<h3><img class="size-full wp-image-51239 alignleft" src="https://bme.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NW.png" alt="" width="200" height="200" />Amanda Barreto</h3>
My name is Amanda Barreto and I am currently a sophomore. My academic interests have always centered on science, especially biology and chemistry. During my first semester of university I had the opportunity to participate in the SEA PHAGES Lab as a substitute for my biology 1 course. The lab focused on isolating and purifying a phage from natural environments and learning aseptic techniques of microbiology-virology. This year, I completed the ARCH program for the FIU Honors College and the first level of the CURE program. I have been a member of the TEMIM lab since last fall.  Currently I am helping my mentor, Dr. Ramaswamy, and lab peers in researching about elastin degradation in aortic valve leaflets. One of my main focuses for the next three terms is to continue analyzing how the elastin degradation affects the leaflets’ curvature.   After I finish my degree, I would like to continue my education and enroll in a Ph.D. program focused on medical research. I am very happy to have been awarded the Norman Weldon Fellowship; this opportunity will help me gain more valuable experience in the lab, and network with fellow researchers.