Presenting a poster at a conference: Columbia SPURS Biomedical Research Program (6 pts) - (Endia Evans, Class of 2028)

This summer, I served as a Research Intern in the Columbia Summer Program for Undergraduate Rising Stars (SPURS) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. After 9 weeks of research, I presented my work through both a scientific poster presentation and an oral presentation. Sharing my research with faculty, mentors, and fellow scholars challenged me to grow as a scientist and communicator while reinforcing the importance of making research accessible and impactful.

Working in Dr. Lori Zeltzer's lab under the mentorship of Dr. Stephanie Padilla, I developed a research project titled "Neurovascular Regulation of Brown Adipose Tissue: Investigating Sympathetic Control of Vascular Permeability Using Intravital Microscopy." Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a metabolically active tissue that plays an essential role in thermogenesis, glucose uptake, and whole-body energy homeostasis.  Traditionally, sympathetic activation of BAT was thought to simultaneously regulate heat production, blood flow, and glucose metabolism.  My work examined how sympathetic neurons influence vascular permeability in brown adipose tissue, with the broader goal of understanding how neurovascular signaling may shape metabolic health and contribute to obesity.

Throughout the summer, I learned how to transform scientific curiosity into testable questions by critically evaluating primary literature, designing experiments, and applying advanced imaging approaches alongside genetic mouse models. This experience showed me that meaningful research is driven not only by technical skills but also by persistence, critical thinking, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty as an essential part of scientific discovery.