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Laboratory Experience

UCF · Biomedical Sciences · Class of 2026

Thomas Mancinelli

My laboratory experience began before UCF. In 2022, during a visit to Argentina, my aunt brought me to her close friend's PhD laboratories at UBA (University of Buenos Aires). I was shown BSL 1-3 disease labs and given the chance to inspect mouse tumor cells under a microscope. It was the first time I had been inside a real research environment, and it confirmed that this was exactly where I wanted to be. Since starting at UCF in Fall 2023, I have spent hundreds of hours in laboratory settings across courses in Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry I & II, Immunology, Anatomy, Quantitative Biological Methods and Genetics. Each lab pushed me to not only execute procedures correctly, but to understand the science behind every step.

The techniques I have practiced include:

  • Micropipetting

  • DNA Extraction

  • PCR

  • ELISA

  • Western Blot

  • SDS-PAGE

  • NMR Spectroscopy

  • TLC

  • Centrifugation

  • Blood Typing

  • Antigen Testing

  • Microscopy

  • Recrystallization

  • Titration

  • Lab Safety

  • Chromatography

What I have learned most from my lab experience is that science rewards patience and attention to detail. Early on, small errors in technique taught me how much every detail matters when working with biological samples. Overcoming those early mistakes made me a more careful and deliberate scientist. The skills I have built in academic labs are directly transferable to clinical, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical settings. My goal is to take this foundation into a professional lab environment where I can continue developing under real-world conditions and apply what I have learned to problems that directly affect patients.

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