Name: Nirvaa Shah
Class Year: 2027
Major: Biology
Minor: Philosophy

Internship Organization: Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine
Internship Title:  Research Assistant
Location: Philadelphia, PA

What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

Through my pursuit of the sacred harmony of the brain and the automotive factory that lies within it, I have been gifted with the opportunity to work with neurosurgeons and medical/graduate students who have engaged themselves with the chasms of the brain. Through the unique marriage of both the basic, clinical, and translational aspects of medicine, in this lab, I have worked in projects such as the CCI repair project which aim to study the impact of organoids as cornerstones to the future of neurosurgery. By gaining experience with techniques such as brain sectioning, imaging, and brain analysis, I have been exposed to the specific pathways of research and the manner in which model animals such as rats can echo the inner workings of the human brain. 

Why did you apply for this internship?  

As a child, it had been a deep fascination of mine the way in which certain elements of the human body, like the heart, can be transplanted from an entirely different body and restore function to the host body as though nothing had ever been dysfunctional in the first place. Although I had previously considered the brain to be a domain that was ill-accustomed to the consequences of traumatic injuries, through exploring Dr. Han-Chiao Isaac Chen’s lab online, I was keen on altering and sharpening the lens in which I had formerly viewed the potentials of transplantations in neuroscience. Through reading about his work and efforts in optimizing neural interface technologies for the restoration of brain function, the potentials of neural rewiring seemed both holistic and vast.  

What is something you have learned that you didn’t expect? 

The intertwining of techniques such as surgical transplantations, immunohistochemistry, and other such disciplines, has cultivated an experience that not only focuses on the development of rudimentary lab skills but on the overall impact and significance of each step of the story. One of my most treasured lessons is that of brain sectioning, which is ironically both a therapeutic and challenging process. It involves the slicing of a brain covered in a frozen film, and the integration of arts in order to align a single slice onto a given slide. I would have never thought I would have to pick up the paintbrush after elementary school, but this specific activity allows for the sweet engagement of the inner child and the inner scientist. As part of my training, I have been learning how to become one with the brush and to align the slice as perfectly as possible for the successful analysis of the brain’s recovery upon the transplantation of an organoid.  

What is most rewarding about your internship? 

Every Monday our lab hosts a session in which we can communicate and learn about the narratives of each member, whether it be a medical student, a doctor, or a computer scientist and further. The diverse walks of life that are true to the journeys of each member invite me to explore the “why’s” and the “how’s” that depict their stories. As the Mondays pass by, I have learned that passion and effort are not on a steady timeline. They do not exist on a linear curve or on a scale defined by the terms of success. Instead, they may arise at any point and may dim through the passage of time, but their existence is all that matters. Through my time in this lab I hope to come out not solely learning but in being open to giving myself the time to grow and develop my passion into not simply a dream but a lifelong pursuit.