Some within the company wanted to develop both the iPhone and iPad at the same time, because there was tremendous interest from consumers for both products. The iPhone was originally released in 2007, but Apple had actually begun developing the iPad many years earlier. “The concept is the same,” says Madera, summing up LASER’s philosophy, “Start here and go anywhere else.Take the iPhone and iPad for example. Possibilities include majors such as Economics, Information School and Psychology. He wants it to be the “engine” that fuels other majors to create programs in non-STEM disciplines that encourage undergraduate students to pursue experience in their potential future careers. After the LASER Program, she hopes to participate in a graduate program to pursue her passion for research, a possibility her LASER experience opened to her.Īs for the future of LASER, Madera hopes to expand the program to 20 students in its third year. Morales Mijares returned to the Blackwell Lab this fall and continues her path to medical school. Unlike most programs that focus on third- and fourth-year students, LASER is tailored to first-year students on a STEM track. “Every day in the lab when I do a procedure without my mentor having to look over my shoulder, it is a big success,” she says. Morales Mijares found that learning to fail makes everyday successes that much sweeter. Failing in the lab taught her the importance of resilience, which fed into the idea that most learning comes from failing and being forced to reframe and adjust. With the ability to connect course concepts to real-world scenarios using the foundation she built in the Blackwell Lab, she was able to efficiently understand how and why the reactions occur, rather than just memorizing the mechanisms of reactions.įor Morales Mijares, another essential piece of her LASER experience was learning to find success in failures. This has been especially true for Morales Mijares, as the discoveries she made changed her perspective on STEM courses, such as organic chemistry.

“What we are trying to achieve is for them to feel more confident–more motivated–so they can continue in that STEM track,” Madera states. For the students, it highlights the importance of forming connections between the classroom, lab, and the world. Madera, Assistant Dean and Assistant Director for STEM initiatives, discussed the importance of the interconnection between lab research and the impacts this research can have on the future. LASER is one of several initiatives launched by the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) to give students early exposure to research experiences. “Hearing from their perspectives is enlightening.” “ expanded my experience with talking to individuals that don't come from the same STEM backgrounds,” Morales Mijares says. Morales Mijares and the other LASER students also took a one-credit course on science communication. Hands-on learning in the lab provides an alternate approach to problem-solving, including an emphasis on collaboration with other students and mentors. Lab research typically revolves around one bacterium, but their project investigates the communication between bacterial species. Research, like the work Morales Mijares did in the Blackwell lab, is critical not only for her own scientific advancement but also for the field. Morales Mijares worked in the lab of chemistry professor Helen Blackwell, conducting research with a focus in chemical biology, specifically the synthesis of inhibitors in relation to regulating quorum sensing communication between bacterial species. Three students participated in 2021, LASER’s first year, and that number jumped to seven this summer.ĭiana Morales Mijares, a current sophomore and neurobiology/genetics double major, discusses how the LASER Program propelled her forward to break barriers as a freshman. Through an eight-week program, students immerse themselves in a STEM field by conducting on-campus research 25-30 hours a week while connecting with an expert mentor who supports their journey to success.

For a second consecutive year, the Letters & Science Summer of Excellence Research Program-better known as LASER-continues to connect underrepresented first-year students with mentors and offer them hands-on lab experience.

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