nutrn's blog

Atlanta. April. Awesome!

This is a great program that is offered twice per year. I would like to talk about it because I attended a few semesters ago. Part of who I am today has been shaped by this event. I recommend this to anyone interested in becoming more involved in everything from community to academics.

The great thing is that, next year, instead of holding the conference in Atlanta (where they usually have it) it will be in Boston! This is really an opportunity you don’t want to miss!

Here is a short clip that one of the interviewers took at the conference when I attended.

WOW, I just realized I looked younger then. I guess UMass did take a toll on me!

Anyways, please consider making it. The dates and more information can be found at the Center’s webpage:  http://www.ncslcollege.com/conferences/

Happy Holidays!

UMNA Resume Night

On Tuesday December 6th, UMNA hosted a small Resume Night and welcomed Mary Ellen from Career Services. Though the event was geared towards juniors and seniors looking towards internships, I went because I wanted to get a head start on my resume and how to approach it to apply for jobs and internships during the summer.

Here is just a list of some things I learned:
1) On the career services website, there is a database that allows you to look at current employers that are looking for UMASS students. Through this database, you can start a search for an employer that may fit your criteria. This can be found on the UMASS website: http://www.umass.edu/careers/  and simply click on the “Career connect” button.

2) One big thing I learned from Mary Ellen is that you may have more skills then you believe. From any and all experiences, from volunteering to part time jobs, you can derive sets of skills that you have used for those experiences. For example, one girl had a job working at the pizza station in the dining common. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like much but on her resume she described her ability to multitask, keep a sanitary work station, and work with many different kinds of people (skills that employers are interested in)

3) On that note, I also realized it’s important to document everything and anything you do because you never know when it could be useful for a specific job or internship that you apply for. (even projects or papers you have done in classes)

Being a sophomore, I’m still unsure of what job I want or what I need to do. However, I think learning about how to write a good resume and cover letter could be very beneficial in applying for internships and jobs so I encourage anyone to stop by Career Services to get a little help.

Mass Life Science Center
Mary Ellen had also told us about an informational meeting for a paid internship for Mass Life Sciences Center. A link to their internship page is here: http://www.masslifesciences.com/grants/challenge.html

Though it is a very competitive program, I encourage anyone to apply. You simply fill out a free application and it is stored into their database for 6 months. Over those 6 months, employers will go in and search for potential interns that match with what they would like. Though about a third of these companies commonly take Engineering or Biology majors, it really depends on what the company is looking for. You can also update your application anytime to update it or withdraw if you’re no longer interested. I thought this was a pretty interesting opportunity so I wanted to share it!

- Linda Le

Hi Guys!

Although these past few weeks have been ridiculously stressful, I will say that this morning was quite a good and interesting one. We just had our first HANDS multicultural breakfast of the semester and I must say that I thought it turned out very well, seeing that this was our first time doing it. The purpose of the multicultural breakfast was to pick a country (whether it be of origin or by interest), find information on breakfast in that country, and make/bring that breakfast item to present and share with others. The country I chose for this event was Honduras. (My father is from there and I was also interested in learning more about the culture there.) Hondurans usually have a large, hearty breakfast that typically consists of fried eggs (whole or scrambled), refried beans, Honduran salty sour cream (mantequilla), olancho cheese, avocado, sweet fried plantains, and tortillas. Tortillas are common in most households and are a staple for nearly every dish. Other Honduran breakfast favorites include: carne asada (roasted meat; a form of beef stew) and chorizo. Of course, coffee is accompanied with these foods. I originally wanted to bring baleadas, Honduran flour tortillas with beans and cheese, but was unfortunately unable to. I decided to go with a plan B, which was horchata. Horchata is a popular sweet beverage that, although consumed in Mexico, is also popular in Central America. I wasn’t able to find horchata, but brought some coconut water instead because they have somewhat of a similar consistency. The only difference I see is that horchata is sweeter and slightly creamier (from the rice milk) than coconut water. Horchata can be served hot or cold. I figured I’d post the recipes for both breakfast items that I picked in case anyone wanted to try making it for themselves. I know the baleadas looked very good!

Baleadas (taken from  http://www.whats4eats.com/appetizers/baleadas-recipe)

(Honduran flour tortillas with beans and cheese)

A quick and satisfying breakfast or evening meal, baleadas are thick flour tortillas folded over a variety of fillings. The most common filling for baleadas is a simple mix of beans, cheese and the Honduran-style sour cream known as mantequilla.

More elaborate fillings include meat, eggs and avocado. Customize to your taste. For a fast snack, you can use store-bought flour tortillas. But for authentic flavor, make your own. It’s easy!

4 to 6 servings

Horchata de Arroz  (taken from  http://www.whats4eats.com/appetizers/baleadas-recipe)

(Sweet beverage)

Horchata (or-CHA-tah) is a milky white, sweet beverage that was introduced to Spain by the Moors. The original Spanish version is made with ground tiger nuts and is especially popular in Valencia. In Latin America, where the tiger nut is not commonly available, pulverized rice is used. In Mexico, horchata is one of the most common aguas frescas and is ladled from large glass jars set in ice.

2 quarts

Notes

Good luck with studying for finals, and I hope to see most of you on Monday evening for our traditional end-of-the-semester HANDS dinner!

~*Hope*~

Here are some pictures from the event!

Hello Umass! I hope everyone was safe and warm this fall, especially with the unexpected snow fall! Just a quick update on something interesting that I stumbled upon. I was traveling one weekend and happened to stop for a quick food break with some friends at a Wendy’s. To my surprise, the menu actually included the amount of calories in each item. It was nice to see a fast food restaurant that wasn’t afraid to hide the caloric content information of their food. The information was very helpful for me to make a tasty snack choice while keeping calories in mind. It would be great in the future if all restaurants or fast food places could feature some sort of nutritional information in their menus!

For one of my Food Science classes, when I heard that we were going to go apple-picking as a lab, I was overly excited and couldn’t contain my elation. Getting a 100/100 points for a lab for showing up, looking mighty fine, and picking apple for my own consumption? Sounds great! I could tell that a field trip to the UMass Cold Spring Orchard was going to be a blast – and it was!

When we arrived at the Cold Spring Orchard, a UMass professor greeted us, gave each student a 1/2 bushel bag, and began his tour of the orchard, beginning with the shed in which freshly picked, ripened apples are collected and sorted. The shed contained a few refrigerators used for storing apples that are sold throughout the whole year, and the atmosphere for each refrigerator varies depending on the variety of apples because each variety of apples contains different amounts of sugars, acidity, and respiration rate . Those apples stored in the refrigerators might be the apples you’re eating right now or this past spring! Further, he said, the residential area Orchard Hill used to be the first location of the UMass Cold Spring Orchard and thus was given the appellation Orchard Hill based on its past as an apple orchard. Honestly, let’s face it: Wouldn’t it be difficult maintaining an apple orchard surrounded by frenetic college students? I would think so!

After getting a tour of the shed, my peers and I walked around the orchard looking at some agricultural equipments used to plant, grow, and harvest over a dozen varieties of apples and learning about their usage and applicability in agricultural production. Once the professor was done with his tour and educational spiel, we took a group picture and were finally allowed to go apple-picking. I went apple-picking like there was gold and money on those apple trees. Seriously, I picked at most apple trees I could find and even went as far as possible that there was a sizable distance between the class and me. Who else wouldn’t want to grab as many different varieties of apples as possible? In the end, I ended up with a copious amount of apples. In fact, I still have quite a few left over, even after eating two or three apples a day to keep the doctor away!

If you want to go apple-picking, try the UMass Cold Spring Orchard, a huge orchard located in Belchertown that’s open during the summer and fall. The Dining Commons ship the apples from this orchard to the D.C. for students’ consumption, but why grab an apple from a fruit bin when you can easily pick an apple or a wide variety of apples from an apple tree or hundreds of apple trees? The UMass Cold Spring Orchard spans over at least five acres and is used for educational and research purposes. It was so huge that disappointment immediately set in when I couldn’t ambulate and gambol my way across every single feet of the orchard and pick at every apple tree. What are you waiting for? A new episode of Rugrats or Hey Arnold? (I unregrettably am.) Support the UMass Cold Spring Orchard (which supplies the DCs with apples, pears, and other fruits) and UMass!

Laboratory research. You know what laboratory research is, right? Sure, you do. Wearing a spiffy, white lab coat, huge goggles, and gloves, you mix solutions together until something magical happens in the middle of the night during a torrential downpour, cacophonous thunder, and luminous lightning. In movies, this scenario might be the case, but in reality, it’s far from the truth. Since you’re thinking about attending UMass or are already enrolled at UMass, take advantage of your education! Rather than studying notes or reading textbooks all day, try working in a lab under the tutelage of one of your professors whose research interests you.

The past two years, I’ve working in my Food Science professor’s lab, studying the effects of bioactive compounds or phytochemicals found in food on the growth of lung cancer cells. Sounds fun, huh? Some of the bioactive compounds I’ve used in my experiments include apigenin, sulforaphane, and metabolites of PMF (a compound naturally found in orange and orange peels). The past year, I’ve been using treatment combinations to determine if combinations of treatments are more efficacious than one treatment. For instance, I’ve combined some of the aforementioned bioactive compounds with Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering statin.

My experiments determining the efficacy of numerous bioactive compounds require attention to detail and meticulousness. Otherwise, if I made a manual mistake or calculation error, those errors and mistakes will yield inaccurate data, so be extremely vigilant and careful! Because I study cancer cells, I have to allocate an hour or two a few times each week to carry out my experiment, and I have to follow my schedule closely when working in a lab because cells don’t care about my schedule. Cells are undoubtedly time-sensitive, so if I want good results, I need to follow my lab schedule, even during a monsoon, hurricane, or blizzard.

The objectives of my lab research are to determine the efficacy of various bioactive compounds on the lung cancer cell growth and to determine if those bioactive compounds are more efficacious when combined with other treatments, including Lipitor. If they are determined to be efficacious, then they might be considered for supplements or treatment of lung cancer. Wouldn’t it be amazing seeing something you’ve researched being used as a treatment in hospitals or being sold at stores nationwide?

In short, I like doing research in a lab – and you might, too! Look at the research labs of your professors, peruse some of their publications, and/or set up an appointment to talk about your interests. Also, you might even look at some research that may not interest you, but try it anyway because you’re in college to learn and explore! Unlike Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith College, UMass, with its huge student body and variety of research conducted by many professors, offers many lab research opportunities and different types of research that may interest you. Since you’re paying to be in college, take advantage of the resources offered at UMass!

First, we went apple-picking at the UMass Cold Spring Orchard. Two weeks ago, we took a 2-hour bus ride to eastern Massachusetts for a field trip. We got to enjoy the beauty of cranberry bogs and the manufacturing process of cranberries at one of the leading cranberry manufacturers in the world. These field trips are great ways to learn about the storage and preservation of apples and harvesting and processing of cranberries.

Instead of sitting in class and listening to a professor lecture about different foods, we fortunately got to see how the cranberry bogs are harvested (i.e. they’re flooded). I learned that harvesting cranberries happens for only 5 days of the year and that only a few places with specific climactic conditions are suitable for harvesting cranberries! Of course, Massachusetts is one of several states in the US to grow and harvest cranberries. Quite impressive, huh?  After learning about harvesting cranberries, I had to stop walking because we saw a small horse or pony!

When we were done walking around the cranberry bogs, we went to the cranberry processing facility, where we wore a lab coat, gloves, ear plugs, hairnet, beardnet, and goggles in accordance with safety practices. Once inside the processing facility, we saw copious amounts of cranberries in different cleaning, manufacturing, processing, and drying equipments. Seriously, I was enticed by all of the yummy cranberries, so it took some psychological strength to not grab and eat some cranberries. What can I tell ya? It was too tempting! Thankfully, I left the processing facility with my own bag of dried cranberries..

Everything from learning about harvesting cranberries to learning about the startup of the company was well worth the 4-hour bus ride. I tend to learn better in a different environment other than a classroom, and I like hands-on experience. Rather than lecture, professors should add interactive components to their lectures. I enjoy my Food Science courses because most classes incorporate a laboratory section to the course, so we end up understanding concepts through our lab work. We use everything that we learn in lab and apply our knowledge in a work setting, like the cranberry processing facility, so our well-rounded education comes full circle!

This famous book by Dr. Seuss has a very catchy title. I love how one can apply the phrase to many things in life.

I was reminded of this while searching for internship opportunities  for next the upcoming summer (2012). As I surfed through the web, I found this awesome page put up by Johns Hopkins University. The information listed there is just wonderful (a list of links to hundreds of programs available throughout the world!). Here is the link:

http://web.jhu.edu/prepro/health/summer_programs.html

The summer is the best time to be productive while having fun.  If you are interested, apply to some of these programs! You will benefit immensely.

Here’s a link to my UMass blog on the homepage: http://blogs.umass.edu/thony4rl/

The following one of my recent blog posts, but you have to check out my UMass blog to see pictures!

Amid studying for the GREs, I have to be a gregarious full-time intern whose tasks range from my specialty like playing dodgeball with children to cooking at the Farmers’ Market. What’s better than getting paid to be someplace you like? Who doesn’t like going to the Farmers’ Market? In my case, I love Farmers’ Markets – wherever they are! Based on my knowledge, there’s a Farmers’ Market in various cities and towns every week once springtime arrives. I like visiting different Farmers’ Market and have been to the Farmers’ Market in Amherst, Lawrence, and Lynn. By far, the Farmers’ Market in Amherst is my favorite.

What makes this Farmers’ Market in the middle of “nowhere” (according to urbanites) special? Location, location, location. Now, it may not be the location you’re thinking of; though it’s not the mecca of corporate businesses, medicine, or college-aged people socializing on Friday or Saturday night in the big city, Amherst was labelled the “best college town” in the US. Because Amherst and nearby towns have capacious surroundings for farming and raising livestock, we can luckily taste the wonderfulness of fresh local produce grown and harvested a few minutes from wherever you live. How great is tasting fruits and vegetables that were possibly picked 30 minutes ago? Even better, as you’re driving or running, you might see a farm stand on the side of the road. Stop by, say hi to the salespersons, buy some produce, and support local farmers and the environment!

What’s more, those farmers sell their produce and products at the Farmers’ Markets in nearby towns. Needless to say, whenever I go the Farmers’ Market in Amherst, I’m stupefied by the panoply of produce and items. For example, one vendor sold his own homemade salsa with different levels of spiciness, while another vendor sold different types of rustic bread, such as whole grain, multigrain, ciabatta, and italian. Also sold at this amazing Farmers’ Market include homemade cheeses, jams and jellies, clothing fabric (such as wool), honey, dairy products (like yogurt), and different cuts of grass-fed meats (yum!). In fact, when I had an outreach project at the Farmers’ Market, I talked to a vender who mentioned that she could tell me what the beef cattle was fed and how sustainable, healthier, and tastier locally grown, grass-fed beef is, compared with beef and different cuts of meats sold at the supermarkets. That’s something for ya, ain’t it?!?

With the vast array of locally grown grain products, produce, dairy, and meats (all of which comprise the 5 food groups!), the Farmers’ Market in Amherst and every other town/city have real food to offer even the stingiest of eaters and epicure. Don’t fret if you think that the Farmers’ Market only runs during the springtime and summertime. Even during the frigid winter months in Amherst, there’s a Farmers’ Market located in the Amherst Middle School. That way, people should have no excuses to not visit the Farmers’ Market at least once a month or weekly! If that doesn’t convince you to visit the Farmers’ Market, just think of supporting those local farmers, local vendors, and the environment, namely Mother Earth!

Well hello there everyone!

It is nice to see that all my fellows HANDS are very involved in the community! Throughout the years being a HANDS scholar has been AMAZING! We’ve shared and planned so many things together. This semester we were able to set up a table at the concourse. There we had the opportunity to give out tomatoes plants, recipes, pamphlets and much more. We were able to target the new students that are coming in next semester as freshmen. We met and saw a lot of students that were here for orientation. I was also a staff for the UPC Big Chill. Here I was able to hangout and help a little with the HANDS table. It was such a lovely day! People loved the water bottles. Overall I can say that our semester was pretty productive.

On the other hand, Aana-Kay and I are graduating this semester and we were able to go to the senior luncheon from the Center For Multicultural Advancement And Student Success (CMASS). We had a fabulous time. We were able to get awards, a stole, good food, and much more. I would like to send out a special thanks to our director and good friend Dr. Nancy Cohen. She has always been there for us when we need her in good and bad times. I most say it has been a long run but we have finally made it. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”… Have a great summer y’all. I will be posting from Europe! I’m so amped!!!!!!!!!