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The Interview:

Karen:Tell me about your current research. What are you working on, and how did you first get involved?

Alexandria: I research intercellular dynamics under the mentorship of Dr. Lina Carlini in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell biology. In our lab, we use microscopy techniques to see how molecules and organelles are organized spatially and temporally within the cell. This summer I'm looking at the diffusivity and the permeability of inert particles that are about the size of ribosomes across the mitotic spindle. The mitotic spindle is a very dense and dynamic region that's fundamental to proper chromosome separation during cell division. Understanding the dynamics of what can and cannot enter this integral region is important for understanding the physical and chemical regulation of cellular processes like mitosis – and is subsequently important for understanding disease progression.

I found this position through Handshake. After taking a lot of my fundamental science courses in chemistry, physics, and math, I had been really interested in studying the more quantitative and physical aspects of biology. Dr. Carlini's lab offered me the opportunity to explore this area of science. And she's not only taught me biological techniques, but also optical and quantitative techniques and analyses. We use wet lab techniques, of course, but the main way that we obtain data is through microscopy, and the analysis of that microscopy.

Did you have any previous research experience?

I worked last summer in a laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor's DNA Learning Center as a college intern. Although it was more of an educational role, I learned a lot of the fundamental biological techniques in the lab that I use everyday that have been so important in giving me baseline knowledge of working in a lab. It made me feel more confident going into research, knowing that I didn't have to learn all of the small details, and that I could really focus on the new techniques that Dr. Carlini was teaching me.

Do you work primarily with a graduate student in the lab?

We currently don't have a graduate student in our lab. Dr. Carlini started this lab about a year ago, in the fall of 2024. But I do work with 2 other undergraduates, Jun and Siri, who are wonderful. We all come from different academic backgrounds and interests which helps us work together on problem solving in the lab. And we all work quite closely with Dr. Carlini, which I'm very grateful for.

How has Dr. Carlini helped you as a mentor?

Dr. Carlini is extremely supportive, and she cares very deeply about helping me and the other undergraduates in our lab grow and learn as scientists. She's created an environment where I feel like I don't have to hesitate to ask questions, and she's always provided me with support on any unfamiliar task, no matter how small or minuscule it may seem. … She's inspired me to continue my pursuit of microscopy and combine my love of cell biology with the physical sciences.

How do you feel like your experience in doing research has enhanced your education?

I feel like it's exposed me to concepts that aren't taught in a single undergraduate course, because it's very interdisciplinary. We focus on cell biology but we combine Dr. Carlini's physics background in imaging and analysis to solve our cell biology questions. So the connection between cell biology, biophysics, and computation that we explore is unique and has inspired me to pursue academics and fields outside of pure biology. I had initially come to Stony Brook as a biology major, and then later switched to being a biochemistry major. But this research along with the fundamental courses I've taken in fields outside of biology have inspired me to pursue applied mathematics in addition to my biochemistry major.

What is your favorite part of doing research?

It has changed my perspective on what science can be. I'm able to learn things that I would never learn in an undergraduate course. I was really interested in learning the quantitative and physical aspects of biology and I knew that we had the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology. So being able to combine all the areas of science that I've always been interested in through doing research has definitely been extremely rewarding. My favorite part of every day is that I get to not only do the biology that I wanted to do when I came to Stony Brook, but also apply all the things that I've learned in my physics, math, and programming courses, as well.

What are your long-term plans?

After my undergraduate degree, I would like to attend graduate school for biophysics or something in a related field. I would like to continue to pursue research. …I expect that my specific area of interest of what I want to pursue is probably going to change even more, so I haven’t made up my mind entirely on the kind of program I would like to go into after my undergrad.

What advice do you have about getting involved in research?

I would say something that's helped me is realizing that it's okay to make mistakes. I make mistakes every day, and the most important thing is that you learn from the errors, and you don't take it too harshly. … When I make an error, I can work on not only amending the mistake I made for the future but also understanding in a more fundamental way why what I did was incorrect. Mistakes open up the opportunity for you to learn more deeply about scientific processes that you know you may not have really understood by just following protocol initially.

Was the opportunity to get involved in research a factor in your decision to come to Stony Brook University?

Yes, a hundred percent. I knew at a young age that I wanted to pursue research. And Stony Brook is renowned for research, specifically its connection to biology and medicine. So that was definitely a contributing factor, and the fact that it's so close to where I live. I'm very lucky to live so close by!

What kind of growth do you see in yourself from having been involved in research?

I feel that before doing wet lab research, I had kind of a misrepresentation of what it took to do an experiment even though I knew that I wanted to pursue research in a laboratory. The past year has shown me that there's so much detail that goes into every single preparation and step. And that this is an aspect of doing science that I love. I love learning the logical flow of ideas that are behind scientific protocols. I've learned not only from the day to day experience of working in a lab, but also I can see more clearly what I see myself doing in the future.

Are you enjoying the opportunity to participate in a summer research program?

Yes! I did work in the lab during the past 2 semesters, but I wasn't able to dedicate a full day to an experiment as I can do now, and so that limited what I was able to accomplish. In the summer, I am able to spend a whole day planning something, or working on something, or reading papers, and catching up on things I planned to do during the semester. So being in the Velay program where I can dedicate my summer to research has been extremely rewarding.