SRI Award Past Winners

When I first started coming to SRI’s events, I never thought I would get a research position in the Department of Experimental Surgery! The work in Dr. Henderson’s Lab required that I first attend animal handling workshops to learn how to work with mice, from basic handling and injections, to anesthesia and euthanasia. Once I had some basic skills, my assigned project pushed my manual dexterity to the limit. Under the tutelage of my supervisor and mentor Jose, I was trained in the femoral window defect: a microsurgery to create a 1x2mm oval window in the femurs of (anaesthetized) mice using a spherical 1mm dental drill. Building on the lab’s previous publication highlighting the importance of mast cells in bone healing, the team hypothesized that mast cells could be primed against an initial bone injury much like they could be primed against an antigen in the immune response. The SRI Summer Research Award created opportunities for me that I did not think were possible. I had the opportunity to learn from passionate scientists working at the cutting edge of their field. I made connections and gained experience like never before. Thank you SRI!