OC VB summer check in from Chinwe in beautiful San Francisco

Helloooo from San Francisco! For those of you who don’t already know, I’ve been on the West Coast since May 24th, interning at the University of California, San Francisco, in the Diabetes Center. This is my first major research experience, and I love it so much more than I expected to. My project consists of studying decreased metabolic function in humans with age. Certain neurons in the hypothalamic region of the brain respond less and less to leptin (a hormone responsible for regulating energy intake and expenditure) as time goes by and create what we call “rings” in this section of the brain. My mentor has done a bunch of research and found out, not only that information, but also that the formation of “rings” correlates with age-related weight gain. However, she has only done these studies with male mice. My job this summer is to see if the same holds true for female mice and to see if estrogen, or the lack thereof, plays a role in the development of “rings” and age-related weight gain.
Other than being a complete nerd and enjoying all of the super science-y aspects, I love the lab atmosphere and personal. I work with people from the United Kingdom, Egypt, Russia, Sweden, China, France, Spain, Brazil, South Korea, Burma, the Netherlands, and India, just to name a few places off the top of my head. Being around so many different languages and cultures is super refreshing, especially when everyone is really nice and down to earth. The best part was how competitive people got during the World Cup; it was lots and lots of fun.
Even though I spend hours and hours with my face attached to a microscope, I have done quite a bit of sightseeing, attended San Francisco Pride (which was AMAZING), and even driven down the state to Santa Barbara twice. My family arrives tomorrow (Wednesday) for a short visit, and we’ve planned to go to Napa, walk the Golden Gate Bridge, and maybe even take a ferry to Alcatraz, so exciting! Overall, the best, best thing about the city is how fashionable people are. I’ve picked up a lot of new things; you’re all going to be so proud of me for wearing stuff other than sweatpants come this year.
Other than that, I’m missing you all so much. Pacific Time is pretty difficult for me, I don’t like being on a different social schedule than everyone in my life. Truth be told, I’m really an East Coast girl. On a happier note, I was just watching the video on our Go Yeo page yesterday and I must say, we look pretty darn good. I’m excited to get back in the gym, especially with our new players, and dominate (as dear Tammela Platt would say)! Be thinking of me when I head to Atlanta on August 3rd to present my research, and I can’t wait to see you all come August 18th!