightful discussions we had on healthcare disparities and ways to address them. Overall, this event facilitated networking and effective scientific and interpersonal communication, improving my professional skills.
In the lab, I have been refining my western blot, cell culturing, nuclei purification, and Hi-C prep skills. When comparing the blots I first started making on my own to the ones I have now, there has been a significant improvement. In the beginning, many of the blots had air bubbles but now there is only the occasional bubble! I am proud of the progress I have made thus far. I am currently at a point where I have been using the other lab skills I have been taught on my own! I have started to make my own samples for western blots through cell culturing and nuclei purification. This has allowed me to have a greater understanding of the time it takes for my entire experiment from beginning to end and the significance of each step as it pertains to the study of cohesin. I am thrilled to continue working and I cannot wait to present at the symposium!
During my free time this past weekend, I explored Jenkintown along with two other girls in the program, Corinne and Elissa. Jenkintown was a short drive from Fox Chase with cute stores and restaurants. While we were there, we stopped by White Horse Coffee & Creamery to get iced coffee and matcha then made our way to the thrift store that was right next door. The thrift store had a large selection of clothing, shoes, jewelry and bags. I ended up getting two items. Finally, my favorite part of the trip was going into the local bookstore, Capricorn Books. The bookstore was colorful and filled with books of various genres, art supplies, vinyl records and unique stickers. I highly recommend checking out Jenkintown and I hope to go again!
Empowered
August 10, 2025
As the Empower Fellowship has come to an end, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the learning, growth, and connections with others that this program has provided me with. Over the past 10 weeks, I have learned extensively about the protein complex cohesin, developed my professional presentation and speaking skills, and collaborated with members of the Liu Lab. In addition to this, I have been able to build friendships with 11 amazing women in this program.
During the last week of the program, my roommate and I hosted a Potluck with the other Empower Fellows to celebrate the end of the program and her birthday! Everyone brought something to eat as we all told stories about our lab and talked about our upcoming presentations. The evening was filled with good food, fun, and laughs. It was the perfect last hangout before the program ended, but we all plan to meet up again at school in the fall!
The program concluded with the symposium, where I gave a presentation titled, Establishing an siRNA Screen to Analyze Cohesin-Chromatin Interactions. During the presentation, I displayed Western Blots with samples that underwent siRNA transfection with non-targeting siRNA. These blots showed protein knockdowns of various subunits of cohesin, consistent with previous blots done by the lab without siRNA transfection. Therefore, we confirmed the feasibility of adding siRNA transfection to the semi-in vitro assay. I look forward to one day reading about how the Liu Lab uses this assay experimentally and the results they find!
Finally, I end this program with bittersweet emotion, feeling sad that it is over but so incredibly grateful for the new experiences, skills, and people I have met! I can’t wait to see where everything I’ve gained from the Empower Fellowship leads me!
