When 5th year doctoral candidate Britney Pennington is not in the Clegg lab trying to cure blindness (age-related macular degeneration), she is inspiring people to take care of the environment, or travelling and exploring the outdoors with friends. This quarter, Britney showcased her research in the campus-wide Grad Slam competition and placed in the top three out of 80 graduate student participants (see GradPost article). Britney is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomolecular Science and Engineering and plans to graduate in 2014. Read on to learn more about Britney's research, accomplishments, and plans for the future.
Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic
My lab uses human embryonic stem cells to generate retinal pigmented epithelium, which is a cell type that can be used as a therapy for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 years of age. My research investigates ways to expedite the derivation of RPE from stem cells, which normally takes several months. I also study a new material that supports stem cell and RPE growth and function.
Grad Slam Round 4 winner Britney Pennington. Credit: Patricia MarroquinWhat was it like to participate in the Grad Slam? What did you learn from the experience?
It was really fun and entertaining! I never realized how many filler words I use in every day speech! By only having 3 minutes, I was forced to use precise diction. I realized fewer words convey a message more effectively. Also, by attending the other Grad Slam sessions, I learned about several disciplines that I never would have encountered otherwise. Some of the presentations from Chicana/o Studies have already influenced the way I teach students.
What has graduate student life been like for you?
Graduate school is drastically different than undergraduate life! It took me a few years to adjust to the success/fail ratio of experiments, but now I’m really enjoying myself. I work for an excellent principal investigator, Dr. Dennis Clegg, who has supported any idea I have had, even if that idea is more focused on teaching than research. I work with an outstanding group of people in the Clegg lab and the Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering. Most importantly, grad life has definitely been enhanced by my close friends in the department. Graduate student life has been a blast thanks to these people!
What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?
Britney Pennington & Jeff Bailey (MCDB grad) in Anza Borrego State Park, CAI’ve always admired my family’s work ethic, and I try to keep up to par. My boyfriend, Jeff Bailey, is also a great source of motivation due to his exceptional work ethic and his tremendous amount of support for me. His encouragement and motivation have really carried me through the rough times at grad school.
Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why
I spear-headed the movement on my college campus to start a recycling program. It took about eight months of talking to the county’s recycling coordinator, my college’s project manager and architect, local waste management and recycling companies, and after months of meetings and effort, Florida Institute of Technology finally has a recycling program! We only have one Earth, and our lives literally depend on how we treat it. I encourage every person to do little acts of kindness to the planet daily, like picking up a piece of litter, turning off the lights and faucet when they’re not in use, and biking to work.
What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do? Along these same lines, what makes you happy?
I love backpacking in the wilderness or going on day hikes by some body of water. Music and art have always been a hobby, and I wish I had more time to sketch, paint, and play my piano and guitar. I’m really happy when I can travel to new and exciting locations with my closest friends. I could be in the most spectacular place, but the experience especially becomes unforgettable if I am there with my best buds (like when we go abalone diving, wine tasting in various locations, or have beach BBQs or moonlit picnics on the bluffs).
What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?
This response definitely varies with my mood and/or day of the week. Some days, I imagine myself teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution with a small undergraduate-based lab studying planarian regeneration. Other days, I fancy myself working for an organization or company that allows me to make public presentations to raise awareness for the environment or an endangered species. Then there are the days where I imagine myself living very minimally on a beach in Hawaii or the Caribbean, making a living on local dolphin watches or snorkel trips or something of that nature. I worked as a first mate on dolphin watches/snorkel trips when I lived in Florida. I love working on the water, and there are plenty of opportunities to educate the public on local wildlife. But those are just my plans…I’m excited to see what really happens because things have a way of working out better than I anticipated.
Do you have any advice for current grad students?
Counting blessings alleviates stress.