Sumit Dalsania

GEMS100 Section 1901

Journal 4 Three Research Ideas
Journal 4: Discuss three potential research ideas that you are interested in. Discuss the feasibility
of each idea.
Research has always been a subject of fascination to me, but on many occasions, it has
been just that: an impractical fascination. As Ive partaken in research opportunities, I have been
able to better distinguish the fine line between feasibility and unfeasibility. These research
opportunities have also introduced me to novel ideas to ponder as well. Some of the ideas I am
most interested in include genetic engineering, personalized drugs, and battery development.
Genetic engineering is a field I was introduced to relatively recently. It involves
purposefully introducing changes in nucleic acid to achieve a desired effect. I hold a great
interest in this subject because of the opportunities I see within it. Diseases caused by protein
mutations, such as Alzheimers can be prevented and even cured. Even further in the horizon,
unwanted genetically-controlled characteristics such as lactose-intolerance could be remediated
through engineering.
Personalized drugs is a sub-study also related to genetics that I am very interested in. It
involves tailoring drugs to work better with the specific genetic qualities an individual possesses.
This personalization, like genetic engineering, is still a nascent field but I have high hopes for it.
One use of personalized drugs I expect to become much more prevalent in the coming years is
cancer treatment. Being able to determine how individuals with certain genotypes respond to
different treatments would help in developing more effective remedies.
Although battery engineering is a field of study very different than the interest Ive
expressed regarding genetics, I find it very important. Since one of the main goals of research is
to help improve our quality of life, I want to develop methods of vehicular transportation that do
not involve the burning of fossil fuels on board. I am very intrigued in developing more powerful
and larger batteries. Although many may argue that with the recharging of batteries comes the
burning of fossil fuels, the fossil fuels burned in power plants are used more efficiently. This
would assist in safeguarding the livelihood of those after me.
In terms of feasibility of these projects in the Gemstone program (as I will assume from
here-on), I think that all of these projects would be practical if taken step-by-step. A small, selfcontained research project regarding these studies would help in the overall advancement of
research.