“Adele”-icate Kidney

Trinity Kronk is a 2016 graduate who majored in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She was awarded a Spring 2016 Independent Grant which she used to conduct research on kidney function and hypertension under Dr. Robert Hoover.

Now you might ask “How in the world did she get herself into something like that?” Trust me; it’s a question I have asked myself many times, but for this instance the answer was clear.  I am passionate about my research. So passionate that I dressed up in a kidney outfit, put on fake nails and crazy makeup and lip sync to a kidney version of Adele’s song “Hello.” Never would I have expected myself to be a kidney nerd, but I am.

I began college with no interest in research. As I advanced in my studies, I started to wonder how the material we learned in class came to be. I started looking for summer research positions and while talking to a nice lady sitting next to me on the airplane, found myself one. I began working in the Hoover Laboratory, in the Department of Medicine, Renal Division, and completely fell in love with research. I became a part of a scientific community. In addition to my experiments, I have been exposed to various areas of physiology.  I also attend weekly departmental seminars and lab meetings not only of the Hoover Laboratory, but also of others in the Physiology Department.  I find myself excited to learn about my research topic through reading the literature, and recently became a contributor to my project.  The kidney and its functions fascinate me.

Wanting to have research to call my own, I applied for a SIRE grant. With these funds I located a receptor never located before in the kidney. All my work led to a finding I can call my own. Of course there were ups and downs along the way. Most researchers have a love hate relationship with research. They love it when it works and they hate it when it doesn’t and let me tell you; it didn’t work for a very long time. Continuous tweaking of experiments was necessary, and once I got it to work once I had to do it many more times to make sure my findings were significant. It was absolutely worth it.

Research has taught me more than just about the kidney. Working in the Hoover laboratory has taught me leadership, patience, time management, critical thinking, and how to work with others. I have spent many hours working towards this goal and continue to learn so much about myself along the way. As each day passes I become more invested in my project and look forward to my results.

Doing undergraduate research has really opened my eyes to new ideas, learning and possible future career options that I wasn’t previously aware. With hopes of going to medical school, this well-rounded view of biomedical science will be important in helping me become a cognizant physician, fully understanding of how current treatments and the physiology behind them came to be. Because of my newly found interest in medical research, I am also considering pursuing a research fellowship so that I may work as a medical doctor, while continuing to add to the understanding of physiology and medicine.

Visit the Undergraduate Research Programs website to learn more about applying for Independent Research Grants.