My daughter Teryn Holeman just received a letter that she is a 2014 Galileo Circle Scholar at the UofA for Chemistry and Neuro-Science Research. She is amazing and is going to be a young lady that changes and betters our world!!! If you have a moment you can get a little insight to how amazing she is by her personal statement (just 4 paragraphs) that I shared below. She has worked so hard!!! Teryn A. Holeman Personal Statement In December of 2014 I will be the first in over four generations to graduate from college. At the University of Arizona I have enjoyed the rigorous and challenging chemistry curriculum tremendously, and it has provided me a strong foundation in analytical techniques, instrumentation, and biological interactions. At age 11, I watched as my 5-year old brother landed on his head after falling 15 feet off of a summer camp high dive. This traumatic brain injury has affected his frontal lobe and will continue to cause educational, as well as emotional obstacles for him to overcome on-a-daily-basis. Witnessing and dealing with the tragic results led me to neuroscience pharmacology. The significance that one area of the brain has on different neurological functions and emotional responses has become a particular area of interest. I am currently an undergraduate researcher in the department of pharmacology under the guidance and supervision Dr. Ted Price, Ph.D. We focus on pain signaling pathways that assist in resolving chronic and acute pain. I want to be an integral part of the research leading to new and significantly improved approaches to pain management. Dr. Craig Aspinwal, Ph.D., my mentor and professor for quantitative instrumental analysis has further stimulated my passion for discovery from his excitement of biotechnology. More recently, I have also been employing mass spectrometry techniques to study and analyze the characterization of biological compounds and synthetic materials for the department of chemistry. Since the 1990’s, mass spectrometry has been used in biological research to measure molecular masses of intact molecules, such as peptides and proteins, while also providing detailed structural information through the fragmentation of ions. My junior year of high school, my Nana was diagnosed with breast cancer. I believe that interdisciplinary collaboration between doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and researchers plays an integral part in scientific and medical advancement. Through graduate school I hope to continue biomedical research, and this fall I am applying for a dual M.D. / Ph.D. medical scientist training program. When accepted, I plan to integrate both my rapidly developing research skills and medical training experience. It is clear the world is witnessing never before seen and exponential growth in the incidence rate of various and deadly cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. I believe that as a result our medical challenges have never been greater. It is my hope to be a major participant in the discovery of significant clinical outcomes and breakthroughs in the arena of oncological healing. I am excited to bring my strong work ethic and dedication into a progressive and successful clinical setting.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 22:53:37 +0000
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