Ali Martinez

• Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Recipient
• Fold of Honors Scholarship Recipient
• Completed AP course in Literature and Composition
• Relevant Coursework (Completed) : General Biology I & II, General Chemistry I , Organic Chemistry I, Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell Biology, Ecology, Public Speaking, Calculus I & Intro to Biol Anthropology, & Human Anatomy
• Relevant Coursework (Planned): Biostatistics, Human Physiology, Physics I & II, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry II, & Vertebrate Zoology
• Professional Development: Career Development & Ethical Reasoning → shows professionalism, ethics, and critical thinking. Very relevant to veterinary practice.
• Professional Development: Learning Through Community Service (LVE 305) → highlights community engagement, volunteering, and social responsibility.
• Discovering Self-Leadership → demonstrates leadership, self-awareness, and initiative
• Related Research Project: Research Experience Cyanamide Toxicity in Creatine Supplements
• Investigated the toxic compound cyanamide in creatine supplements using CHO cell models.
• Designed and implemented experiments with serial dilutions, viability assays, and flow cytometry.
• Result: Found that higher cyanamide concentrations significantly reduced cell viability, confirming its potential health risks for heavy creatine users.

Grant Proposal – “Creatine: Worse than Steroids?”

• Co-authored a grant proposal examining the health risks of creatine compared to steroids.
• Conducted experimental testing of cyanamide effects on CHO cells with positive and negative controls.
• Result: Determined cyanamide is toxic at elevated doses, contributing to risks such as liver, kidney, reproductive, and neurological damage, though overall less harmful than anabolic steroids.