Jiada Zhan ’19 recently completed his undergraduate degree in Nutrition & Dietetics and, during his time at Purdue, he participated in undergraduate research as a part of his Nutrition Science Honors Program. Jiada and his research mentor, Dr. Nana Gletsu-Miller, worked on magnesium supplement research.
This involved giving two magnesium supplements to human subjects and analyzing their responses to these supplements. They have used 4 different methods to measure participants’ magnesium level: serum, urine, red blood cell, and whole-blood ionized magnesium. They strive for comparing different magnesium measurement methods to see which one is the most accurate and consistent. Jiada is currently finishing this research and would like to pursue a career in nutrition research. He will complete a master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition and alongside a dietetic internship at Case Western Reserve University. After completing these experiences, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Nutrition Science.
Zhan believes that his experience in undergraduate research helped him to be more organized.
“Doing research and taking senior courses together was very stressful because I had to read many scientific articles to develop my thoughts about my research while maintaining my academic performance,” says Zhan.
“Time was limited, so it was necessary to know what the next step is in order to finish both tasks in a timely manner. After this experience, I feel more confident to manage my graduate study in the future.”
Zhan also advises anyone interested in undergraduate research to be active and flexible.
“You need to be active to think which research topic you would like to focus on and how you can do better than previous people did. It will make you feel excited about your research since you know you are doing something meaningful in the chosen research area. In addition, you have to be flexible about your research process, because even if you believe you plan everything well, you can still make some mistakes. All you can do is to adjust your strategy to adapt.”
Undergraduate Research Blog 