Governor recognizes student’s work with DNA

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 9/1/15

When Amanda Rode, 21, first applied to the University of Rhode Island she planned on majoring as a civil engineer and pursuing a career in water purification. She quickly came to find that she was …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Governor recognizes student’s work with DNA

Posted

When Amanda Rode, 21, first applied to the University of Rhode Island she planned on majoring as a civil engineer and pursuing a career in water purification. She quickly came to find that she was becoming increasingly interested in smaller and smaller concerns, to the very building blocks of human life, DNA.

Now, she is majoring in cell and molecular biology and has just completed a 10-week summer program as the Governor’s Fellow researching male infertility.

Rode, who graduated from Pilgrim High School in 2012, applied to URI’S IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), which is funded through the National Institutes of Health. Since 2001 URI has received $61 million to help foster Rhode Island’s biomedical research capabilities.

Rode applied in March and was selected as the Governor’s Fellow, and as such was funded in her research by the state, receiving $4,000 over the 10 weeks of the program. Rode felt extra motivated to excel as the Governor’s Fellow.

“Having grown up in Rhode Island, going to college in state and then being supported by Rhode Island in this way made me really want to make this state proud,” Rode said.

In May she began working under Associate Professor Becky Sartini, analyzing specific genes within male germ cells, what eventually become sperm, to determine their ability to produce protein and how that correlates with infertility.

“In this field you have to know what’s happening in the DNA to be able to make successful treatments, medicines and vaccines,” Rode said.

At the end of 10 weeks, July 31, Rode and more than 130 other URI fellows participated in a conference with a poster presentation of their research and its significance.

As the Governor’s Fellow, Governor Gina Raimondo visited Rode to review her summer research.

“She was so genuinely interested,” Rode said. “It was fantastic. She asked me questions and followed my research really well.”

In an email Raimondo wrote, “I enjoyed congratulating Rhode Island native Amanda Rode on receiving this year’s Governor’s SURF Fellowship. Amanda is a stellar student and involved in the university community as president of the URI Student Senate. She has accomplished so much and I can’t wait to see what she does in the future.”

Although the program has finished, Rode said she would be continuing to work in Sartini’s lab throughout her senior year at URI.

Before working with Sartini, through INBRE, Rode wasn’t sure if she was interested in graduate school, but after her experiences she intends on going for a secondary degree in biotechnology.

She believes this program has not only helped her prepare for her undergraduate graduation next spring but also helps set her apart for employers and graduate admissions.

“I learned skills and experiences I couldn’t have in a classroom,” Rode said. “You learn all these things in class, read all the text books, but this program was a way to supplement that knowledge and transform them to applicable skills.”

She feels fortunate to have been offered the opportunity to take her education in a more tangible and hands on approach.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here