I began undergraduate research under the direction of Dr. Michael A. Riehle in the summer of 2007. Dr. Riehle has an appointment in Entomology and BIO5 at the University of Arizona studying how some biochemical pathways impact the lifespan and fecundity of mosquitoes. In December 2008, I left Sky Harbor Airport to attend my first science conference in New Orleans - The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference. The trip was long anticipated since my abstract had been accepted in late May and my poster presentation set by September. While I was there, my goal was to compete for a Young Investigators Award, present a poster of my research, and become acquainted with the active research interests surrounding tropical medicine.

My poster detailed the effects of overstimulation of the insulin-signaling pathway on the lifespan of the malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi. My lab designed a transgenic line of An. Stephensi that overexpressed the protein Akt - a key molecule in the pathway. Our results indicated that our transgenic mosquitoes experienced a significant reduction in lifespan. This was a significant finding because shorter-lived mosquitoes provide less time for the development of the malaria parasite. My poster was first presented to a panel of five judges during the Young Investigators Award competition. I was competing against thirteen individuals ranging in educational level from graduate studies to post-doctoral research. The realization of being the only undergraduate was initially overwhelming, and I felt unprepared to present my entire collection of data in a five-minute period with two minutes left for questions. Shortly after the competition I received feedback that I had competed comparably with the other investigators and was ranked in the top six presenters.

My second presentation occurred during one of the daily poster sessions. The atmosphere was much more relaxed, and I found myself falling into discourse with many fellow scientists following similar research paths. During the session I received nice compliments on my work, including offers for both a graduate research assistantship and a summer internship.

Once my presentations were completed, I was able to relax and focus on other aspects of the conference. The conference was well attended, with visitors coming from all areas of the world to unite in the common interest of solving tropical diseases. One of the most striking differences was the variation in means to solve these global dilemmas. Research was split between parasite and vector studies and ranged in approach from molecular biology to epidemiology. Each talk was ten minutes - just long enough to allow a glimpse at one scientist's research emphasis. I was entering from a very focused viewpoint. I know about mosquitoes and about insulin signaling - but when it came to discussion of metabolic pathways of the plasmodium, I was lost. The wide range of topics at the conference made me realize the scope of possibility under the title "tropical medicine" and view thousands of people come together under that umbrella.

As I toured various colloquiums and listened to talks ranging from mosquitoes, to worms, to single cell eukaryotes, I was able to meet scientists in these varying fields. The most rewarding were graduate students. It was energizing to meet people so stimulated by the fields they work in and know that I am nearing that next step in my career. I was able to sit and discuss both the excitement and hardship of being a graduate student. These discussions allowed my to see what my life would be like if I were to choose to attend graduate school in the sciences.

I returned to Tucson and finals week. Although flooded with the prospect of returning to a hectic end of the semester, I couldn't help but feel hopeful. The experience of attending a conference and sharing my research made me certain that I want to have a career in research science. 

Laurel Watkins, UBRPer formerly in Dr. Michael Riehle's lab, Entomology; now in Dr. Jean-Marc Fellous's lab, Neural Systems, Memory and Aging