Self-Assessment

Going into this internship I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had lab experience in biology, anatomy, chemistry, and organic chemistry throughout my high school career and my one year of college. I had some very valuable experience, but I also had never done a research project in a lab. I had also never had a job before so I was really stepping into the unknown. However, I wasn't scared at all. I was really excited to experience research for the first time and to find out how research labs work and function. I also was happy that when I started the project I would be working on in the summer wasn’t set in stone. When I agreed to intern at the lab I was told of various projects that were being worked on. I was told that when I came to the lab I could spend the first few days observing and then decide what project I would be working on for the majority of the summer. Since the lab that I interned at works with both fishes and rats, I had a lot of different and interesting options. At first, I thought I was going to work with the fish because they are going through a really interesting experiment that has to do with the effects of old pesticides. I have always been interested in research to do with pesticides and chemicals because I am always looking for organic and non-GMO food. I thought it would be cool to get to be part of that research. But my first day at the lab I got to observe one of the lab technician's weaning rats for the Templeton study. The Templeton study is studying the effect of THC on rats whose fathers were exposed to the THC chemical. I thought that was a fascinating study, and also since I wasn’t on protocol the first week I mostly observed them and fed them. Since I had done a lot of observation in that first week, I decided to stick with it. It also was of interest to me because marijuana legalization is an intense and important debate in the medical field. I thought it would be valuable for me to get first-hand experience with this research topic. So even though I ended up doing something different than I thought I was going to do, I still really enjoyed it.

              As I mentioned before, I had never worked in a research lab or facility before. I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be like, but I knew it was probably going to be different than what I had done in my class labs. The first week was nice because I got to observe how the technician’s handled and cared for the rats. They were also open to me asking questions about the research projects, work they have done, and where they have studied. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised by was how many studies can be going on at one time at a research lab. I like to always stay busy and active, but I also love variety. I had always thought that researchers just worked on one or two projects throughout the course of a year, but I learned that that is definitely not the case. Also, because there were interns in the lab a lot of research was able to get done.

As much as I loved learning throughout the past 11 weeks, I will admit, there were times when I would step outside and just want to stay home or go to the pool. At points, it was hard to know I was spending my summer somewhere where I grew up while I had friends traveling around the world for their Magellan. But I would always push through and go because I knew that where I was working was important. It wasn’t only important for all of the research being done that would help people and future scientific studies down the road, but it was important for me to learn about research and contribute to it. Coming into this project, I really did not know if I would enjoy research. But because of this experience I know that I enjoy it. As I continue throughout my career, I’m interested to see if I will enjoy other types of research like research in chemical labs or clinical research. So, while it was tough sometimes to go to my internship instead of relaxing on a sunny day, I knew that I was spending my time doing something valuable. I knew that although the research being completed was conducted with rats, that the applications for the conclusions can be applied to humans. And even beyond that, research done here can set up experiments for clinical research. That is why science has always fascinated me, because it is a field where everyone is constantly learning and new discoveries or observations never stops. And neuroscience is particularly interesting because there is still so much that we do not understand about the brain.

One of the biggest challenges I faced inside the lab was when I was completing a dissection and the fire alarm went off. Luckily, I had done the dissection many times before so I knew exactly what I needed to be doing. However, at that time I was showing two fellow interns how to do it and since the dissection is time-sensitive it was imperative that I do it efficiently. When the fire alarm went off they exited, and me and another technician who was also doing a dissection finished up relatively quickly. Luckily when the alarm went off we were both almost finished, so we did complete the dissections successfully. In the end, it turned out to be a false-alarm and was caused by steam from the cage wash. It was definitely an interesting experience though!

Coming into this lab I could have never expected that I would be learning so many techniques and skills for research studies. Before I came to this lab, people told me that I wouldn’t really learn a lot since it was my first time at a research lab, and that by the end of the summer I would just barely know where instruments for experiments are. But I am very pleased that those people were wrong and my experience was nothing like that. I know exactly where materials are, where the food is kept, bedding, cages, and where all of the data is. I also not only learned how to handle different ages of rats, but also, I learned a lot of different techniques to test their behavior. I also learned different methods of exposing rats to chemicals and why there are different ways to expose them. For example, sometimes they are exposed through an osmotic pump or through a food source, and certain methods are preferred for certain cases. I am also very grateful that everyone at this lab was willing to answer any questions I had and willing to guide me through what I was doing until I was comfortable with it. Any time I did an experiment, I would observe them complete it first, then I would practice, and then I would actually complete the experiment.

I am from North Carolina, so the location was not super new to me. I live close to Durham so I have been the mall here and parts of Durham, but I had never been in downtown Durham before which is where the lab is located. Since I was busy working at the lab, I didn’t really venture out much but there definitely were some nice places to eat along the streets. The first week I went to the lab navigating through the one-way streets took me a while bit I eventually got used to it. I had also never experienced rush-hour traffic before, so that was definitely a new experience. I like driving my car, so I didn’t really mind it. One time I was stuck in traffic for almost an hour, and it usually takes me about 25 minutes to get from my house to the lab with no traffic. Once that happened, I learned how to navigate my way through traffic and when to go into the right lane to pass other people. I had been avoiding it because I always thought the left lane was faster but a lot of the times it got pretty backed up. I also enjoyed going to Duke’s main campus towards the end of summer when the lab went to go see presentations. They have a really nice dining area with many different food options, and we got crepes there.

I had such a valuable experience interning at this lab, and I am excited that when I go back to W&J I will be presenting my poster during homecoming. It will be my first time presenting a poster so I am looking forward to it! I’m also really happy that I have contributed to such an amazing research project this past summer. I am taking a psychology course this semester, so I’m sure I will find a moment where what I have done this summer will help me. While I am happy about all the knowledge I have gained, seeing my friends complete there Magellan projects all over the world has made me want to complete a Magellan somewhere else in the world. I am hoping that next summer I will be able to complete a Magellan in Italy, because I have always wanted to go there. I am not sure exactly what I want to focus on yet, but I know that I had such a rewarding experience this summer and I definitely want to do it again!