1. UPR Cayey
My growth as a young scientist:
Spring 2013
Nicolle A. Rosa Mercado
BIOL. 3095
Prof. E. González and Prof. E. Díaz

2. The last semester of my freshman year I participated in the RISE Spring Semester Bridge. The
course that was provided had an emphasis on laboratory techniques. Throughout it, different
professors from Universidad de Puerto Rico at Cayey offered workshops in which they taught us
about a variety of laboratory techniques such as agarose gel electrophoresis and electron
microscopy. In addition to laboratory techniques, we also learned skills such as team-work. I
consider it a privilege to have been able to partake of this course.
During this class the professors provided workshops on mycobacteriophages, proteomics, water
quality, in silico drug discovery, nanoparticles, and microscopy. The class also arranged for
students to attend workshops where a professor taught us how to write a personal statement. The
course was designed to bestow upon the students the basic techniques used for a scientific
investigation. It also required each student to work under the mentorship of one of the professors
who have ongoing research investigation within campus. All of these things allowed the students to
get a preview of what working in a laboratory is like.
The class required me to be present in three different seminars provided by professors and
graduate students. After each seminar the students were to write a reflection about what they learned
and the importance of it. These seminars gave me an idea of the research that is being done and how
I can be part of it. They were very helpful because they also explained how undergraduate students
such as myself can obtain research experience and apply to graduate school. I learned different
things regarding a diversity of topics by attending these seminars.
Each student was expected to prepare a primary article with one of his colleagues. We also had
to prepare a laboratory notebook following the correct guidelines. In the notebook we were to write
all of the procedures regarding our assigned research. Each pair of students also had to prepare a
final presentation about the research they had started. This experience allowed us to gain further
knowledge about teamwork and what goes on inside a laboratory.
Participating in the RISE Spring Semester Bridge helped me work on my social skills by forcing
me to work in pairs. It also showed me the variety of options within the field of research through

3. each workshop. We practiced techniques from previous courses by writing a primary article and the
reflections for each seminar. This has been a wonderful experience which has greatly contributed to
my academic life. It has allowed me to recognize the things that I need to improve and work on
improving them for my own benefit as a professional.