2008 Woodie Awards
Science professor welcomes students in his lab
Kristy Vickery
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: News
Dinender Singla is giving UCF students a chance to work in his lab, with no experience required.
"Giving students this opportunity is important to me because I feel like if I don't give them the opportunity, who will give it to them?" Singla said. "Everybody will say they don't have any lab experience, then they will go nowhere."
Singla, an associate professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences who has been a faculty member at UCF for less than a year, said he was first attracted to UCF because of the good opportunities for his research. He is now passing along those good opportunities to Burnett's biomedical students in the form of lab research.
Singla's cardiovascular research includes using stem cells to repair the hearts of lab mice.
Sophomore Kelly Thibert, is one of the students that thought she would be not be given the chance to work in a lab, because of her lack of experience.
"I am very grateful that [Singla] didn't mind taking me into his lab to teach me things, because I was scared that I wouldn't find someone that would let me come in with no experience," Thibert said. "I think it is so awesome, especially because I have never done research. I think trying to get into the lab was the hardest part."
Singla is making it easier for students such as Thibert by posting a description of his research and qualifications on the UCF EXCEL Web site. His qualifications plainly state, "No prior knowledge is required."
Singla said he only asks one thing of his students when they come to work in the lab.
"I just tell them listen to the people you work with," Singla said.
Listening is an important skill to Singla, because it is the first thing his own mentor, N. K. Ganguly, taught him while he attended school in India.
Although Singla said he learned a lot from Ganguly, it was his own mother, Maya Rani, who was his first mentor.
"My mother was a hard-working lady. She was my first inspiration," Singla said.
"Giving students this opportunity is important to me because I feel like if I don't give them the opportunity, who will give it to them?" Singla said. "Everybody will say they don't have any lab experience, then they will go nowhere."
Singla, an associate professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences who has been a faculty member at UCF for less than a year, said he was first attracted to UCF because of the good opportunities for his research. He is now passing along those good opportunities to Burnett's biomedical students in the form of lab research.
Singla's cardiovascular research includes using stem cells to repair the hearts of lab mice.
Sophomore Kelly Thibert, is one of the students that thought she would be not be given the chance to work in a lab, because of her lack of experience.
"I am very grateful that [Singla] didn't mind taking me into his lab to teach me things, because I was scared that I wouldn't find someone that would let me come in with no experience," Thibert said. "I think it is so awesome, especially because I have never done research. I think trying to get into the lab was the hardest part."
Singla is making it easier for students such as Thibert by posting a description of his research and qualifications on the UCF EXCEL Web site. His qualifications plainly state, "No prior knowledge is required."
Singla said he only asks one thing of his students when they come to work in the lab.
"I just tell them listen to the people you work with," Singla said.
Listening is an important skill to Singla, because it is the first thing his own mentor, N. K. Ganguly, taught him while he attended school in India.
Although Singla said he learned a lot from Ganguly, it was his own mother, Maya Rani, who was his first mentor.
"My mother was a hard-working lady. She was my first inspiration," Singla said.