Research, Resilience, and Discovery Anonymous

When I was invited to join USC Star, a research program at USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, I was simultaneously excited and terrified. Working alongside graduate students and deciphering their complex material was daunting. Together, with a small group of high school students, graduate students, and professors, we researched the effects of repeated social isolation on anxiety in mice, examining how DHM can potentially offset its effects.

During the research, we took extensive precautions, from changing gloves regularly to always changing pipette tips to prevent cross contamination. On a regular basis, we performed various assays, an investigative procedure that measures the amount of a substance, and experiments, like the elevated plus maze (EPM), object recognition test (NOR), open field (OF), and ELISA. In particular, I was in charge of interpreting the results of three different experiments (EPM, NOR, OF). Our efforts culminated with publishing a poster for Moving Targets as well as the IABS forum, a collective of leading scientists in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

Stemming from this experience, I was invited to research with USC again the following year, allowing me to continue exploring....