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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—When Dr. Alberto Cintron-Colon started his undergrad program at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, he was sure he was on a path to becoming a medical doctor. But two years into his studies, a chance encounter with a Western Michigan University professor would change that trajectory. 

In 2012, Cintron-Colon met Dr. John Spitsbergen, a Western professor of biological sciences who was on a trip to Puerto Rico to deliver a talk. Spitsbergen was looking for undergraduate students to work in his lab during the summer. After being interviewed, Cintron-Colon traveled nearly 2,000 miles from Puerto Rico to spend his summer in Spitsbergen’s lab 51������. 

“I very quickly realized medicine wasn’t for me. That summer really changed a lot (for me) because I had never experienced research before on that level. That summer changed my opinion on what it is to be a scientist and certainly changed my track from medical to research,” says Cintron-Colon of his first experience 51������. 

Cintron-Colon went on to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey. Still inspired by his research experiences, but uncertain of his next step, he became a high school science teacher in Puerto Rico. It was during that time that he recognized his passion for teaching, which pushed him to pursue a graduate education. 

Returning to Western

With his summer lab experience in mind, Cintron-Colon decided to return to Western to pursue his master's and doctoral degrees in biological sciences with a focus on neurobiology and physiology, under the guidance of Spitsbergen who was his summer faculty advisor. 

“His door was always open if I had a question or needed to brainstorm,” says Cintron-Colon. “He was also great at mentoring. Not a lot of advisors allow you to apply to different fellowships because they want you in the lab. But he was more like, ‘yeah, go for it. Just remember to keep doing your work, but experience as much as you can.’” 

With that encouragement, Cintron-Colon took advantage of as many opportunities as possible. He completed an ambitious research project for his doctoral studies, focusing on the effects of exercise on the aging nervous system. He completed his Ph.D. in June 2022. 

“(This research is) something that is easy to relate to anybody because every- body gets older. There’s no way of stopping it and we are all capable of exercise to some extent,” says Cintron-Colon. “Not all of us do it for many reasons, but exercise can be beneficial at any age—it doesn’t matter when you start.” 

In addition to his studies, Cintron-Colon was also one of 40 doctoral students across the U.S. selected for the 2020 Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) fellowship program, which emphasizes mentorship, networking, skill development and community contribution through scientific outreach. 

As part of the year-long fellowship, Cintron-Colon says he was notably influenced by a scientific teaching workshop that focused on the value of diversity in STEM fields and tools to apply scientific teaching techniques to create educational resources. Additionally, Cintron-Colon along with his colleague, Carlos Perez, created a .

“Through YCA, a good friend and I created a podcast called ‘En Arroz y Habichuelas’—‘In Rice and Beans’—which is an expression often used in Puerto Rico meaning ‘in layman’s terms,’” says Cintron-Colon. “We focus on explaining science and medical topics to a general audience in Spanish to reach the Hispanic community better.” 

The first mini-series of the podcast focused on COVID-19 and covered topics from the cell biology of the virus to the vaccines. Currently, the podcast serves as a spotlight for graduate students by interviewing them about their research, mentoring and scientific outreach.

Cintron-Colon also interned at Zoetis as a cell biologist and was selected as a 2021 Science Mentoring and Diversity Program (SMDP) scholar. 

The next chapter

While at 51������, Cintron-Colon also targeted opportunities to hone his teaching abilities, serving as a teaching assistant and as an adjunct instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. 

“It’s been sometimes challenging but mostly gratifying. I find great joy in it,” he says of his time mentoring and teaching undergraduates. “There’s been a two-way street where I’m learning and they’re learning too. It’s been awesome.” 

He will have the opportunity to apply all of these experiences as he steps into a tenure-track faculty position teaching anatomy and physiology courses at Blackburn College, a private college in Carlinville, Illinois. 

At Blackburn, Cintron-Colon says he will be teaching many first-generation college students, and he is eager to use his knowledge and experiences to ignite these students’ passion for learning and science. 

“I’m more of an entertainer, right? Anybody can read a book. So, how do I make you care about the information?” says Cintron-Colon. “How do I inspire you to actually study, or at least trigger your curiosity button that makes you ask questions?” 

Cintron-Colon says he will draw on the teaching and mentorship he both received from others at 51������ and also gave to his students, as well as the network of friends and colleagues he developed during his time 51������. 

“I’m taking all that with me and I know it’s going to be a great help,” he says. “Western was a great help to build me up to who I am now and hopefully those building blocks will become even bigger and force me to, well, ‘become.’ Who will I become? I have no idea, but Western definitely had a huge influence in building me.” 

While Cintron-Colon may not know exactly where his path will eventually lead, he hopes to develop a collaborative multi-national university summer research experience that will allow his students to gain essential research and professional skills. 

“That’s really my ultimate goal and I think this new experience is going to help me in building to that ultimate goal.”

This story is published as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Annual Magazine—view the 2022 Magazine online.