William
Posted October, 2015
William (Will) Grant Jr. is a rising 4th year student at Morehouse College. This summer Will worked in Dr. Bill Lowry’s lab, which focuses on stem cell research. Will’s summer project looked at phenotypic immunoresponsive and metabolic differences in squamous cell carcinoma, upon removing specific tumor suppressors that aid in the progression of cancer.
When asked about his lab experience, Will shared:
“I love my lab experience. Everyone is extremely helpful, from the PI to the grad students, to the fellow undergraduate students. I also appreciate the fact that I’ve been able to contribute tangible and meaningful data to the lab, specifically while doing microscopy. I was able to find and identify phenotypes that actually contribute to the ultimate goal of not only my project, but also to the lab.”
His favorite aspect of SPUR-LABS:
“Beyond the academically enriching workshops and experiences that SPUR-LABS has offered thus far, I’ve enjoyed the personalized attention that we receive from the program directors. Just knowing that they’re not just figureheads, or just names that appear on a paper; that every week we’re expected to meet with them, we’re expected to tell them what we love about the program, what we don’t love about the program; what we can improve upon, what they can improve upon. I’ve definitely received a lot of mentorship from them. So being in SPUR-LABs is not only mentorship from my PI, but it’s also mentorship from the program directors as well and I’ve really loved that aspect of the program.”
After 8 weeks of research, Will presented a poster titled “Defining the Source of Tumor Heterogeneity.”