Postcard from San Francisco: My American Experience

Written by: Urša Zevnik

If I had to summarise my ASEF Junior Fellowship experience in just a few words, I would choose “professional growth” and “the American experience.” 

On the one hand, my research stay with Professor Andrej Šali at UCSF proved to be incredibly intellectually stimulating. My project aimed to better understand how mutations in a specific synaptic protein could contribute to autism. To investigate whether these mutations could affect the protein’s structure, aggregation, or interactions with other molecules, I used a computational method called molecular dynamics simulations. In simple terms, I simulated how mutated and unmutated versions of the protein behave under conditions resembling those in cells. Besides learning how to run and analyse molecular dynamics simulations, I also gained experience with numerous other computational and machine-learning tools. These skills will be extremely valuable for my PhD and for my future career in research. 

On the other hand, my ten weeks in the Bay Area turned out to be about much more than research — I also got the full-spectrum American experience. I celebrated the Fourth of July among the crowds and watched the fireworks from the Golden Gate Bridge, went to a Harry Potter-themed baseball game, and watched surfers catch waves in Santa Cruz. Even taking a self-driving car to shop at a massive, membership-only warehouse felt very American. What truly made these ten weeks special, however, were the people I met along the way. At the Slovenian Statehood Day celebration, I spoke with first-, second-, third-, and even fourth-generation Slovenians who shared their life stories with me. Among them was a couple who later took us on a full-day tour of San Francisco in their Tesla. I met other ASEF fellows who were in California at the same time, and together we took a road trip along the coast, hiked in the headlands, and explored the Stanford and Berkeley campuses. There were late-night discussions with other students at a student pizza night in Berkeley, outings with my lab mates to try cool ice-cream and boba places around campus, and time spent exploring the suburbs of San Jose and enjoying a weekend in Santa Cruz with my American friend. 

Looking back, I truly could not have asked for a better summer. I am extremely grateful to ASEF and Professor Šali’s lab for giving me this opportunity, and to all the amazing people I met along the way for making these ten weeks in California unforgettable.