#nazary

[justinannevevo]

coz we dont have class we present to you nazary chavez's audition tape for brownout models 😂😂 haha k

[newyorkneedsyou]

NYNY Research Spotlight: 2011 Fellow Nazary

Today we are interviewing 2011 NYNY Fellow Nazary, a young scientist who had the opportunity to present his research at the Young Researchers in Life Sciences Conference in Paris, France.

NYNY: Hi Nazary, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Nazary: I am a recent graduate of Pace University with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry. I’m looking into doing an MD/PhD program with a focus on the molecular mechanism behind infectious disease, so for the moment my biggest hobby is studying for the MCATs. I was Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper at Pace my senior year as well as President of the Chemistry Club. I enjoy travelling, reading and I have a large affinity for postcards.

NYNY: What have you been up to this summer? 

Nazary: This summer I did a short-term research program called STEP-UP at Massachusetts General Hospital. The program is funded by the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases one of the 27 institute of the NIH and was coordinated by the American Physiological Society. I worked in the lab of Dr. Vidal Melo studying animal models of lung damage that mimicked the kinds of damage a person would receive during mechanical ventilation using computer modeling. 

NYNY: How does this  experience tie into your long-term career goals? 

Nazary: This summer experience was a great way to dip my toes into biomedical research and see how research is done at a large hospital. It is definitely something I want to keep doing as I enjoyed it quite a lot even if the physiology of lungs isn’t my long-term research focus. In 5 years I see myself in graduate school; in 10 years I will be doing a residency.

NYNY: In May 2012 you attended the Young Researchers in Life Science Conference at Paris Diderot University.Tell us more about this trip.

Nazary: As I’ve come away from the trip I’ve reflected a lot on it. My trip was only 5 days but during that time I learned a lot about myself, my personal network and how lucky I am to be a New York Needs You Fellow. This trip was a lot of firsts. It’s the first time I’ve flown by myself. It’s the first time I’ve flown across the Atlantic (since immigrating to America at age 6). It’s the first time I was in Paris, in France. It’s the first time I won an award at an international conference. In short, everything was fresh. This gave the trip a palpable energy that really kept me moving. At one point I remember going down a side street and realizing that not a single person had any idea where I was. In our interconnected world it’s a strange feeling – but a liberating one.

NYNY: Tell us about the conference.

Nazary: It was a three-day conference where students presented their scientific studies. The days were full of interesting oral presentations and poster sessions. I was fortunate to be able to present on the first day and garnered a lot of interest in my project. I would love to recall a few fellow students’ research topics to share but then I’d feel like I’m doing a disservice to all the great scientists I’m forgetting. Suffice to say that even if half of these students get their own labs in the next decade I’d be confident in the European science scene.

NYNY: You presented your research results at the conference and won an award. How did you feel when you realized that you are a winner?

Nazary: I won second place in the poster competition of the conference for my research project "Investigating the Role of Vasodilator-Stimulated  Phosphoprotein (VASP) in Host-Cell Response to Cryptosporidium Parvum Infection." I looked into the human protein VASP (Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein) and its role in the infectious cycle of Cryptosporidium Parvum. Using immunofluorescent microscopy I was able to show the protein co-localizing with the parasite on the cell surface of the human cell line. This host-cell pathogen interaction site presents a novel therapeutic site for potential drug development. C. Parvum is a protozoan parasite that infects a lot of people in the developing world and has outbreaks in the US occasionally poisoning municipal water supplies. To win an award, especially at a conference attended by PhD seeking students and post-docs was beyond words. The victory was, and continues to be, important. It’s sometimes hard to realize when you’re doing important work, but attending a conference like this, you see a wide range of disciplines and more importantly you meet the people practicing them. You can feel their passion for their work. I may have never cared about astrobiology, but I met people that were devoting their lives to it. And it was nice to see them share an interest in my project. The support of other professionals is invaluable when one is first starting out.

NYNY: Any fun facts about the trip that you would like to share with our readers?

Nazary: My original reservations fell through, due to reasons that were never satisfactorily explained. I had to find a new hostel to sleep in every night of my stay. This meant a nice foray through the Paris metro with my entire luggage.

NYNY: Would you recommend Paris as a travel destination?

Nazary: Absolutely. Everyone was super polite – I even had a shop keeper apologize to me for not speaking English. The city has a different energy. No one ever seems to be in a hurry but they also don’t seem lethargic. It’s like everyone knows where they’re going and why.

NYNY: Please share a favorite memory from the trip.

Nazary: One of my hostels was next to the Eiffel Tower. I walked over to the Tower and was shocked by how beautiful it was. I took some pictures but I don’t think I’ve seen a picture or model that does it justice. It’s stunning and commands the skyline in ways I haven’t seen other structures do. I was reminded of pictures from history books of occupying troops marching through during the World Wars. It was a little shocking to think that less than a hundred years ago, entire armies marched through the same area that I was walking down. 

NYNY: What are some other Paris sites that made an impression on you?

Nazary: First, I visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral is about to turn 850 years old, whereas I am 20. This building is exponentially older than me. It’s an idea that makes my head spin. This cathedral has seen wars, famines, plagues and revolutions. And it’s endured. It’s a testament to the French people and to the faith that they have. Next I visited the National Library of France. I was struck by how many people were here on a Tuesday afternoon. Every section was full of people, working. Most curious was that on the way out of the library there was a bookstore. The library had its own collection of prints that it produced. I think here is where I saw how much the book is celebrated as an art form in Paris. It’s hard not to admire. I also walked down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe. It was an overwhelming stretch of pavement that seemed to mix historic sites with modern fashions – seamlessly. It seemed like the avenue always existed. Like it was discovered this way and no one ever bothered to change it. I also passed through the square where the French Revolution set up their dreaded guillotine and giant public gardens. Finally I ended up at the Louvre, which was unfortunately closed. Nonetheless I was able to grab a great picture in front of the pyramid that is so renowned. 

NYNY: What did you learn from the trip?

Nazary: The trip taught me a lot about history. Not just the history of Paris or France, but the role history plays in all our lives. We can easily be blinded by what we’ve seen or experienced and not realize that people long before us had the same problems, and tried a lot of the same solutions. It’s the key component of a good research project – previous literature. It’s an ancient city trying to be modern and struggling with the infrastructure. But it does so knowingly. Paris was a city designed for people long before anyone thought about cars. It retains a lot of that intimacy. The trip also taught me a lot about moving forward and taking chances. This entire conference started because of a chance tweet. Someone at a website I follow spotlighted it and I submitted my registration fee within a week. I didn’t know how I would get there, I just knew I would. I recruited other people from my University (who ultimately dropped out) and started looking for opportunities to fund the trip. The student activities fund didn’t work out, the foreign travel fund didn’t work out, the conference grant didn’t work out, even the department funding for students didn’t work out. At a time when my school failed, when my family was asking me if maybe I should quit, I reached out to NYNY and my Mentor Coach Jay Gormley and help was provided. I couldn't have done this trip without the support of my Mentor Coach Jay and the NYNY Program. The tagline of NYNY is “Connecting ambition to opportunity” and I don’t think it was ever more apropos for me. I had this ambition. I wanted to take this trip. I wanted to showcase my work. I wanted to see Paris. And I got the opportunity through NYNY.

NYNY: This year you were personally invited by the organizers to go back and attend the 2013 Young Researchers in Life Sciences Conference! Congrats!

Nazary: Thank you. Yes, this year I got to return to the very same conference on a travel grant given to me by the organizers since they were impressed by my work last year.This year the conference took place at the National Graduate School of Chemistry in Paris. This trip involved a lot more socializing with the attendees as I did less sightseeing. However, I did get to see the Louvre, which was a treat!