͵ÅÄ͵¿ú

Profile

Giving back to the community and advancing science go hand in hand

Senegal Carty
By Senegal Carty
Oct. 8, 2024

Donovan Argueta’s scientific curiosity was kindled by movies.

“Funny enough, my interest in science came from just watching science fiction movies, things like ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “Things where technology just seemed to be so fantastical that you could do anything.”

Donovan Argueta
Donovan Argueta

Argueta’s mother recognized and nurtured his sense of wonder, setting him on the path to a career in science.

“She got me my first microscope,” he said. “Even when I was maybe five or six, just being able to have this scientific tool, go grab things from the front yard or from the park, look at them under a microscope and see what was going on was just really fascinating to me.”

These early experiences propelled him toward his decision to get involved in research as an undergraduate at California Lutheran University. While earning his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering, Argueta worked with , gaining experience in biomimetic design. Based on a mouse maze-running model, Argueta worked on training a robot to navigate a maze using sensors and pseudo–artificial intelligence.

Argueta believes in supporting equity in higher education. While he was still an undergraduate, he worked with the federal TRIO program, Upward Bound, tutoring underrepresented, first-generation and low-income high school students who were taking summer college courses. He also helped the high schoolers prepare for college life as a resident adviser, for example by familiarizing them with important on-campus resources such as the financial aid office.

Argueta became the first Ph.D. student in ’s new lab at the University of California, Riverside, where his research focused on the role of the endocannabinoid system in diet-induced obesity. His earlier work had been more focused on electronics and hardware than biology, and change was a welcome challenge.

“It gave me the opportunity to not just learn a new field, but also to see what goes into starting a lab from scratch,” he said. “I remember one of my first assignments was just to set up a lab cart. ... Starting from that task all the way up to completing the Ph.D. defense was a pretty wild ride.”

Although his lab work was demanding, Argueta continued to make time to teach and guide fellow students. While earning his Ph.D. in bioengineering, he worked as a peer mentor and helped first-year Ph.D. students from a variety of backgrounds to transition into graduate school. His guidance ranged from giving advice on choosing rotation labs to helping an international student navigate the process of buying a car.

Argueta has carried his commitment to mentorship into his postdoctoral training. After joining lab at the University of California, Irvine, he successfully applied for the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers, or MOSAIC, program, which provides individualized coaching, networking and presentation opportunities to recipients of K99/R00 awards from the National Institutes of Health. His project, “Nutrition-based interventions to ameliorate pain in sickle cell disease.” explores the potential for energy-dense diets enriched with protein and omega-3 fatty acids to reduce pain and improve quality of life for people living with sickle cell disease.

Argueta looks forward to taking full advantage of the support provided by this grant to transition into independence and continue teaching young scientists. Asked what he would say to aspiring researchers, he emphasized the importance of finding supportive mentors.

“I think finding people who can support you while also giving you the space to expand is the most important thing,” he said. “Find a good team of people that are like-minded in terms of wanting to advance science and jump in with an open mind.”

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.

Learn more
Senegal Carty
Senegal Carty

Senegal Carty recently graduated from Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine with a Ph.D. in molecular and translational medicine. She is an ASBMB Today volunteer contributor.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Elucidating how chemotherapy induces neurotoxicity
Award

Elucidating how chemotherapy induces neurotoxicity

Dec. 2, 2024

Andre Nussenzweig will receive the Bert and Natalie Vallee Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

ASBMB committees welcome new members
Announcement

ASBMB committees welcome new members

Nov. 29, 2024

Committee members serve terms of two to five years, and a number of new members have joined. We also thank those whose terms have ended.

Curiosity turned a dietitian into a lipid scientist
Award

Curiosity turned a dietitian into a lipid scientist

Nov. 27, 2024

Judy Storch will receive the Avanti Award in Lipids at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

From receptor research to cancer drug development: The impact of RTKs
Award

From receptor research to cancer drug development: The impact of RTKs

Nov. 26, 2024

Joseph Schlessinger will receive the ASBMB Herbert Tabor Research Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

Awards for Alrubaye and Dutta; Strochlic named ass't dean
Member News

Awards for Alrubaye and Dutta; Strochlic named ass't dean

Nov. 25, 2024

PSA presents Early Achievement Award for Teaching to Adnan Alrubaye. ASIP honors Anindya Dutta with the Rous–Whipple Award. Drexel names Todd Strochlic assistant dean of curricular integration.

In memoriam: Arnis Kuksis
In Memoriam

In memoriam: Arnis Kuksis

Nov. 25, 2024

He was a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto who studied the complex mechanisms dictating lipid metabolism and an ASBMB member for more than 40 years.