Back in February of this year, my abstract for my research findings (Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) Mitigates the Effects of Camptothecin-induced Oxidative Stress on Bone-like Cancer Cells (UMR 106-01 BSP)) was accepted for a poster presentation at the international Experimental Biology 2022 Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was so so excited when I received the acceptance email and immediately informed my research sponsor Dr. Joseph of the wonderful news. This was definitely going to be a trip of a lifetime… a once in a lifetime opportunity, I thought. This not only meant getting to present my cellular biology research to the world but also traveling on a plane as the pandemic restrictions were slowly lifted. I had not been on a plane probably since the summer before freshman year, so I was beyond thrilled!
After talking to Dr. Joseph, I vividly remember that my excitement grew while opening the Maps app on my phone to see what is located near the Philadelphia Convention Center, which borders near Chinatown. There is a Bonchon (aka the best Korean fried chicken restaurant ever) close to a mall nearby with Nordstrom and Tiffany & Co. –– one of the many amazing places to see and visit!
The months (… or shall I say weeks?) leading up to the conference flew by too quickly but were very hectic. There was still more work to be done, more data sets to collect, more experiments to run… So, I saw myself running against the clock. My spring break was swamped: I had been shadowing a physician in the mornings, traveling to campus for research lab in the afternoons, and preparing my sermon message for my church’s youth vespers that Friday. I recall that, on the Wednesday before flying out, I had been in the lab since 1 P.M. and ultimately got out very late that evening at almost midnight on Thursday morning. That was nearly a whopping 12 hours! However, I found it rewarding. Although that particular experiment exhibited some inherent challenges, it provided me the opportunity to assess what went wrong and what we could do the next time to have a better experimental trial (hopefully with actual, conclusive results)! Research is about learning the scientific method. It will not always be perfect. Trial and error is a part of the process.
Eventually, everything concerning the poster itself was all good to go by Friday. I packed late on Saturday night and finished by 3 A.M. on Sunday. Getting to the airport was a breeze. I was really hyped for this trip because it was sort of like my first solo flight. I had already checked in for my boarding pass the day before, therefore I only had to hustle my way through the TSA checkpoint to enjoy a nice matcha latte from Dunkin’ Donuts. Though there was a bit of a delay in boarding the plane from ONT to PHX as well as the extremely limited time to transfer from PHX to the connecting flight for PHL, I was on my way to Philly soon enough.
We got to the Thomas Bond House Bed and Breakfast (established in 1769!) around 1 A.M. EST. Though it was the wee hours of the morning, we were pumped with excitement to be on the East Coast. We were completely starved and even attempted ordering Papa John’s Pizza on Grubhub at 2 A.M. Though we never actually received our food, we ended up staying up for another two to three hours before knocking out for the night.
The first day in Philly was fantastic! We had the opportunity to go back in time to this historical, bustling metropolis as we walked the colonial streets in the heart of Old City, visited important landmarks like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Constitution was signed almost 235 years ago, ate brunch at the locally owned Eggcellent Café as well as the famous Reading Market Terminal, shopped at popular stores, and wrapped up the evening by eating at the mouth-watering Dan Dan restaurant –– comparable (maybe even better…) to world-renowned Din Tai Fung.
Conference day on Tuesday morning was beyond delightful! We enjoyed a yummy continental breakfast at the house and then Ubered our way over to the convention center. It was cool to see so many attendees from all over the globe coming together with one goal: to learn and to share the wealth of knowledge. During my first year, a freshman novice like myself would have never imagined the momentous opportunity to present my poster at an international research conference. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have attended the Experimental Biology 2022 Conference this past April. This is all thanks to my incredible research mentor Dr. Joseph, Dr. Gutierrez, La Sierra University Biology Department, and the ever so supportive Title V grant program. They have transformed my dream into a reality. Attendance at this meeting has opened my eyes to the world of scientific discoveries conducted by researchers from distinguished institutions all over the world. I was able to further my knowledge and learn of more ways to advance my own research project.
Looking at posters from other presenters was also an absolute treat. I remember one right across my station that really caught my eye, especially the photos of dissected larynges, epiglottis, etc. The poster from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai investigated an anatomical mechanism that helped to protect whale airways. Although I work with rat osteosarcoma cells and not directly with vertebrates, it was so fascinating to see how another discipline uses these models on an organismal level.
This journey was the ultimate experience like none other, and I am so eternally grateful for the amazing support to fly across the country for my first solo flight to the East Coast. The trip to historic Philadelphia is one for the books that I know I will cherish and treasure always, including the stay at the fabulous, American Revolutionary era Thomas Bond House, the spring stroll to Independence Hall, and souvenirs from the conference (the DIY personalized buttons, the micropipette pens –– which appear similar to the ones I use in lab to treat my cells –– that Dr. Joseph raved about and encouraged us to get many times while preparing for the conference). I hope to attend more conferences during my final undergraduate year as well as when I am a medical student/resident. I am forever grateful for these experiences and look forward to expanding on this project for my Honors Scholarship Project this upcoming school year.
— Ailinh Nguyen (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)