Research Study Abroad

My name is Aaron Martinez, and I am a 3rd year undergraduate Biochemistry major at the University of Texas at Austin. I am studying abroad to conduct research in France this summer. Before college, I developed an initrigue in research which would allow me to join and collaborate in different studies relating to genetic engineering and cognitive psychology. As I became a more astute researcher, I began molding a reverence for communication for bridging the gap between the public and what happens in the lab. With developments in research such as genome editing and novel types of psychological therapy whigh present large ethical questions, I feel finding a way to understand the perspective of community members and to properly express ideals in a compassionate and progressive way is what is needed most in today's research world. I feel that this is done best by immersing oneself into a novel culture. Studying abroad allows students like myself to appreciate the merits of humanity from across the world and gain novel ways of thinking and research interests that may be isolated in their current state. Thus, as I plan to study abroad in France, I hope I can learn and share these ideals when I return home to my university in America. I have currently paid off most of the fees to attend an affiliate program at the University of Paris: La Sorbonne, but to properly immerse myself in the Parisian culture I am requiring a little bit more. My father is still in remission and recovering from a feud with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and my mother works as a social worker which is just enough to support him along with my brother and me. Overall, any contribution will be appreciated and help me do my part as a Texas Longhorn to help change the world.