For this week’s UROP spotlight, we are highlighting Karina Frey! Karina is a second-year UROP student majoring in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience. She aspires to be a physician with a specialty in pediatrics and neurology. Furthermore, she is involved in Nu Rho Psi, NUSA, and the Honors program. She is also the Vice President of Finance for the FL Zeta Chapter of Phi Delta Epsilon, where she raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. A fun fact about Karina is she is the youngest of four children and loves animals! She has also been a dancer since she was three years old!
Karina is working with Austin Folger on a project titled “The clearance of mutant Huntingtin inclusion bodies through autophagy, IBophagy.”
Karina’s favorite part of UROP is her relationships and the connections with her research mentor. She said her research mentor has taught her so much about the microbiological aspect of science. Additionally, he has allowed her to work individually on experiments. She has learned many valuable techniques for studying neuropathology and neurodegenerative diseases. She states that it has been so insightful for her to learn from someone who can give her advice and connections to her future career path.
Karina’s advice for future UROP students is to take advantage of the opportunity UROP serves you. Before this year, she had no research experience. Karina said she has gained so much experience and open-mindedness to a field she did not realize she would be interested in. She noted that UROP will challenge your comfort level and enable you to work at a level that will benefit you for your future career. She adds that you will find something you are interested in and if you do not get into the research of your choosing, take the opportunity to learn and embrace information you would not have been able to experience.
Karina plans to continue in her current research as a DIS student in the future. She is excited to use the skills she learned in UROP and apply them to continue her further studies of neuropsychopathology. #UROP #CRE
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