Hands-on cancer research helps College of Science undergraduate gain confidence in the lab

Sun’s lab is researching multifocal breast cancer metastasis, a form of cancer in which multiple tumors arise in the same breast, and cancer cell invasion. Hines developed numerous wet lab skills, including making his own breast cancer tumors (spheroids), which are clusters of breast cancer cells used to make samples and replicate actual tumors. He then imaged these samples over several days to track the invasion patterns of the cells using confocal microscopy to look for any persistence and/or biased invasion.

Finally, he performed data analysis by processing the images through a machine learning program that highlighted different phenotypes of the cells and created stacked images of the spheroids to visualize them in 3D.

“It is important to understand how invasion happens, how fast, where it goes, because that knowledge can help healthcare professionals better diagnose and treat cancer,” Hines explained. “It feels good knowing the work could have a real impact.”

The experience wasn’t always easy. To analyze his results, Hines had to learn coding from scratch, something that felt overwhelming at first. “If you mess up one character in your code, it doesn’t work. It was frustrating,” he said. “But focusing on the bigger picture kept me motivated. Every figure I produced showed me I was making progress.”

Beyond technical skills, Hines credits SURE with helping him see failure in a new light. In science, failure is common. “It made me more creative in problem solving and gave me confidence I didn’t have before.”

Mentorship was another defining element. Hines built a stronger relationship with Sun and the graduate students in the lab, who guided him through challenges and encouraged him along the way. “The environment and the people you work with are one of the most important parts of any job,” he said. “Without that mentorship, I don’t think I’d be as motivated to keep doing research.”

Now, Hines plans to continue in Sun’s lab as he works towards his BioResource Research thesis. The experience confirmed his passion for healthcare and sparked a deeper interest in research, something he once thought was out of reach.

Since 2015, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) has funded more than 300 College of Science students to spend their summers immersed in discovery. Undergraduate research is a hallmark of science at Oregon State, with about half of students participating annually through programs like SURE, the Launching Undergraduate Research Experiences (LURE) program during the academic year, discovery-based projects embedded in courses and mentorship in faculty labs. Together, these multiple pathways to hands-on learning prepare students to explore their curiosity and build successful futures in science.

To learn more about undergraduate research opportunities in the College of Science click here.