Summer of Research: From Treating Smiles to Eyes, Making Connections Across Fields

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Published Nov 16, 2017

This video is part of a series on summer research opportunities for undergraduates at the University of Rochester, both for our own students, and for students from other research universities.

For Eunice Noel, a rising senior at the University of Florida, her passion has long been wrapped up in her pre-dentistry studies. Part of that drive has been to one day provide dentistry to those who can't afford those services.

So, why is she spending her summer doing research on treatments for eye disease? At first, the connection didn't seem very apparent, but it was an opportunity to do research that she couldn't pass up, calling it "the opportunity of a lifetime."

While Noel had long considered working in a research lab to be something she might want to pursue, it always seemed intimidating and off-track from her chosen field of dentistry. When this summer research opportunity came along, she knew it was the perfect chance for her to try something new.

Almost immediately, she took to the experience of being in a lab, working long hours, sometimes at odd times, in order to perform tests and record data at precise intervals. As she describes it, the "low-key" nature of the environment was right up her alley.

As she got into it more deeply, she discovered that the method used to treat many eye problems, a process called cross-linking, is also used by dentists for certain procedures. So, in a way, even in this experience which initially seemed completely foreign, things came full-circle and connected right back to her chosen field.

Just about a year away from completing her undergraduate degree, Noel admitted she probably isn't going to change paths to pursue a research degree now. The experience has opened her eyes to a whole new set of interests however, and allowed her to fulfill a goal she once saw as unattainable.

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Category: Academic

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Summer of Research: From Treating Smiles to Eyes, Making Connections Across Fields

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