Selene Li

I first wanted to get involved in research as a freshman at Penn. However, the idea of reaching out to professors and asking to speak to them about their research or sitting in on a lab meeting sounded extremely scary. I was also faced with an overwhelming number of potential projects in the CURF Research Directory and I simply did not know where to even begin searching. After meeting my own RPA, I was able to get a good idea on how I should go about narrowing down projects based on my interests. Eventually, I found myself in the lab of Dr. Yale Goldman after trying out a few different projects with other PIs. In this lab, I have worked on developing fluorescence indicator proteins from GFP variants to be used as force sensors. While working remotely due to COVID, I have focused my efforts on programming to help with data analysis. This semester, I will work on incorporating various machine learning techniques into my programming to allow for more efficient data-analysis. As someone who is also interested in computer science, this project is a great intersection of my interests in coding and biomedical sciences. 

I hope that I can use my own experience in getting involved in research to help other students who aren't sure how to find a research project for the very first time. Feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions!

• CURF Grant for Undergraduate Mentorship (Summer 2020)
• Research Assistant to Dr. Yale Goldman in Dept. of Physiology in Perelman School of Medicine
• CURF Grant for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research (2021)