Valuing Time
Growing up, I was ingrained with the idea that I will be successful as long as I spend the majority of my time constantly working or doing tasks. As I soon found out, this rationale was extremely inefficiently and unsustainable. Sometimes it more valuable to set out time to plan and prioritize tasks and activities that will have the largest impact.
Poster Presentation at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Conference in October 2018
I attended the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Conference in October 2018 along with other USC Biomedical Engineering students
The main project that I was heavily involved in the Jabbarzadeh Lab was the development of a platform used to disrupt the cellular membrane in order to deliver wanted compounds into the cell. As I soon discovered, the appropriate platform to accomplish this task required a hydrogel, or more specifically, a temperature-responsive hydrogel, known as PNIPAM. My research into the synthesis of PNIPAM hydrogels taught me the importance of basic polymer science especially in the field of biomedical science or research. When I first started the project, I performed tasks in the lab including reading papers and taking as much data down as possible, instead of stopping myself and asking “Why am I doing this?” and “How impactful will this task really be to the overall project?” I eventually learned through a series of trial-and-error to really value my time in the lab and optimize time-efficiency. Instead of doing tasks for the sake of doing work in the lab, I learned to always look at the final objective and plan accordingly in order to fulfill my success criteria. Regarding my research project, the final product was to produce a paper for the PNIPAM-based platform, so I needed to prioritize experiments that would produce beneficial results and figures to the paper, instead of various characterization methods that would not add to the reader’s understanding of the platform.
As I got further along in my undergraduate studies, I learned that these time-optimization skills that I acquired from my research were extremely applicable in the classroom setting as well. I was first introduced to polymerization reactions in the fall semester of my sophomore year when I took CHEM 333: Organic Chemistry I with Dr. Ken Shimizu. For me, this was the first substantial class where, in theory, the amount of information learned was vast and heavy, but the professor (Dr. Shimizu) taught it in a way that allowed ease of comprehension by all students. He did this by valuing our time studying and prioritize the learning of general concepts that encompass the rest of the material. In practice, we learned the few theories on bond formation that govern all organic reactions, instead of learning all possible reactions usually taught in organic chemistry. During examination, we were able to use the underlying mechanism of bond formation to derive the outcomes of reactions. In this way, the method of learning is similar to that of a math class, where the general
concepts are taught and perhaps some practice problems are performed to enforce the concepts, but not every scenario is taught. This class showed me that there is always a better method of learning information that is more time-efficient, but it is up to me to set aside time to determine these methods.
Amongst teaching us the basic principles of organic chemistry and its associated reactions, Dr. Shimizu touched on the topic of radical reactions, or more commonly referred to as polymerization reactions. In polymerization reactions, there are three key steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In initiation, a lone electron, known as a radical, is formed, usually due to a high-energy event. As the radical binds with an electron pair of a separate molecule, another radical is produced by this molecule; this is known as propagation. Finally, as two molecules with radicals are bound, the radicals “cancels” each other and the polymerization stops; this is known as termination. The basis of these three steps is dictated by how nature usually goes towards a state of lower energy, which in this case is when there are no radicals and only stable electron pairs.
As I attempted to develop protocols for synthesizing the PNIPAM-hydrogel, I found several polymer science papers that used several of the same terminologies that I had learned from Dr. Shimizu in CHEM 333, including initiation, propagation, and termination. Because of this, I had to go back to my CHEM 333 notes in order to refresh myself of the basic polymerization reaction concepts. I consulted with Dr. Mohammad, who was my CHEM 333 lab TA and one of Dr. Jabbarzadeh’s friends, on the specificities of the PNIPAM-reaction. During the consultations, Dr. Mohammad was impressed with the knowledge I had regarding polymerization reactions from the papers I had read and especially from the CHEM 333 class.
Dr. Mohammad and I decided to proceed with the PNIPAM-polymerization protocols based on three separate papers. The PNIPAM-polymerization required three initially separate solutions contained in vials. The first vial contains the comonomers, N-isopropylacrylamide and Bisacrylamide, which are the molecules that are involved in the propagation step as learned in CHEM 333. The second vial contains the radical initiator, which is mainly involved in the initiation step. Finally, the third vial contains the radical initiator accelerator, which provides an energetic reaction with the radical initiator that produces the first radicals in the solution. Due to the oxygen sensitivity of the reaction, the solutions are first purged with nitrogen gas and reaction takes place under argon gas. The reaction (initiation) begins when the three solutions are poured together and agitated. About 10 mins are required for the reaction to proceed (propagation) to a state very close to steady state. This can visually be seen as the mixed precursor solutions turn from a clear solution into an opaque hydrogel. When the color the hydrogel has fully stopped changing is when the polymerization reaction is deemed complete (termination).
By utilizing material taught in CHEM 333 for my research, I learned the possibilities of integrating concepts learned in the classroom into my everyday life and work. Rather than just memorizing information for exams in a class, I have opportunities to utilize and manipulate these basic concepts to create something impactful. I have applied what I had learned from this integration to several academic and non-academic aspects of my life. Through this experience, I learned that skills in resourcefulness and collaboration are crucial in the progression of a successful research project. By identifying and consulting with experts in a specific field related to a research project, I learned to efficiently accomplish research goals.
The key insight of valuing my time that I learned from CHEM 333 and my independent research project can be applied to almost all areas of my life, especially beyond the classroom and research. In my social life, I have utilized this key insight to be more articulate with forming personal and meaning relationships with others.
Notes from CHEM 333 detailing the mechanism for radical reactions. I utilized this information for my research project
2017 SURF Application to receive research funding from the honors college