University of New Haven Nutrition Sciences Student Earns Innovation Award for Microplastics Research

In the wise words of Ms. Frizzle, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

This semester, I had the great pleasure of receiving the Excellence in Innovation & Research Award in Undergraduate Nutrition Sciences from the School of Health Sciences. It’s an honor to be nominated for this award, and I don’t even know where to begin expressing my gratitude.

(Majority of it was expressed by jumping around my apartment yelling “YES! OH MY GOD, YES! WOOO LET’S GO!” for about ten minutes. Boyfriend can confirm.)

Because of this, I’d like to thank the following individuals: Christian Conroy, Ph.D., Jean-Paul Simjouw, Ph.D., Alireza Senejani, Ph.D., and Sandra Hartman-Neumann, M.S. Thank you for not only supporting me as a researcher, but as my own person who is still learning, growing, and, as usual, making mistakes. I would not be the person I am today without you all.

Secondly, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to my lab mates: Akanksha Shenoy ’26 M.S., Chiara Faiola ’24, ’25 M.S., Fahim Khan ’25 M.S., Grace Hernes ’25 M.S., Melika Salimi ’26, and Rahil Balu ’26 M.S. While some of you have graduated or are graduating, thank you for answering my non-stop questions and welcoming me into your space. You are the most hardworking people I have met, and I wish you the best in all of your research ventures. Lots of love and hugs your way.

Of course, congratulations to the other recipients of awards during the ceremony, as you all have worked tremendously hard to be where you are. It truly takes a village.

Alright, enough with the gushy stuff: let’s get into it.

When I first started this blog, I had been accepted into the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program Fellowship (SURF) here at the University of New Haven. As a brand-new nutrition sciences major inspired by the emerging scientific conversation about microplastics and their potential impacts on the environment and human health, I decided to take a shot in the dark at applying for this SURF-thingy.

So, following a very last-minute email sent during the dinner rush of a restaurant at 8 P.M., and a two-week, panic-induced proposal, I somehow managed to get a place in that year's cohort.

I want everyone to keep in mind that I thought this idea – linking nutrition and microplastics – would utterly fail. I didn’t think it would go anywhere, really, but apparently people thought it was cool and here we are.

From melting fish to learning how to culture human cells, there has been a lot of learning in the past two years. There has been a lot of failing, too. Tears of frustration, tears of happiness, and, honestly, tears because that week had been particularly miserable. Yet, I cannot argue with the results (or lack thereof).

To anyone who is reading this wanting to go into research of any field, don’t be discouraged if your major interest of study clashes with what you want to look into. If a nutrition major can end up in a molecular cell biology lab, you can go anywhere you want to as well.

My greatest advice for starting research? Just ask the question. Full send it. Even if it sounds stupid, even if it sounds dumb, even if you think other people have thought of it: ask the question.

As the semester comes to a close, I encourage you all to think about where you want to be whether it be tomorrow morning, next semester, or even next year. Think about it hard, and then go there.

I believe in you. Go touch some grass.

With peace, love, and peanut butter,
Bea