FIRE STARTERS >> Neha Nauman

"I was initially interested in the F.I.R.E starters program because of the benefits related to research it offered. I liked how it offered training and so many different classes every meeting to help us learn more about what research is and how we can get more confident about doing our own research project with a mentor one day."

Q: Can you please share your current research that you are doing as a result of this program?

Ijust submitted my proposal to a research professor and I will be studying how leaky gut affects autoimmunity! We are starting next fall and I am going to be studying this on a specific strain of mice. 

Q: Can you please share about your faculty mentor and what that relationship has been like?

I just started this project and she has been absolutely amazing and welcoming. I think that having this research background and Dr. Brown as my mentor has helped me make more connections and find a mentor to help me conduct my research as well. 

Q: What have been some of the stand-out moments with your student cohort?

One thing that I love about this cohort is how we all update each other on our projects and if we are ever feeling behind, we make sure to talk through it and help each other get to wherever in research we want to be. 

Q: Will you be engaged in research this summer as a result of the program? If so, can you please share more about that?

I will be starting next fall, but I will start my training in the lab this summer. 

Q: What would you tell other students who may be interested in the program or just learning about it?

I think that if anyone is even a little bit interested in pursuing research, then this program is an amazing way to get your foot in the door and learn about the basics of research and how that can help you!