Talk about trying new things! Senior Megan Tasnadi stepped out of her comfort zone to spend 10 weeks in China this summer, studying chemistry and exploring the traditions of Asian culture.
Megan completed her internship at Tsinghara University in Beijing through a summer undergraduate exchange program at the University of Michigan. The program, which consisted of chemistry of material positions at both Peking University and Tsinghua, was open to students around the country.
Working with Professor Guoan Luo, who studies traditional Chinese medicine, Megan researched a disease called Ankylosing Spondyliltis. “I did ultra-high performance liquid chromatography studies on human serum samples of individuals with the disease,” she said.
Ankylosing Spondylitis is a long-term debilitation that causes inflammation of the joints between the spinal bones and the joints between the spine and pelvis. It eventually causes the affected spinal bones to fuse together.
“My research showed the metabolic changes that occur in individuals with this disease,” Megan explained. “Knowing how the disease affects the metabolism can provide an answer to how the disease progresses and what measures can be taken in treatment.”
During her time in China, Megan also visited the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Gate, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and Houhai, a lake in Beijing known for its nightlife.
Megan also witnessed the DuanWu, the Dragon Boat Festival. This Chinese holiday focuses on the death of the poet Qu Yuan, who was accused of treason and banished. Qu Yuan committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River on that day. The holiday is commemorated by throwing zongzi, rice dumplings, to the fish in the river to keep them away from Qu Yuan’s body. The tradition is the origin of dragon boat racing, which happens to this day.
“The best part of the trip was trying new things,” Megan said. “My friend and I made a pact to try something together that we were both scared of.