Ty Troutman ’06 works in the Allergy and Immunology Laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Trautmann also received guidance from M. Neil Guentzel and collaborated with Karl E. Klose and his laboratory. His main focus was studying how the innate components of the immune system protect against Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera.
“Conversations and experiences with research faculty and lab colleagues at UTSA solidified my desire to pursue graduate education and research as a career,” Troutman said. “I learned how to think critically about experimental design, interpreting data, and apply my imagination to develop new hypothesis testing strategies.”
Troutman worked as a research assistant at UTSA for two years before earning her Ph.D. in immunology from UT Southwestern Medical Center. He currently works as an assistant professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he studies immune cells called macrophages, an interest that grew out of his undergraduate research assistantship.
“The value of my undergraduate research experience cannot be overstated,” Trautman said. “This experience laid the foundation for my success as a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow and propelled me into the position of running a unique research program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.”
UTSA alumnus Margie N. Sutton ’10 was pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a double major in chemistry and biology in the UTSA Honors College when she met Doug, UTSA’s Max and Minnie Tomerlin Felker Endowed Chair. I had the opportunity to conduct research in Franz’s laboratory. Chemistry.
“In his lab, we utilized chemistry developed within the group to derive trisubstituted pyrazoles from stereodefined enol triflates, which served as the core of a small molecule library that I developed. We did,” Sutton explained. “We then shared these small molecules with our collaborators to see if they might be effective in treating a number of diseases, including diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis, and cancer.”
Sutton has always been interested in science and medicine, and it was through this early experience that he began to envision a career in research.
“During my undergraduate research experience, I was able to see firsthand how Dr. Franz was making a difference in this world through his research, which was extremely inspiring for me. A teacher and an inventor whose discoveries are changing people’s lives without them even realizing it.
After graduating, Sutton earned a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and Translational Research from MD Anderson UT Health Houston School of Biomedical Sciences, where he currently serves as an assistant professor and director of education. She is currently working there on a project aimed at repurposing a type of cardiovascular drug for cancer prevention.
For Sutton, research was a rewarding field.
“The opportunity to discover something new almost every day, inspire others, and contribute to advancements across multiple disciplines makes it a truly rewarding career path,” Sutton said.
Ashley Murphy ’16 conducts research using SHERLOC analog instruments in the SHERLOC Lab at NASA JPL.
UTSA alumnus Ashley Murphy ’16 developed her research skills while working as Alan Dutton’s undergraduate research and laboratory assistant at the UTSA Water Research Center. She credits this experience with teaching her a variety of technical and critical thinking skills.
“We used online geoscience databases to collect, organize, and visualize data for a project that Dr. Dutton was working on,” says Murphy. “My undergraduate research experience allowed me to develop my passion for science by learning to work with minimal supervision, an essential skill in graduate school.”
The lab experience also helped set the trajectory for Murphy’s career.
“As a nontraditional, first-generation student, I enrolled in community college courses without a clear career goal in mind,” Murphy said. “When I transferred to UTSA, Dr. Dutton connected me with colleague Dr. Daniel Wyrick, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and told me that I could work at NASA as a geologist. This really helped me understand why I wanted to pursue a graduate degree. ”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in geological science, Murphy pursued a Ph.D. at Rutgers University. She currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Planetary Science Institute, balancing support for the Mars 2020 mission, collaboration with other researchers, and her own research projects.
Murphy is also a collaborator on the SHERLOC instrument team. SHERLOC is a deep-ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectrometer mounted on the arm of the Perseverance rover that will help scientists on Earth search for potential biosignatures on Mars.
Darrell Balderrama, director of UTSA’s Office of Undergraduate Research, encourages students to view research as an important part of their undergraduate studies.
“Undergraduate research at UTSA is where curiosity turns into discovery,” Balderrama said. “It fosters critical thinking, inspires a passion for exploration, and lays the foundation for lifelong learning and innovation.”
Undergraduate laboratories can support students interested in research by connecting them with opportunities and mentors.
