Name: Hope Hsu
Class Year: 2027
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Minor: Mathematics
 
Internship Organization: San Francisco State University
Internship Title:  Research Assistant
Location:  San Francisco, CA
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

The Swei lab studies disease ecology. The project that I am working on in the lab is a CDC-funded collaborative project across the country. We are studying the effect of preemptively treating the animals that ticks feed on to lower the rate of Lyme disease transmission. Our section of the project looks at the spread of Lyme disease around the SF Bay Area. We go out into the field and collect ticks. We then take those samples and identify their genus and species with microscopy. Once we have identified their species, we can take Ixodes Pacificus Nymphs (IPAC N) (genus, species, life stage) and extract their DNA. IPAC N are the ticks that can carry Lyme disease, while the nymphal stage is the most likely to have the infection. The extracted DNA is then processed with nested PCR to test for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that infects the ticks with lyme.

Why did you apply for this internship?  

This internship closely aligns with my interest in disease management and vaccines. After the pandemic, I found myself interested in researching the science behind disease prevention. I was especially interested in this lab because it studies vector-borne diseases transmitted by ticks to humans. A lot of talk about contagious diseases covers ones that are spread from person to person. Lyme disease, however, is not, yet it still is a large problem across the coasts. This internship would also allow me to be close to home this summer.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship? 

One thing that surprised me during the internship was the field work. I didn’t know that I was going to be helping with field work as well as in the lab. However, it was a valuable experience. I have gained so much more respect than I already had for people who do field work. In order to collect samples for my lab (tick drags/camera work) one must hike up into the mountains. Then hike OFF of the path and onto steep hill sides in order to better collect samples as that is the area that ticks prefer to live in. Not only is it incredibly physically challenging, it is mentally difficult too. Not many people have ever had the goal of getting ticks on them. In the end I learned that although I may not be cut out for field work I am more capable than I thought. 
 
Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?  

Nouns: 

* IPAC Ticks – After identifying many different species of ticks, these are the kind that can carry Lyme disease. 

* Code – Learning to use R to use generalized linear models. 

* Ethanol – Berillia (the bacteria that causes lyme) contaminated even the air, so ethanol and bleach must be used to keep areas uncontaminated.  

Adjectives: 

* Challenging 

* Relevant 

* Exciting