Name: Catherine Lopez
Hometown: Union City, CA
Lab: Regulatory Biology Laboratory of Satchidananda Panda
Lab websites: https://panda.salk.edu/
Hobbies: Playing Among Us, building mechanical keyboards, petting my cats, taking long walks outside, eating new foods
What do you study? I am part of a lab that studies Circadian biology which means we look at all aspects of biology that involve circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are a natural process that our bodies go through and it helps regulate our sleep-wake cycles every 24 hours. One of the main focuses of circadian biology is how circadian rhythm affects metabolism. Circadian rhythms affect our metabolism in how we lose weight, eating at specific times, and control metabolic diseases and obesity.
Why is it important? Research on circadian rhythms in relation to metabolism is important because to live at our healthiest point we need to understand how our body reacts to different changes in our daily routines. An example of this would include a change in time of sleep or even times of work; these changes affect all parts of our body because we are shifting away from our default settings. There can be unhealthy side-effects by making these changes and so we explore these situations and explain with science how it affects our bodies. Additionally, we can use this science to better understand why some rhythms are better than others, such as times of sleep.
How did you become interested in science? I started my interest in science after volunteering for a nutrition lab during my first year of college, and this lab studied poultry nutrition. While I volunteered, there were many scientists not directly in the same lab as mine, and I soon realized that science is an inter-disciplinary work requiring multiple people from different backgrounds to contribute.
What do you like about being a scientist? Collaboration with other labs that have different areas to focus their studies on! I also enjoy learning more about the current labs I work with through asking questions and personal researching.
What are 5 general vocabulary terms someone should know going into your field of science?
RNA, DNA, gene, protein, histology
What are 5 specific vocabulary terms someone should know about your research?
Circadian rhythms, metabolism, sleep-wake cycles, circadian biology