From Colombia to UD
For doctoral student Carolina P??rez Segura, a co-author of the paper,
working with data from the supercomputer simulations was the kind of
research experience that first brought her to the University of Delaware
and then inspired her to stay.
She examined numerous simulations
and vast amounts of data to investigate the effect of the mutation and
made some important discoveries, Hadden-Perilla said. We threw her
into the deep end in my brand-new research group [last summer], and she
did a great job.
P??rez Segura came to UD as a participant in the Universitys Latin
American Summer Research Program. A graduate of the Universidad Nacional
de Colombia (National University of Colombia), the program marked her
first time leaving Colombia and, indeed, her first time traveling by
plane. She planned to conduct research under Hadden-Perillas mentorship
for a couple of months and then return home.
But, she said, the experience was so meaningful to her that she
canceled her plane ticket home and stayed on to work as a visiting
scholar with Hadden-Perilla while applying to UDs doctoral program in
chemistry. She was accepted and began her studies during spring
semester.
It was her fascination with computational chemistry that brought her
to Delaware, she said, and the work with supercomputers that made her
decide to continue that research.
While I was an undergraduate, I chose that branch of chemistry as
the kind of career I wanted, said P??rez Segura, who worked with a
research group in the field, on a smaller scale, in Colombia. When I
was introduced to the idea that math and physics can help you understand
biological processes, I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I thought it was really amazing to be able to explain biological
processes with numbers and computers. I wanted to learn more, and here,
theres so much more opportunity to learn it.
Although the social and travel restrictions imposed by the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have limited her ability to fully
experience American life and culture, she said her experience at UD
remains very positive. Shes eager to be able to go out more, practice
her English and feel a part of American culture, but meanwhile, shes
busy with exciting research, she said.
Shes currently also working on research that Hadden-Perilla is conducting into the virus that causes COVID-19.
Its unusual for a student to be accepted into our graduate program
off-cycle, beginning in spring semester, Hadden-Perilla said. But
Carolina is exceptional.
Article by Ann Manser; illustration by iStock; photos courtesy of Jodi Hadden-Perilla
Published Aug. 11, 2020