Kate Lamb stands between YSSRP participants Paloma Su谩rez Davila (left), who attends Colorado Mesa University and Runa Kersten-Guiler, who attends the University of New Hampshire.
After a summer in CU Boulder鈥檚 Young Scholars Summer Research Program (YSSRP), Kate Lamb was inspired to change her path, transferring from community college to CU Boulder鈥檚 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as a biological engineering major.
YSSRP鈥檚 nine-week program prepares undergraduate students for research careers and graduate study through hands-on experience and professional development. Open to all qualified applicants, the program strongly encourages participation from students underrepresented in engineering and those from schools with limited research opportunities.
It鈥檚 good! I took chemistry, physics and biology at Arapahoe Community College (ACC), so I am well-prepared for upper-division coursework.
After reviewing my classes and interests, my career counselor at ACC thought I might like engineering and recommended the YSSRP. I feel really fortunate that I was accepted to the program.
I was planning to major in math, though I wasn鈥檛 sure where I wanted to study. I really love math and biology and have an interest in medicine, but I wasn鈥檛 sure how they connected. That鈥檚 what drew me to biological engineering at CU Boulder鈥攊t brings everything together.
My project introduced me to synthetic biology, a field that combines biology and engineering, which I find fascinating. It involves designing and building new biological systems or modifying cells to give them new traits or to produce useful products.
I worked with two PhD students to optimize a biosensor鈥攁 protein that detects biological substances, and converts that detection into a measurable signal. Biosensors have the potential to be used as non-invasive medical diagnostic tools and even as therapeutic devices. Our goal was to improve T7 RNA polymerase biosensors, and after extensive troubleshooting, we finally got results that worked. That moment was incredibly gratifying and showed me how much persistence goes into research. Our results formed the basis of that was accepted for publication.
It opened a door to a way that I could combine all my different interests. Previously I thought I had to choose one specific discipline like biology or math or chemistry. After I started working in the lab, I began learning about the degrees offered at CU Boulder. Now I'm taking differential equations and organic chemistry鈥攄ifferent areas of study that I didn鈥檛 know could fit together in one degree program.
The graduate students who mentored me, and Dr. (Rob) Davis and Dr. (Tim) Whitehead took the time to discuss what studying at CU Boulder would be like and how the degree programs are structured. The opportunity to continue doing research was a big part of my decision to attend CU.
The research was exciting, but there were other elements of the program that I really enjoyed. We had lunches with professors and weekly talks on different topics such as working in industry, intellectual property and graduate school opportunities. It made me think how cool it would be to be sitting in one of those professor鈥檚 classes.
As a group we had regular outings, for example, we went hiking, whitewater rafting and bowling. I made a couple of close friends in the program who worked in labs down the hall from me, and we had a really fun time exploring Boulder together. I only have good things to say about the program and its impact on me.
I鈥檇 like to stay in research, and graduate school seems like a strong possibility. I have ideas that I want to explore, and I hope to contribute meaningfully to developing diagnostics and therapeutics that will improve patient care.
To learn more, visit the YSSRP website.
After participating in CU Boulder鈥檚 Young Scholars Summer Research Program (YSSRP), Kate Lamb discovered her passion for biological engineering, leading her to transfer from community college to CU Boulder.