Johns Hopkins for the Summer!

Hi everyone!

My name is Bianca Pier... and I am now a SENIOR at Siena! I still can't believe that three whole years have already gone by. I am definitely going to try to make this last year go as slowly as possible. I don't think I ever want to leave!

I am a Biology major at Siena, and I aspire to become a college professor. So far, Siena has given me so many wonderful opportunities to foster my love for science and discovery. During my junior year I was lucky enough to work with Dr. Helm, who is one of my favorite professors at Siena, on research in Plant Biology. So, this summer I wanted to put the research skills that I learned in his lab to the test, and I applied to several undergraduate research programs. And guess what!! I got into a spectacular program at Johns Hopkins University!

So, at this very moment, I am typing up this blog from my dorm on JHU campus in Baltimore after getting back from a long and exciting day in the lab. Here at Hopkins I am working in the Department of Cell Biology in a huge laboratory under Dr. Peter Devreotes. His lab is full of so many researchers, top-of-the-line equipment, and fascinating projects. AND the lab of two Nobel Prize winners is right across the hall from where I do research every day! This place is just full of positive energy and brilliant minds... I'm almost overwhelmed by it.

Dr. Devreotes' lab focuses on a phenomenon called chemotaxis. Chemotaxis is basically the movement of cells in a chemical gradient. This phenomenon occurs in several well-known physiological situations. One such example is the metastasis of tumor cells (when a tumor cell decides to just up and leave the tumor and travel elsewhere in the body, causing lots of problems). However, chemotaxis does not always produce negative results for health. In fact, neutrophils (friendly white blood cells) move by chemotaxis when they chase harmful bacteria. This process works when a cell, whether a human neutrophil or a single-celled amoeba, senses a change in the concentration of a particular chemical in its surroundings, and then moves according to where the source of that chemical is. It's a pretty cool process... and the researchers in Dr. Devreotes' lab are trying to figure out exactly what happens in a cell when it undergoes chemotaxis.

Right now I'm working with an amoeba model... The species name is Dictyostelium Discoidium, but we call it "Dicty!" Basically, I'm looking at one little protein (that the grad student I am working with discovered!) that is involved in chemotaxis and I'm getting rid of it in Dicty through cloning mechanisms to try to figure out what happens when it's gone. It's really interesting, but it's A LOT of hard work!

Here's a link to the lab if you're interested: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/cellbio/devreotes/

So I am definitely beat from the long day. I have to say that I feel "all grown up" here because I get up early and go to work, come back late, cook my own dinner, and then I am so exhausted that I go to bed way earlier than I do at school. It's a weird feeling.

I'll definitely be back on soon to tell you guys some more about the research, but also some cool stuff about Baltimore, Maryland!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer! :-)

~Bianca

P.S. Rest in peace, Michael Jackson!

Summer Travels.

Hey Everyone!

I know, it's been awhile, I apologize. Happy official summer! (although, this New York weather is not making it seem like summer at all...I feel like I'm in Forks, Washington...I just want to get my tan on!). Also, congratulations graduates! YOU DID IT :)

So, this past weekend I traveled to Arkansas (or, as we renamed it "Ark-and-Sass".. which, brings up the fun fact that it is actually illegal to mispronounce "Arkansas") for my cousins wedding. Him and his (now) wife are both in the Air Force, and are stationed there, so we made the trip past the Mason-Dixon Line to celebrate. (anything for a good time, right?) I must admit, other than Florida, this is my first trip to a state that far away, and, I did not know what to expect. I may have stereotyped it a bit, but, other than the Southern drawl (which I found quite charming), Arkansas isn't too different. We were in downtown Arkansas, and our hotel was beautiful, and the surrounding area was just precious. My entire moms side of the family was there also, so what could be better? This wedding was particularly special for us as a family because Danny (my cousin) is being deployed in January for a year, so it was nice to spend some quality time with him. It was also special for me because I got to part of the pre-wedding festivities. I went to my first combined Bachelor/Bachelorette party, and the day of the wedding I was busy helping everyone get ready. I also became designated photographer for my Aunt. Although we were only there for a day and a half, it was well worth the arduous traveling (lost luggage, delayed flights, missing drivers.. you name it, we encountered it, lol)

Arkansas isn't my only summer traveling arrangements. In a week and a half I will be traveling to Cabos, Mexico with my Dads side of the family. (Don't worry, we vicorously researched, and the Swine Flu isn't anywhere near our resort). Last year, the whole family (all 20+ of us) went on a cruise together, and it was such a success that we decided to travel again together. This get-a-way is only going to be my aunt and her two daughters, and my family because the rest of the family is a terrified of flying (Which, is funny, because to me the cruise, and being in the middle of the ocean for 7 days, was much more terrifying than flying). My two cousins and me are all about the same age (we're all about 6 months apart), and my brother isn't too much older than us, so we're going to have a blast! And, in August, before I have to go back up to Siena, I'm going to Florida to visit my Godmother/Aunt with my mom. I feel like such a little jet-setter!

Other than traveling the United States, I've been keeping my routine of working hard. The restaurants still busy, which means that I'm frequently busy. Even on my days off, I'm doing errands for Macs. (delivering checks, going to different banks, planting flowers, lol). I've also submitted a few of my short stories to a couple of magazines, and I'm pretty anxious to hear back from them. It should be known that writing and reading is one of my favorite/relaxing activities. I organized all my books the other day, and I have, personally, over 130 books. I like owning books. I like writing notes in them, being able to reference them whenever, and just having them. When I own my own house, I want a library in it. I'm a huge J.D Salinger fan, and I have all of his works and works about him. He's so talented, and I like that he's a recluse. Kurt Vonnegut is my new summer obsession though. So witty! I always laugh out loud when I read his books. (If you have time, definitely pick up his book "God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater"). On those nice summer nights I like to sit on my porch and just read into the nighttime.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer of complete freedom. Seriously, relish in these next few months. You have nothing to worry about except what color you want your comforter to be in your first dorm room. Relax, hang out with your friends, and get excited for college.

Also, remember those cheery freshman in the yellow shirts that pointed you in the right direction during open house and all the other admissions events? Well, they're called the Pathfinders, and as a Coordinator of Pathfinders, I'm looking for incoming freshman to join our club for 2009-2010 school year. If you're interested leave a comment, or e-mail me at la08geli@siena.edu. It's a great club, and I made a lot of friends through this program, so I hope you consider it. (but hey, I'm a little biased =D)


I'll talk to you all soon!

P.S- I attached a picture of my family at the wedding, enjoy.

All Around New York

Prior to my stay here in Fordham, I had been to every New York City burrough except for Brooklyn. I can now say that I have been to all of the burroughs. A few days ago, as a part of my internship, I was attending a CLARO program in downtown Manhattan. CLARO stands for Civil Legal Assistance Resource Office. There, citizens who are being sued for the alleged failure to pay debts are offered legal advice by a team of volunteer lawyers and law students. Most people that come in are anxious about their situation. Oftentimes the lawsuit against them will be without merit. When a volunteer lawyer is able to be of help, as is almost always the case, they walk out visibly relieved and grateful for the help.

Being relatively foreign to New York City, and especially its convoluted subway system, I had some trouble determining which subway train to take back to my room in midtown. Fortunately, I found the right track; unfortunately, the train went in the 'wrong' direction. When I was crossing water, I knew something was wrong. Turns out, I wound up in Brooklyn, late at night, wondering what on earth went wrong. Obviously, I made it back to my room safe and sound. I simply got back on the subway headed for Manhattan.

Despite my minor detour, I am still very much enjoying my experience here at the Feerick Center. Recently, I sat in on a meeting with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and the Chief Administrative Judge of New York State, Ann Pfau. The meeting concerned what steps needed to be taken to mandate an education requirement for the licensing of process servers. Process servers are the people that serve court documents to individuals that have business before the court. Usually, a process server is not somebody you want to see knocking on your door. They generally deliver bad news. Anybody can serve process in New York State over the age of 18 and not a party to the action (the legal dispute). Those are pretty slim standards, and so, in order to ensure more effective service of process, groups are working to require an education requirement, such as training and taking an exam prior to being eligible to serve process. In any case, that is what I have been working on for the past couple of weeks.

I am still getting used to the environment and culture. Everybody seems to be in a rush to go to their job, the restaurant, a meeting, or home or the ten thousand other things to do in New York City. To relax for a change I went to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center (just one block away) to see the New York Philharmonic, one of the premiere orchestras on the planet. I was able to get a student discount and only had to pay $14, compared to some people who I'm sure payed over $100 for their seat. The performance was amazing, and the music hall, which I had never been to, was a sight to behold.

Summer Fun!

Hey Everyone!

Alright, so I am new to the Siena blogging world, but I am happy to be here for the summer. My name is Leanne, and I will be a sophomore in the Fall of 2009. I just finished my freshman year (yikes, time flies by!), and let me tell you... IT WAS GREAT! It's funny because Siena wasn't even my first choice (or on my radar during my early college search so long ago), but, I honestly couldn't be happier. I've been home for a month already, and, I'm already excited to go back in August.

Although I'm eager to go back to school, (weird, I know.. but, you'll understand once you go =]), I've been keeping quite busy here at home. I work at a restaurant near my home, and it is my goal in life to own a restaurant of my own. For me, there's no better place then a busy restaurant on a Saturday night. The rush, the excitement, the people, the energy, the copious amounts of food exiting the kitchen, it's such an environment! Even though with my long hours it may seem that I don't have time for anything else, I've still been living the average life of a 19 year old. I finally got a chance to visit my favorite place on Long Island (oh, I forgot to mention that... yes, I'm from Long Island... but, I promise, not all Siena kids are from this small piece of land, and no, I don't "tawlk with a typical lawn guyland accent", I'm a rare exception), Sands Point. (Ever read "The Great Gatsby"? Well, Sands Point is "East Egg" in that book). I've also managed to make it to the beach a few times with some of my friends. It's been relaxing so far.

This weekend has been particularly nostalgic for me since my friends from my high school all graduated on Saturday. It feels like so long ago that I was in their shoes; walking down the aisle with the yellow rose, receiving my diploma from my favorite teacher (or, one of them), saying "goodbye" to everyone... it's crazy how far I've come since then. I remember going into this summer between senior and freshman year completely carefree. I was anxious to go to college, but, at the same time I did not want to leave my friends, at all. You'll understand the feeling, if you don't already. This summer, between my freshman and sophomore year, I'm cracking down a bit more. I finally decided on a Major, and it will Accounting with a Honors Certificate in English). It's a huge relief to know what you are working towards now.

Anyway, I'm going to go to Sands Point now to get some pictures of the sunset... (A hobby of mine is photography, my room at home is completely decorated with some of my favorite pictures).

I'll write soon. Enjoy the summer weather, and don't forget your SPF!

P.S- the photo attached is one of the pictures I took from my last visit to "East Egg".

Summer Legal Fellows at Fordham

As you may remember if you are a frequent reader of this blog, I was among several Siena students selected to study at various law schools in the northeast over the summer. I myself was placed at Fordham School of Law at Lincoln Center, located in the heart of the Big Apple. I just finished my first week of study, and so far, it has been a great experience.

I am based at the Feerick Center for Social Justice and Dispute Resolution. The main focus of the center is aimed at meeting the legal needs of society's underprivileged. Particularly, the center works toward facilitating collaboration among lawyers willing to offer pro bono, that is, volunteer services, to the poor. Over the course of the last week, the center sponsored a lecture on public education. There, the Chancellor of New York City public schools Joel Klein argued forcefully that effective public education can be a means of escaping poverty. Later in the week I was sent, with a colleague to a women's drop-in shelter. I have to admit, it was tough to see first-hand the difficult circumstances that many of the poor find themselves in. Offering free legal help is a small but important part of the effort to get these people back on track. After that, I attended an annual conference at Cardozo School of Law on the issues facing tenants who are wrongly evicted from their housing.

Aside from the serious legal work, I have been spending my time exploring New York City. I've noticed that the the city is incredibly diverse. No matter what direction you go, you're bound to run into something amazing to see whether it be Central Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral, or Times Square. It has been an exciting time so far, and I am learning a great deal!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

-Mike DiSiena