Undergraduate Fellowship Testimonial

While at Harvard University during the summer of 2012, I was provided an opportunity to perform research under the mentorship of Dr. Juan Perez-Mercader. I worked directly, on a daily basis, with Dr. Pérez-Mercader and a chemical engineer, Dr. Marta Dueñas Diez, on designing and simulating a fully chemically operated Turing machine. This machine is capable of performing a computation through solely chemical means; no electrical or mechanical input is used. The project was inherently interdisciplinary and therefore as a physics student I was exposed to fields of research outside the standard physics domain. Two of the most significant personal gains I attained through my experience at Harvard were absolute solidification in my desire to pursue a career in science, and that the research I want to be involved in be of a highly interdisciplinary nature. Further, I met and spent time with a number of other young scientists from different fields and was able to learn of their research and experiences. The Harvard Origins of Life Initiative Summer Research Fellowship allowed me to temporarily step away from coursework and instead focus fully on research while having full access to Harvard University’s resources. The Origins of Life program provides an enriching experience, and one that I recommend to the highest level for other undergraduates to pursue.

- Daniel Case