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| Anna Marie Bowsher, Class of 2013, is currently studying breast cancer cells at Texas A&M University Commerce. |
Q: When do you hope to graduate with your undergrad and what do you want to do afterwards?
I will be graduating in August of 2016. I just found out last week and I am super excited because that means I am graduating two semesters early! I will be starting my master's degree in biological sciences in September of 2016 at Texas A&M University Commerce. I am also applying to medical school in the coming cycle- applying for the incoming class of 2017.
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| Anna still has a little bit of time for fun in the laboratories! |
Q: What's your favorite course currently?
My favorite course this semester is biochemistry. I feel accomplished in that class because concepts I understood on one level at the start of the semester are making sense on a higher level now - it's like working on a puzzle.
Q: What is your primary area of research?
I work in a cellular biology lab and am currently working with breast cancer cells. More specifically, I am investigating the role of epigenetic modifications on metastasis of breast cancer cells.
Q: What are epigenetic modifications, exactly, and how are you studying them?
Epigenetic modifications are modifications to DNA which augment protein expression but aren't a result of changes in the nucleotide sequence of DNA; that is, (for example), adding acetyl groups to DNA associated proteins (histones) to cause DNA to dissociate resulting in an increase in protein transcription upstream from that modification. Changes in protein transcription have major implications in the cell. For example, when modifications increase transcription in an area of the DNA which codes for proteins that allow the cell to better resist anchorage dependent cell death they would increase the metastatic potential of the cell - if the cell is less likely to die if it detaches from its current location it is more likely to survive to travel to a new location and cause metastasis.
To study these changes, I grow breast cancer cells in the lab and treat them with various inhibitors and activators. I then asses their ability to migrate, invade, and produce specific proteins. I also asses changes to their chromatin (DNA plus DNA-associated proteins) via fluorescent microscopy (I stain DNA and look at it under the microscope) and western blotting (I extract the DNA associated proteins and separate them on a gel, then I identify the protein of interest using an antibody specific to that particular protein).
Q: Wow, that's awesome! So what exactly is your paper about?
My paper is about Protein Kinase C mediated histone H3K27 tri-methylation and its augmentation of breast cancer metastasis. I am working my hardest to send my paper for publication by the end of January, but the review process takes several months so my best guess is that it will be published in the Summer.
Q: Can you describe the process of writing for a scientific journal?
Writing is the easy part [Anna says with a smile]. The hard part is collecting data. Once you have significant data, you just follow where it leads in the writing process. Basically, you collect your data, analyze it with statistical analysis software, and then you use the principles of cellular biology and biochemistry to describe what the data means. It is like a big puzzle.
Q: Did your time at DRSS help you prepare for your college experience, current research, the journal-writing process, and/or your future career?
Yes, DRSS gave me confidence in my abilities as a student and that I could be a person who makes a difference in their career - those are the skills I turn to most often when things are really challenging. More specifically, DRSS made me a great problem solver and presenter. I never realized how integrated classes at DRSS would be an asset, but after learning so much more about biology and chemistry I realize how important it is to be able to connect the concepts learned in one area of study to another, and how having that skill makes everything in both fields so much easier to understand. I also think DRSS really prepared me for presentations - I have had to give multiple presentations and seminars about my research, not to mention class presentations, and I know one of the reasons I am comfortable and confident in those situations is DRSS. I would like to thank the teachers of DRSS for creating an environment where I could learn and make mistakes without feeling like I'd failed, and for having the foresight to make us practice those skills like problem solving, presenting, working as a team, and encouraging one another, which I didn't even know I would need, but now make me stand out from my peers.
Q: What specific classes, teachers, and/or DRSS experiences did you enjoy or remember the most?
When I was at DRSS my favorite classes were physics and biology. I actually really miss working on AutoCAD sometimes and I have always just loved biology. Ms. Cook Whitt made a huge impact on my life when I was at DRSS - and still does. She always made me feel like being anything but my best was taking the easy way out (if I wasn't challenging myself I wasn't getting all out of the experience that I could)- I think it is pretty rare that someone can inspire like that without ever making you feel inept or insecure. Ms. Whitt and I still keep in touch, and she continues to be a mentor and friend. Ms. Tash also really inspired and encouraged me. I am so thankful to have had such compassionate teachers. All in all, I loved being a student at DRSS. I had great friends, inspiring teachers, and an environment that gave me the skills I needed to be where I am today - working hard to make my dreams come true!
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
Just to thank all of my former teachers - Ms. Linda, Ms. Brown, Ms. Harris, Mr. Lydy, Ms. Tash, Ms. Cook, Ms. Reid, Mr. Polk, Ms. Chen, Ms. Durkee, Ms. Fisher, Molly Johnson, and Mr. Grieve. I wouldn't be here without their hard work and inspiration!
