Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Angelina Sala

Angelina was awarded the Deans' Summer Research Fellowship for summer 2024. Learn more about her time below.

Angelina is working in a lab for her DSRF project

 

Author: Angelina Sala

What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?

When a stain did not work, I analyzed my process and when I tried again, I made sure to change one aspect of the procedure. Through trial and error of focusing on one step of the procedure, instead of several, I was able to ideantify the root of the issue.

What sparked your interest in this field?  

I have pre-existing heart conditions in my family, and I have always been interested in understanding the mechanisms behind these diseases. Through the summer, I learned how prevalent the gap is between translating basic science into clinical practice and the importance of educating patients. Through my work, questions about how to education patients arose. Aside from the qualitative analysis I did, I also conducted some wet lab research focusing on apoptosis. From immunoflouresence, I asked question about exploring other mechanisms of disease such as sinesence.

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.