Summer 2024 - I was conacted by Tianna Urrea MacMeans the Program Coordinator of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) in late Spring of 2024 to see if I was available to mentor a student that was participating in the UROC-Minimizing Health Disparities (MHD) Program. This seemed like a no-brainer for me, I feel a sense of duty to support the UROC and UBRP efforts here at the UA if I am available. Seeing as Mac McGraw was going to be back in the lab running things for the summer, I knew we had a solid situation for immersing students in Langlais Lab Camp. Enter Saniya Barbour, straight from New York City! Saniya was an excellent fit from the get-go and BONUS she intends to pursue a PhD in biomedical research! Saniya's interests actually lie in Neuroscience although she's been doing a nice job taking on glucose uptake with us. Saniya handled the lab like a pro throughout the summer and enjoyed it so much because I mean come on who doesn't love the Langlais Lab, she ended up staying with us as part of her federal work study program. She's now on her second year with us here in the lab and she has been a taking on all the freggin' western blots for our work on microtubules in insulin action...the project that never dies. We've really benefited from having Saniya with us and I'm personally looking forward to see where she ends up after the Langlais Lab seeing as she's actively seeking out her best choices and opportunities for graduate school.
