And so it begins...

6:05 PM Léonie Dupuis 0 Comments

In less than 72 hours, I will be embarking on a plane that will take me up, up, and away. Away from the Floridian humidity, away from the Americas I call home, and into the land of my ancestors. This summer, I will be going undercover as a Dubliner researching Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease (made famous by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.)

Why am I doing this? 
For starters, I hope to attend medical school and obtain an M.D./PhD., so I need to get as much research experience as possible to ensure that this is in fact the career path I want to take. But more importantly, I've had an interest in the field of neurology since age 12 when one of my best friends at the time passed away from a brain tumor. My dad's fight against internal shingles only further motivated me to pursue a career in the field- motivation that is much needed to enter one of the most competitive job fields.

What am I doing exactly?
I am going to be studying the genomics of ALS and comparing them to other neuro-degenerative diseases. I will be conducting various wet-lab techniques as well as some bioinformatic analyses of the DNA in the lab with the help and guidance of Russel McLaughlin in the laboratory of Dr. Orla Hardiman, the Head of Neurology at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.


So what is this blog?
This blog is going to be my method of sharing my experiences in Dublin and other parts of Europe as I research and explore my motherland. As for the title, "Paddy" is a word used to describe someone of Irish origin. I am not 100% Irish, but my great-grandmother came to Canada straight from Ireland, and as I mentioned before, this is my time to go incognito in the land of the green and orange.

Adventure is out there, and this is my time to seek it, so subscribe and follow my journey!

Thank you to the Kugelman Honors Program, UWF Office of Undergraduate Research, and UWF Student Government Association for making this summer abroad come to fruition. Your support and guidance are what has made this dream come true.