Dr. Clare Canfield and students from the Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology programs visited the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine and the Department of Cell, Molecular, and Microbiology to learn about research careers in biomedical sciences.  During this trip, they learned about the roles of non-coding RNA in different vascular diseases from John Canfield who conducts research Dr. Totary Hana’s lab. Dr. Dominic D’Agostino took the students on a tour of the Department of Defense funded hyperbaric facility. The tour was followed by a talk on Dr. D’Agostino’s ground breaking research in novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s, ALS, and seizure disorders. The students were introduced to state of the art equipment at the USF Cell, Molecular, and Microbiology core facility by Mr. Robert Hill. Mr. Hill explained how Microarrays and Flow Cytometry aid researchers in answering large scale questions important to the biomedical field. 

The students saw cells on almost every type of microscope, including fluorescent microscopes and confocal microscopes. They were also given a small talk and tour of the rare atomic force microscope in Dr. D’Agostino’s laboratory. They viewed beautiful 3D images produced by the confocal microscope and they viewed C. elegans and cells that express green fluorescent proteins. The trip was the first for these students and they built lasting relationships with the researchers. Most importantly, the students were exposed to the many careers offered in the biomedical sciences and biotechnology communities. They were able to see first-hand that every lab offers a unique experience.

Biomed students at USF Nov. 2015