{"id":3290,"date":"2021-09-22T10:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/?p=3290"},"modified":"2021-09-22T10:01:44","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T14:01:44","slug":"sss-student-jazmine-richardson-22-featured-in-syracuse-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/news\/2021\/09\/sss-student-jazmine-richardson-22-featured-in-syracuse-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"SSS Student, Jazmine Richardson \u201922, Featured in Syracuse Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Being the Change<\/h1>\n
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Biotechnology and African American studies major takes an interdisciplinary approach to addressing inequity in health care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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\"Jazmine
Jazmine Richardson \u201922 was drawn to biotechnology for its interdisciplinary nature and to African American studies for its context of culture and history. She looks forward to applying her education to addressing issues of inequity in health care.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Downstairs from the airy atrium in Syracuse University\u2019s Life Sciences Complex, chemistry professor John Franck\u2019s lab spans several rooms. Here, undergraduate and graduate students move purposefully between the wet lab, where beakers and test tubes line the counters, and equipment rooms dominated by computers, whiteboards thick with diagrams, and a couch-sized electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer for analyzing molecular movement.<\/p>\n

Research in Franck\u2019s lab centers on how water interacts with protein and lipid molecules, examining nanoscale dynamics that could ultimately have implications for human health and the development of lifesaving drugs. Students focus on different components of the research. Jazmine Richardson \u201922, a\u00a0biotechnology<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0African American studies<\/a>\u00a0major in the\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences<\/a>, has most recently been working to develop a new instrument to streamline part of the protein expression process.<\/p>\n

While Richardson\u2019s research focuses on the microscopic, her goals are anything but.<\/p>\n

Interdisciplinary Research<\/h2>\n

Richardson is from Buffalo, New York, the youngest of 10 siblings in a blended family. Having witnessed several loved ones struggle with cancer, she initially set her sights on becoming an oncologist and started her college journey in the biochemistry department. She was paired with Franck\u2019s lab through the\u00a0Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation<\/a>\u00a0(LSAMP) program, which aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented populations in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson works with chemistry professor John Franck on groundbreaking research around molecular properties and testing methods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In Franck\u2019s lab, Richardson has been able to develop a project tailored to her studies and interests, and she has gained valuable experience in the nonlinear nature of real research, she says.<\/p>\n

But Richardson always intended her work in medicine to contribute to the broader goals of improving health care for the Black community and securing social equity throughout the health care sector. From the outset, she contextualized her scientific inquiry with courses in history, economics, politics and culture.<\/p>\n

It was Richardson\u2019s appreciation of the interconnectedness among fields that ultimately drew her to biotechnology. \u201cThrough biotechnology, I can engage in conversations that bring in, for example, the intersections of economics and policies in relation to science, and the understanding of how everything plays a part in the bigger picture,\u201d she says. This interdisciplinary approach has broadened her vision of how she might achieve her goals. \u201cI\u2019m on a pre-med track, and my goal is to become a physician-scientist with an M.D. and Ph.D., but what I enjoy about biotechnology is that it\u2019s applicable in such a wide range of fields, from industry to policy to health and medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What I enjoy about biotechnology is that it\u2019s applicable in such a wide range of fields, from industry to policy to health and medicine.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jazmine Richardson \u201922<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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Hands-On Practice<\/h2>\n

Richardson is involved with a range of campus organizations centered on health care and science, such as the\u00a0Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program<\/a>\u00a0and the student-run\u00a0Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society<\/a>\u00a0(named after the first African American woman in the U.S. to earn an M.D.). Through these and other groups, she has discovered ways to engage in various facets of health care and explore her interconnected interests in social issues and science.<\/p>\n

For example, she volunteered in the cancer care center at Crouse Hospital, assisting nurses and supporting patients. Last spring, Richardson served as a COVID-19 case investigator and contact tracer. This work provided insight into disparities of medical understanding and trust in the medical system, she says. \u201cIt helped me really appreciate how important it is to communicate science in a way that people can understand, and to help people see how that science applies in their own lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the Martin Luther King Library, Richardson finds peace, quiet and inspiration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Richardson\u2019s interest in the intersections of economy, history and health care led her to join the student-run financial organization\u00a0BLK Management<\/a>, which gives Black students opportunities for meaningful financial investment. Influence through investment capital is one of the ways historically disempowered populations can shift paradigms in the health care sector, she says.<\/p>\n

And it was through an introductory course in the\u00a0health humanities program<\/a>\u00a0that Richardson became involved with locally focused events centered on issues of inequality and health, including Upstate Medical University\u2019s annual conference on health justice. These opportunities disseminate information and help level the playing field for patients and medical practitioners from marginalized communities, she explains.<\/p>\n

Delving deeper into her research interests, Richardson spent the summer interning in another lab she was paired with through the LSAMP program, this time working with Matthew DeLisa, a biotechnology professor at Cornell University, on groundbreaking research in the treatment of breast cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At Syracuse, Richardson has shaped an undergraduate research project that pushes new boundaries and discovered a range of opportunities to gain professional experience.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Hard Work Rewarded<\/h2>\n

Richardson says that she has always been drawn to puzzles and problem solving. As a first-generation college student coming from a family where resources were spread a bit thin, she\u2019s had to apply this mindset to every step of her academic journey. Syracuse University felt like home to Richardson from her first campus visit, but it wasn\u2019t until she was invited to become a\u00a0Student Support Services Scholar<\/a>\u00a0that an education at Syracuse became possible. She credits those programs for opening the doors to everything she\u2019s been able to accomplish since. Richardson now gives back by supporting fellow students in both the SSS and the\u00a0Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity<\/a>\u00a0programs by tutoring for select science and African American studies courses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the Honors program, I found a community that really helped me feel comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jazmine Richardson \u201922<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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At Syracuse, her hard work and aptitude have been recognized in important ways. She is a\u00a0Ren\u00e9e Crown University Honors Program<\/a>\u00a0student, which she appreciates for the academic opportunities it offers and the sense of camaraderie it fosters. \u201cIn the Honors program, I found a community that really helped me feel comfortable,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone is curious and really interested in something different, so it\u2019s very engaging.\u201d It was the Honors introductory chemistry course, which included a lab component and the chance to work alongside graduate students, that prepared her to participate in Franck\u2019s lab, she adds.<\/p>\n

Richardson was also selected as an\u00a0Our Time Has Come Leader<\/a>\u00a0through an\u00a0Office of Multicultural Advancement<\/a>\u00a0program that offers students professional development, alumni mentorship and leadership training with a community of their peers. And this year, she was named a\u00a0Remembrance Scholar<\/a>. She carries the honor of this award, granted in memory of the 35 Syracuse University students who perished in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in 1988, with a sense of reverence. \u201cIt is truly a humbling honor to have the chance to represent a student and to be charged with carrying their legacy forward,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Staying Grounded<\/h2>\n

Richardson\u2019s academic track can be competitive and demanding. She draws on her faith to help her cultivate resilience and says\u00a0Hendricks Chapel<\/a>\u00a0has been an invaluable source of both spiritual and communal support. \u201cI feel empowered through Hendricks. It\u2019s where I pray and also where I learn about different cultures and connect with like-minded people across a wide range of religious practices.\u201d She has volunteered extensively through Hendricks\u2019 community engagement programing, including as a tutor for the organization\u00a0Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment<\/a>\u00a0(RISE) in Syracuse.<\/p>\n

During her first semester, Richardson connected with several other first-year students whom she now cherishes as her core group of friends. The shared principles they recognized in each other are the values that sustain her through challenging times, she says. \u201cWe have in common the desire to leave a legacy that others can feel empowered by,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe share this understanding that what we\u2019re doing is not just about us and for us. It\u2019s about our ancestors who died because they weren\u2019t able to see this moment right here, and it\u2019s for the future generations who will hopefully benefit from what we\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

-Sarah H. Griffin<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Original article published on September 9, 2021 and can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being the Change Biotechnology and African American studies major takes an interdisciplinary approach to addressing inequity in health care. Jazmine Richardson \u201922 was drawn to biotechnology for its interdisciplinary nature and to African American studies for its context of culture and history. She looks forward to applying her education to addressing issues of inequity in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sss"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3290"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3299,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions\/3299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicopportunity.syr.edu\/sss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}