MARIN ACADEMY RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE​
STUDENT BLOGS
Bella Raja's Blog
Hi, I am Bella Raja, a junior in the Marin Academy Research Collaborative. I am currently researching cancer, from many different lenses on the scientific scope. I spent the first-semester examining studies on the use of natural substances to impede tumor growth. I am currently examining, on the other end of the spectrum, aspects of everyday life that may cause mutations in cells and/or have carcinogenic effects. I hope to spend time working to help set-up the cell culture lab at MA and using it to further my research.
Blog #8
03/28/19
Research
This week Ilise and I have been refining our proposal for science symposium. For our Juul pod flavors, we have chosen to test: Mint, Classic Tobacco, Mango, and Crème Brûlée. We have been working to solidify our methodology. Tomorrow we will be speaking again with Dr. Kegan Donlan to discuss our project's feasibility and to share our ideas and questions with an expert.
Blog #7
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02/21/19
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Science Symposium Proposal
For Science Symposium I will be collaborating with another MARCer, Ilise Angel. We will be studying the effects of various Juul pod fluids on lung epithelial cells. We will be culturing these cells and conducting cytotoxicity assays to see if the chemicals in these pods cause cell death. Additionally, we will be observing the mutagenicity of the liquid to see if it has the potential to cause mutations which could lead to cancer.
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Ilise and I will be reproducing parts of studies already conducted and added our own questions and ideas that we would like to explore. We would also like to do cell culture testing chemicals and nicotine found in "traditional" cigarettes to compare the effects on the cells (cytotoxicity and mutagenicity).
Blog #6
02/14/19
Experimental Design Lesson
This week I made a presentation on cell culture and cell culture techniques. I really appreciated the questions that they asked as they helped me consider aspects of my project that I had not considered yet. For the interactive aspect of my lesson, I showed the class the cell culture lab. Right now we are working on getting the lab set up and ready for cell culturing.
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I have been emailing with Dr. Kegan Donlan about my project changes. I am so grateful that I can ask her for her professional opinion on my research and questions. She thinks that maybe a collaboration with Cate (senior MARCer) could be beneficial to my project, as I could expand upon her research on carcinogens and possibly test on human cells.
Blog #5
02/07/19
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Experimental Design Lesson Plan
This week I have been researching cell culture and cell culture techniques. Cell culture is proving to be a very interesting topic with a lot of interesting details that play into a successful cell culture lab.
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We are doing Experimental Design Lessons for our classmates in MARC IR1. This project will help us iron out our experimental designs and also utilize our peers' feedback to help clarify our projects. I am excited to collaborate with my amazing and smart classmates and see what they have to teach me about their topics! I also hope to gain constructive feedback about my experimental design, as it is still in the developmental stage.
Blog #3
01/24/19
Phone Call with Mentor!
This week I spoke with Dr. Kegan Donlan, who is a professor at Dominican University. Dr. Donlan specializes in Molecular Cancer Biology and Biomedical Sciences. The call clarified what is feasible in regards to my project and what I need to tweak in order to accomplish as much as I want in the time that I have in the MARC program. I am so grateful that Kegan spoke to me and shared her expertise with me. I can not wait for further collaboration, and I am excited to see where my project is headed!
Blog #4
01/31/19
Cell Culture Research
After speaking with Dr. Donlan, my project and research have shifted focus to cell culturing at MA. I am really eager to begin researching cell culture techniques and studies. I hope to help establish the cell culture lab at MA and cultivate my skills in the lab.
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So far, I have learned that in order to improve and hone cell culturing skills, it requires patience and methodical attention to detail. I hope that I will be able to spend this year learning what pitfalls to avoid and how to successfully maintain the cells so that next year I will be able to efficiently and accurately carry out my own cell culture experiment at MA, in regards to my research on natural therapies for cancer.
Blog #2
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01/17/19
Research and Outreach
This week I have been researching different internships for this summer. I want to find a program that helps me grow as a researcher and scientist. I am continuing my research on my project and I am editing my proposal. I hope to contact my mentor and explore the options for conducting my experiment at the Buck Institute.
Blog #1
01/10/19
The Effects of Artemisinin Derivatives on Ferroptosis in Cancer Cells
Hi, my name is Bella Raja. I’m currently a junior at Marin Academy in the MARC program. It is actually kind of random how I stumbled on to wormwood. It just takes a little curiosity and a simple google search to spark a passion that has led me where I am now.
In my project, I plan to use sweet wormwood or Artemisia annua to research breast cancer and its effects of artemisinin on inducing ferroptosis, an intra-cellular-iron-content-dependent cell death. Iron is what triggers the artemisinin to create cancer-killing free radicals. Since cancer cells need much more iron than healthy cells in order to divide and multiply rapidly, this means that the artemisinin treatment is effective in killing the cancerous cells while not severely harming the healthy cells, unlike more aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy.
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I am extremely excited to continue my research and find a lab to carry out my research. I hope to learn from and build on the results and research of other scientists who have done similar studies with encouraging results. I hope to keep learning new things on the way and to begin to understand this complex and multi-faceted problem that faces scientists, doctors, and many people all around the world.