Maria Sacta
Class of 2003-Present
Union High H.S.
2006 Topic:
Topic: Isolation, Detection, and Cellular & Molecular Characterization of Circulating Melanoma Cells
About:
In the summer of 2003, I was chosen to join the Scientific Summer Internship in New York headed by the Harlem Children Society. I was able to venture into a world in which the field of science was covered extensively. Along with Dr. Sat Bhattacharya I worked on an innovative research project that dealt with different cancers that affect many people. Dr. Sat Bhattacharya taught me a lot about biological and pathological fields in science and his project. Although some of the things were at college level, he was able to explain everything with ease and made my peers and myself understand what was going on. I experimented with blood specimens and learned many techniques that dealt with isolating DNA and RNA. It was a great experience because I researched about Circulating Tumor Cells from Cancer Patients and how to operate different types of machinery. The Summer Internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, not only gave me the experience to work in a lab but it also allowed me to meet many different people. Among the group of people who I was able to work with were Annie Velez, Louis Shackleford and Pankaj Saha. I learned about their culture and their different lifestyles. It taught me how to be understanding and open minded towards different attitudes and ideas. Annie, Louis and Pankaj are people whom I gained a lot of respect for because of their background, education and what they were able to teach me. This program helped me evolve as a person who is able to accept the ideas and beliefs of other individuals as well. Overall, the summer program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The people who I worked alongside are excellent people who I was able to benefit from for both professionally and personally.