Meet the Undergraduate Researcher
Sierra Dixon
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah USA
Current Research
What is your research focus?
My current research is focused on analyzing the development of the optic tectum (OT) in the midbrain of zebrfish, in the presence of Valproic Acid (VPA), an anti-epileptic medication. Valproic Acid is a known teratogen and we have found that it disrupts neurogenesis as well as axonogenisis and dendritogenesis in the developing OT.
What current project are you excited about?
We are in the process of reviewing our paper for publication, which is very exciting. I am also currently excited about our recent work analyzing the effect of VPA treatments on the regulation of specific genes prevalent in the OT, and related to neurogenesis, through qPCR.
What do you like about working with zebrafish? What don’t you like about it?
I like working with zebrafish because they are a great model organism that is very effective for our project. I do a lot of confocal imaging, and the ability of zebrafish to be free of pigment through a tyrosinase knockout makes it very easy to image the OT and midbrain without interference from pigment. The ability of the fish to be completely clear is very advantageous for my project. I also like that with the use of zebrafish we can quickly and easily get a high number of subjects for our experiments, which allows for easy replication. I like just about everything when it comes to working with zebrafish, there are very few things that I would say I don’t like.
Getting to know you better
Where were you born/where did you grow up?
I was born and grew up in Mesa, Arizona, USA.
When did you realize you wanted to have a career as a scientist? /What made you realize you wanted to have a career as a scientist? I realized that I wanted a career as a scientist when I truly fell in love with my education as a neuroscientist during my undergraduate studies. I wanted a job and career working in the field that I loved and research seemed like the ideal course.
Where did you do your undergraduate studies? Did you do research with anyone?
I am currently completing my undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah under the mentorship of Dr. Arminda Suli.
What other jobs have you had?
I have had quite the variety of job experiences before I got into research. I have worked in the food industry, the construction industry and I have also worked as a home health aid.
Science and Careers
Share a turning point or defining moment in your science/career.
Though my scientific career has been short, only about two years, I think being the first author on publication of my recent work has been the highlight of my career.
If you could be present for any "Eureka" moment in history (i.e. the moment some scientific discovery was made), which moment would you choose? Why?
I would choose to be present when Rosalind Franklin took the first X-ray image of DNA and discovered its helical structure. That would truly be an amazing moment in history to witness. It was truly world changing, and to witness a female scientist who made that much of an impact on the world would be incredible.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in science/research?
The advice I would give someone considering a career in science would be to find a lab that has projects and goals that you are passionate about and that allow you to find joy in the discovery.
Where do you think the next scientific breakthroughs are going to occur?
I think the next scientific breakthtoughs will occur in medicine, especially with cancer research, and also in physics and in space.
What is the most challenging part about your science or obtaining your career goals?
I think the most challenging part of the science I am doing is being patient with the process and recognizing that not everything works immediately every single time. It takes a lot of patient when it comes to research and the waiting and redoing experiments is definitely a challenge.
Outside of work
What do you enjoy doing outside of work/lab?
Outside of the lab I love to read, paint and play softball. I also enjoy spending quality time with my friends and family.
What are you reading right now (not including research papers)?
I love reading a good fictional novel, my sister is even in the process of writing a book for me. Currently readings for school take up my spare time, so reading for fun has sadly fallen to the side.
Name a favorite song or musical piece.
I love classical music and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is one of my favorites.
Favorite place you have lived or visited?
I have not traveled much, but I once took a trip to Hawaii and it was heavenly. I loved the beautiful water and wildlife that was everywhere!
What alternative career would you like to attempt if you could?
If I were to choose another career I would like to attempt to become a medical doctor or a physician assistant.
Provide a quote that speaks to you.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”- Anne Frank
Tyler Bruno
NICHD
Washington DC, USA
Current Research
What is your research focus?
I focus on tubulins and tubulin-associated proteins and their dynamic roles throughout development. I study mutations in these proteins to try to understand their function in diverse contexts. I have interest in the etiology of tubulinopathies and ciliopathies. I am also focused on left-right patterning and pathways involved in determining and organizing the body axis.
What current project are you excited about?
I am currently excited about my current project with Dr. Dan Sackett and Dr. Ben Feldman at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Washington, DC, that I have begun after recently graduating from Princeton in May of 2022. I am working on characterizing the function and evolutionary origins of the library of tubulin isotypes in zebrafish and their relationships with tubules in other organisms. I am also studying how the interaction between isotypes contributes to the structure and function of microtubules in a diverse range of tissues and contexts.
What do you like about working with zebrafish? What don’t you like about it?
Although they sometimes require me to wake up early or spend my nights in the laboratory, I love being able to watch zebrafish develop so rapidly, especially in their early stages. Every time I see the body plan start to form, I geek out, feeling as if the anatomy is changing before my very eyes. The ease with which they mate is also very convenient for running experiments, especially as an undergraduate who has other commitments and coursework. Being able to see the heart tube start to beat and the blood moving through the zebrafish is also so satisfying, especially after seeing them a day before as just a mere clump of cells dividing over a yolk.
Getting to know you better
Where were you born/where did you grow up?
Most of my family is originally from Long Island, New York. I was born in Towson, Maryland, and moved to Jackson, a small town in West Tennessee when I was four. I have two younger sisters and two dogs: a labradoodle and a chihuahua. I love to go back to Tennessee and drive around the countryside. Being able to go from a vast landscape of farmland to a bustling city in under an hour made Tennessee a great environment to grow up in. The nature is beautiful, especially as you go toward East Tennessee, when you start to encounter the Cumberland Plateau within the Tennessee River and the Smoky Mountains.
When did you realize you wanted to have a career as a scientist? /What made you realize you wanted to have a career as a scientist?
Science chose me! The pain of children and their parents who are suffering with mental and neurodegenerative disorders made me to choose my career path as a scientist. I am very much fascinated by drug discovery related to developmental neurodegenerative disorders, because of the high cost of the drugs which are not affordable by common people.
Where did you do your undergraduate studies? Did you do research with anyone?
I recently graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology. I am currently applying to medical school Starting in my junior year, I did research with Professor Rebecca Burdine, who focuses on left-right patterning in the vertebrate embryo. My lab experience was so great, and Professor Burdine and the rest of the lab made me feel so welcome as I completed my undergraduate thesis during my junior and senior years at Princeton.
What other jobs have you had?
While in college, I developed an independent research project with LIFELINE Blood Services, the leading blood provider in West Tennessee, focused on identifying the psychological and structural barriers to blood donation, specifically in disadvantaged communities. Lack of blood donation within these populations leads to inefficiencies in coverage of these populations within the blood donor pool. Besides working in their laboratory to identify people with rare blood antigens in the population, I implemented a survey and interviewed community members to help uncover what prevents people from donating blood and the consequences of this lack of donation. I have worked at PLT Health Solutions to gain exposure to discovery and innovation within the health supplement industry, and have also worked at Jimmy Johns, where I made and delivered sandwiches in my hometown.
Science and Careers
Share a turning point or defining moment in your science/career.
A turning point in my career was the moment at which I got my first result as I was doing my thesis research at Princeton. Seeing my immunofluorescent stain finally work under the confocal and doing a preliminary analysis of the data I received after weeks of failed attempts, I felt a world of questions begin to pour into my head. This was the first time that I felt that I had significant data in the laboratory, and infinite paths forward began to materialize in my head. This experience grew my hunger for knowledge and discovery and made me excited to push forward with my research.
If you could be present for any "Eureka" moment in history (i.e. the moment some scientific discovery was made), which moment would you choose? Why?
Watching Photo 51 develop from the perspective of Rosalind Franklin must have been absolutely breathtaking. In the context of genes having been discovered to have come from DNA to now having an actual picture of DNA, the amount of implications to arise immediately from the photo must have been overwhelmingly amazing. Its implications at its capture for the future of molecular biology are unmatched.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in science/research?
I would say to find a field that you are really passionate about, and if you are finding it difficult to motivate in whatever position you are in, find awe in the things that you are doing and the things that you are seeing. Just take a step back and think about how amazing life is and that you are getting to play a part in uncovering its underpinnings.
Where do you think the next scientific breakthroughs are going to occur?
I am so lucky and excited to be living in a time where science is moving so quickly. I think that biomedical technologies are on the verge of revolutionizing medicine, and that we are so close to understanding how our body operates, both metabolically and immunologically. Transplantation therapies for all sorts of diseases, such as diabetes, are quickly leaving the world of science fiction and coming into reality. I am excited to be present in the world of science and medicine as all of these breakthroughs are approaching.
What is the most challenging part about your science or obtaining your career goals?
The most challenging part about science broadly is continuing to move forward in the face of failure. Even if the things you are doing are not working, staying positive and realizing that what you are doing is still contributing to scholarship is difficult at times. But, once again, the thought that you are inching closer to a big breakthrough is motivation enough to keep going. Finding support from fellow lab members and acknowledging the importance of my work are both valuable outlets for alleviating some of the distress that comes with negative results.
Outside of work
What do you enjoy doing outside of work/lab?
I enjoy listening and making music. I play the clarinet and piano and sing, and I love to make music whenever I have the opportunity. I sing in the Princeton University Glee Club, the more classical choral ensemble on campus, and the Princeton Tigertones, the signature low-voice a cappella group at Princeton. I also like playing tennis and running.
What are you reading right now (not including research papers)?
I am currently reading Being Mortal by Atul Gatwande. It is a book about people aging and the need to rethink intervention strategies as people start to encounter problems with their health. Gatwande argues that the individual’s experience is greatly contextual and it is necessary to really understand what aging people need as their body begins to weaken. I am currently applying to medical school, so the book’s emphasis on compassion and intention in care is very inspiring to me. He dives into the weaknesses and shortcomings of the elderly care industry and innovations to improve the lives that come into their care.
Name a favorite song or musical piece.
I’m not sure if I have a favorite song, but as of right now my favorite album is Days of Future Passed by the Moody Blues, an English progressive rock band from the 1960s. For the album, the band collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to create a concept album that takes the listener through the different parts of the day. With hits like “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon” sprinkled in, it is a fantastical mix of classical music and a transforming rock scene in the 1960s.
Favorite place you have lived or visited?
My favorite place I have visited has to be Costa Rica. It was my first time leaving the country, and after living with a host family for my three-week stay, my world view expanded a ton. I stayed with a host family in San José, the capital city, and was able to experience the urban centers of the country. I also was able to experience Costa Rica’s rich natural beauty; it is actually crazy being able to visit volcanoes, rainforests, and beaches all in the same general area.
What alternative career would you like to attempt if you could?
In another life, I would love to be a food critic. I am obsessed with food and love to eat and try new cuisines. Growing up, I would make tier lists of food in my school cafeteria and give my review for each of the menu options. I love traveling, and being able to do that and eat diverse cuisines and food seems like the perfect combination for a profession. I love getting excited about food and I think that this would be the most fun way to do it.
Provide a quote that speaks to you.
In her book Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech writes “Don’t judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.” This quote speaks to me, especially as I embark on my journey in medicine, as I strive to try to connect with people that are different from me and come from different backgrounds. I feel that this mentality, attempting to truly understand others’ perspective without judgement, is the key to making meaningful connections and growing yourself as a person.