Lecrone Gains Research Experience in UAMS Summer Program

University of the Ozarks sophomore Ian Lecrone took an important step toward his goal of becoming a physician this summer, gaining his first hands-on experience in biomedical research through a highly selective program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Lecrone, a biology major from Little Rock, was one of just 15 undergraduate students from across the country selected for the UAMS Graduate School's Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), an intensive nine-week experience that immersed students in laboratory research, data analysis and the day-to-day challenges of scientific discovery.

SURP is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The nine-week program ran from May 26 to July 24 and consisted of students from 12 different colleges and universities throughout the country.

The experience not only introduced Lecrone to academic research for the first time, but also gave him a firsthand look at the persistence, problem-solving and critical thinking required in biomedical science-skills he believes will help prepare him for medical school and a career in medicine.

"I believe that this experience helped put me on the path towards medical school," he said.

Lecrone said a typical day began at 9 a.m. and included spending time working on research in labs with their mentors as well as data analysis, creating presentations for the data he analyzed and working on a portion of review articles or figures for the review article.

The students also attended seminars on subjects such as mentee-mentor relationships, preparing a curriculum vitae, responsible conduct of research, and writing and talking science.

It was an eye-opening experience for Lecrone when it came to academic research.

"I came in with no research experience, so they've taught me everything I know," he said. "I did not know how tedious research can be at times, and that when running any given experiment there is a good chance it may not work. Most importantly, it taught me patience and how overcoming failure in the field of science through having unsuccessful experiments leads to greater knowledge. Through critical thinking and communicating with members of the lab I was able to turn an experiment that was initially a total failure-in that it either produced bad or no data-into a successful experiment that generated usable data. Learning how to deal with failures and setbacks and overcoming them is what I believe to be the most beneficial for me in life."

Each of the students revealed the results of their projects in a final presentation at the conclusion of the program.

"The reason I applied for the program was to get research experience, to see if it was something I enjoyed and to strengthen my future medical school applications, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience," Lecrone said. "It also helped me strengthen many other skills such as communication, critical thinking, perseverance, and writing composition."

Topics: Biology