{"id":10942,"date":"2024-05-10T13:42:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T18:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=10942"},"modified":"2024-05-10T13:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T18:42:21","slug":"maroon-immersion-mentorship-was-key-to-unlocking-uwl-may-grads-opportunities-from-graduate-research-to-teaching-assistantship","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/maroon-immersion-mentorship-was-key-to-unlocking-uwl-may-grads-opportunities-from-graduate-research-to-teaching-assistantship\/","title":{"rendered":"Maroon immersion: Mentorship was key to unlocking UWL May grad\u2019s opportunities from graduate research to teaching assistantship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Vanessa Mbuyi Kaja, \u201821, is a cellular and molecular biology graduate student who will graduate in May. Mbuyi earned an undergraduate degree from UWL in microbiology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vanessa Mbuyi Kaja\u2019s journey from a young, science-oriented student in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a graduate student, teacher assistant and researcher at UW-La Crosse started with a color: maroon.<\/p>\n

Mbuyi saw the color on a brochure at her English as a Second Language school (ESL) in Madison, Wisconsin, and it reminded her of her Congolese high school\u2019s own beautiful color. \u00a0Students on the glossy cover were dressed in maroon caps and gowns, celebrating their graduation from UW-La Crosse.<\/p>\n

While the brochure was eye catching, Mbuyi\u2019s interest in UWL deepened as she discovered\u00a0UWL\u2019s robust science programs<\/a>\u00a0years later when she was finishing her community college education in Madison. Her Botany Professor told her UWL was the place to go if she wanted to pursue\u00a0biology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mbuyi learned first-hand about UWL\u2019s science programs when she arrived on campus in 2017. A\u00a0microbiology program graduate<\/a>, she had such a good undergraduate experience, she decided to return to UWL to earn her\u00a0graduate degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology<\/a>. She was even able to continue with the same research mentor, exploring different avenues of his lab\u2019s research on human blood platelets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the city and the school \u2014 that’s what has kept me here, as well as my research mentor I\u2019ve had since I was an undergraduate,\u201d says Mbuyi. “At UW-La Crosse the professors are open to just being there for students. I think it is true when they say they put the students first.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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From mentee to mentor<\/h3>\n
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\"Photo<\/a>
Vanessa Mbuyi Kaja, \u201821, says a big benefit of returning as a graduate school student is continuing the relationships she had as an undergraduate student. She is also grateful for her Research Mentor Scott Cooper and her Advisor Miranda Panzer. Cooper has helped open many doors, including graduate research and teaching positions. Panzer has been a constant listening ear. \u201cWhenever I have anything going on I will go to her, and she is always supportive and helpful,\u201d says Mbuyi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mbuyi studied with her mentor, Biology Professor Scott Cooper, as an undergraduate and graduate student and then transitioned into becoming a mentor herself. She was responsible for mentoring eight lab students her first year as a graduate student and mentored two new students her second year, training them in all the lab techniques she has learned over the years in Cooper\u2019s lab.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my lab she was a good mentor to new students and took extra time to make sure everyone was involved and understood the project,\u201d says Cooper.<\/p>\n

Two and half years ago, Mbuyi asked Cooper about potential job opportunities to serve as a lab assistant, potentially maintaining and organizing lab equipment. He instead connected her with a part-time teaching assistant position opportunity in the Biology Department.<\/p>\n

The idea initially made Mbuyi feel nervous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember I called my family. I wanted to tell them I cannot do this. I have never taught, and English is not my first language. But the support they give in the Biology Department is what motivated me to teach,\u201d she says. \u201cAlso, my family was very supportive. They reminded me of what I accomplished as an undergraduate, including giving the commencement address. They said, \u2018You can teach. Don’t discourage yourself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting in January 2022, Mbuyi taught for a total of five semesters including Bio 105: Introduction to Biology and Bio 100: Biology for the Informed Citizen Laboratory sections.<\/p>\n

\u201cVanessa had really good evaluations,\u201d says Cooper. \u201cShe is very engaged with her students and goes out of her way to explain things clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mbuyi mirrored some of her own mentors\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw when I was teaching, I was putting my students first too. If they were not understanding or if they needed extra help, I would meet them where they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of April, Mbuyi taught her last class at UWL.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me sad that this is my last class,\u201d she says reflecting on her two and half years as a teacher. \u201cIt is rewarding seeing students improving \u2014 seeing them the first day being quiet and then, over time, participating and giving answers as the semester goes on. Now, whenever I see them around campus, they say \u2018hi.\u2019 They stop and talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Learning what research is all about<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>
UWL Biology Professor Scott Cooper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mbuyi says her research mentor, Cooper, is a good teacher and one who is always willing to welcome new students into his research lab \u2013 sometimes mentoring up to 20 students in his lab at a time.<\/p>\n

She recalls when Cooper, then director of UWL\u00a0Undergraduate Research & Creativity<\/a>, first visited with her and one other international student as part of their initial orientation to campus back in 2017.<\/p>\n

He shared undergraduate research opportunities available on campus and invited her to join his lab. Mbuyi didn\u2019t know what undergraduate research was, but she decided to give it a try. That first lab experience felt a bit overwhelming as she hadn\u2019t taken any UWL science courses yet. But after a year, she decided to join Cooper\u2019s lab as a UWL junior and has been involved in the same lab now for four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I returned, I didn\u2019t feel like I was just pipetting and going through the motions in the lab. I could read the research protocols and understand how to execute the experiment, as well as understand why certain chemicals were being used,\u201d she says. \u201cResearch has also made me more curious about a lot of topics. Whenever we have students presenting on diverse things like physiology or aquatic science, I go. I want to get educated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along the way, Mbuyi has continued her own graduate research project, culminating with the presentation of her dissertation on how to extend the longevity of human blood platelets as they can only be stored at room temperature for five days. Her project focused on understanding how cold temperatures affect blood platelets in both humans and 13-lined ground squirrels. Platelets are small cells in our body that help stop bleeding by forming clots. When temperatures drop, especially during winter, platelets in humans can become more prone to a process called apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death. This can have negative effects on our health. However, 13-lined ground squirrels, which hibernate during winter, have evolved a way to prevent this cold-induced cell death in their platelets. By studying these squirrels, she hoped to uncover the mechanisms they use to protect their platelets from cold-induced apoptosis. Understanding these mechanisms could potentially lead to new treatments or therapies for conditions related to blood clotting. While the answer to this question requires further study, Mbuyi\u2019s research has led to finding a suitable research method to use for future experiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say bigger graduate schools may have more opportunity, but I think UWL has those opportunities,\u201d says Mbuyi. \u00a0\u201cAnd I\u2019m able to keep the smaller classes, and I have the ability to talk to my instructor and go to office hours. Most of all, I\u2019ve been able to keep the relationships I made as an undergraduate. And those connections have been really important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Written by UW-La Crosse<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/maroon-immersion\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vanessa Mbuyi Kaja\u2019s journey from a young, science-oriented student in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a graduate student, teacher assistant and researcher at UW-La Crosse started with a color: maroon. Mbuyi saw the color on a brochure at her English as a Second Language school (ESL) in Madison, Wisconsin, and it reminded her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":10944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-10942","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/10942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10942"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=10942"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=10942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}