Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Amy Fulton
Author: Amy Fulton
What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?
The biggest challenge for me was working with setback; for example, equipment malfunctions or materials being on backorder. Through working with my mentors and other students in my lab I found how common these setbacks can be in research and that patience and flexibility are extremely important.
What sparked your interest in this field?
I think I initially became interested in the field when I worked with post-operative patients and learned how many risks surgery can have for them. I wondered what additional nonsurgical interventions might be available for them. I've learned a lot about how neurosurgeries can be modified to be less invasive and/or avoided altogether in some patients. Specifically, in this experiment, the biomaterial I'm working with could help supplement or replace invasive surgery for many patients if it proves to be useful as we hope it will.
Curious about DSRF?
This project was made possible through the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF)—a unique opportunity for rising juniors and seniors in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to pursue funded summer research full-time!
Effective this 2025-2026 Academic year, we are rebranding DSRF to be the Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR)! If you're pursuing graduation with distinction and are passionate about research, consider applying to T-SUMR in December of your Sophomore or Junior year.
