Future Career Path in Genetics and Bioinformatics - Personal Statement Example

? ment of Purpose During my early childhood in China, where my mother served as a doctor’s assistant, I was frequently exposed to the practice of traditional Chinese medicine for a plethora of ailments. While I never ceased to be amazed by its success in a significant number of cases, I gradually came to realize the shortcomings of the traditional system of medicine. One of the defining experiences of my life was my first hand exposure to the devastation wrought on my Aunt Emily by Parkinson’s disease. Watching the disease reduce my healthy and fiercely independent Aunt into a feeble, bed-ridden invalid at the age of forty-six, was the epiphany which revealed to me my plans for life: I want to be a part of the battle to defeat the chronic diseases which are ravaging humanity. At High School, my plans for the future centered on my becoming a practicing doctor, with the skill of healing patients. I must admit that I had to overcome the disadvantage of a relatively weak foundation in Science, as a result of my Middle School curriculum in China, which did not include Biology. The language barrier also proved difficult to break during the initial years of my arrival in the USA, and my focus then was on mastering English and Mathematics, and understanding American culture. The scientific terms in Biology were difficult to come to grips with! However, my determination to enter the field of Medicine kept me going. The same determination is now my tool in my effort to overcome any shortcomings in my academic career. I am very aware that my GRE writing score of 3 could have been higher, and am determined to identify and address this through repeated practice of writing skills. A career in medicine continued to be my goal as I stood on the threshold of my freshman year at the University of California, Davis. However, the first Molecular Cellular Biology class I attended at the UC Davis, discussing gene therapy, proved to be a revelation to me: I had discovered the interest of my life! I was fascinated by the intricacies and application of genetics: especially in the area of finding epigenetic information. Here was a new front in the battle against chronic disease. As I continued to take additional technical electives in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnology, I came to realize that genetics is one of the most powerful tools available to humanity in the field of medicine. Gene association studies and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection can be used in disease prediction, thus potentially preventing disease formation. Genetics is the cutting-edge of health-care research and personalized medicine. The next step in my academic evolution was my realization of the power of technology. As the only child of immigrant parents who were focused on earning a living, the computer has been a good friend of mine, right from the age of twelve, when I moved to the USA. While working as a Laboratory Assistant at the Immunology and Histology Lab of UC Davis Veterinary School in 2009-2010, I became deeply aware of the vast amount of medical information stored and retrieved by accessing a database. This personal experience of the power and efficacy of computers impressed on me the importance of technology as a tool in research. I discovered that the hands-on processing of data gives me immense satisfaction. Gradually, my earlier interest in science and research shifted focus from the traditional bench sitting to a computer oriented approach. Therefore, in my junior year of college, I declared my major as Biotechnology, with a Bioinformatics option that combined my interests in both technology/informatics and biology/genetics. The Applied Bioinformatics course I took in the fall of 2010 confirmed that my special interest lay in the field of bioinformatics and its application in genetic/genomic studies. Craving further practical experience in this field, I opted for internships at different laboratories: Theg Lab, UC Davis; Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, UC Davis; Dubcovsky Wheat Genetic Lab, UC Davis; Neale Lab, UC Davis. These laboratory internships spanned the area of Genetics and Bioinformatics, from Proteomics and Primate, Wheat and Forest Genetics to Data management, scripting, processing and parsing. This academic immersion in the convergence of Genetics and Informatics made me increasingly aware that the power of Genetics in the battle against chronic disease is increased exponentially by the application of Computer Technology. My internships gave me valuable bench lab techniques and hands-on experience in informatics. I was fortunate to gain the guidance of professors who were experts in their fields. The internships also provided me with a solid foundation for my graduate studies and gave me the final confirmation I needed to know that my future career path will be centered on Genetics and Bioinformatics. Although it may appear to be rather on the lower side, I am justifiably proud of my GPA of 3.24, which is the result of my numerous Science classes and internships. In fact, I mastered the art of balancing my heavy academic work load as a full-time student with my numerous (sometimes concurrent) internships and also with the other aspects of my undergraduate life on campus. As the Treasurer and Web-designer of American Red Cross Club (2010-2011), I have acquired leadership skills and have translated my love for computers into a worthwhile contribution to the society. I also served as a senior sister mentor for the lower class at a Christian Fellowship. In addition, I also found the time to learn first aid, CPR and how to drive an emergency disaster truck. I was also a part of the Campus-Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) at UC Davis. In my role as a tutor at UC Davis Chinese Department, I was able to share my culture and web learning tools with my students. My communication skills were honed through interaction with people of different ethnic backgrounds. Sharing my immigrant experiences has given me a greater confidence in speaking English. With this full workload, balancing my academic and co-curricular activities, I have gained significant time management skills, and am able to function efficiently under any kind of pressure. In fact, pressure motivates me to excellence. This is proved by my track record of straight A’s in the quarter in which I took on four classes, two internships and two official club positions! In addition to my laboratory experiences, I have mastered quite an array of computer skills. These include C, python, Perl, R, Tassel, Q-value, Tatp, singalp, Chlorop, TAIR, Adobe Photoshop, SeaMonkey, and Microsoft Office series in PC and Mac platforms. I am also very conversant with scientific databases such as Blast, Entrez, Geneseqer, Genebank, PDB, and NCBI database. I am confident that I am fully equipped to handle any computer requirements which my Bioinformatics research will necessitate. I intend to pursue a Masters degree in Genetics and Bioinformatics, and go on to do my Ph.D. I plan to devote my life to research in the area of Molecular Genetics and Gene Therapy with the aid of Bioinformatics.  My ultimate aim is to be in the forefront of the effort to help develop cures for diseases like Parkinson’s disease, cancers, HIV, and Alzheimer’s. I agree that “There are two types of scientists; type 1 focuses on theories and come up with questions, while type two utilizes tools to solve the questions for further investigation”. As a person who enjoys working with practical applications and tools, I admire the first type of scientist, but consider myself to be better suited for the second type. I see myself developing the actual tools that combat diseases. I believe that my passion for Genetics, tested over my years at UC Davis, combined with my long-held interest in Computer Technology, make me particularly suited for research in the field of Human Genetics at Duke University. I believe that the Duke University School of Medicine is the ideal place for me to acquire the skills I need to succeed in my future career path in Genetics and Bioinformatics. The University’s Center for Human Genome Variation attracts me with its world class facilities and the renowned faculty. I believe that every beginner needs a guiding light to see her way through the path that leads to her life’s goals I would love to work under the guidance of Professor Dongliang Ge. Professor Ge’s research mirrors my own interests. I am particularly attracted by his work which combines Genomic research and Computer Technology. I see in Professor Ge’s work the integration of Genetics and Computer Technology, in order to fashion powerful tools which can be applied to the field of Medicine. This is exactly what I aim to do in my future career. I am also attracted by the opportunity of working with Professor Elizabeth Hauser, whose work as a Statistical Geneticist is poised on the meeting-point of Genetics and Informatics. I am confident that the guidance of mentors such as Professor Ge and Professor Hauser will be a life-changing experience, and equip me with the skills I need to make a difference to the world of medical research. I am filled with the enthusiasm to interact with such gifted mentors, who are making significant contributions to the field of Genetic research and Bioinformatics. The published account of their works is inspirational to me. At the same time, I am also confident that my own strengths: my ethnic diversity, my passion for learning, my internship experiences, and my solid foundation in Genetics and Bioinformatics, will enable me to make a valuable contribution to Duke University as a student and to the world of Health care in the future. Read More