Tag Archives: Biology

Exploring Dizziness Through History, Medicine, and Society by Theresah Tawiah ‘27

Posted on by


Name: Theresah Tawiah
Class Year: 2027
Major: History
Minor: Biology, Health Studies

Internship Organization: Bryn Mawr College, Department of Anthropology

Internship Title: Summer Research Assistant
Location: Bryn Mawr, PA

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

This summer, I have been working with Professor Melissa Pashigian on interdisciplinary research about dizziness. I explore biomedical, historical, and social science literature, organize research findings, and help develop interview and survey questions. My research also examines how dizziness affects people’s everyday lives and how individuals with symptoms that are not always visible seek understanding and legitimacy.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied because I wanted to strengthen my research and analytical skills while exploring the relationship between medicine, history, and society. As a History major interested in medical history and public health, this internship allows me to examine a health experience from several perspectives rather than viewing it only as a medical condition. 

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

I found this internship through Professor Melissa Pashigian after taking her classes on illness narratives. Those courses deepened my interest in how people understand and communicate their health experiences, which made this research opportunity especially meaningful to me.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part has been discovering how interdisciplinary research can reveal different sides of the same health experience. I began by examining the medical and historical dimensions of dizziness, but I have especially enjoyed exploring questions about invisible illness, identity, and how people communicate experiences that others may not easily understand.

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

I did not expect to learn how deeply dizziness can affect a person’s identity, relationships, and everyday life. The internship showed me that dizziness is not only a medical symptom; it can also be an invisible experience that shapes whether people feel heard, understood, and believed.

Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you?

My internship was hybrid, and on the days I worked remotely, I learned to manage my time, stay organized, and work independently. Regular meetings with Professor Pashigian also gave me opportunities to discuss my findings, ask questions, and receive helpful guidance.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I am strengthening my literature-search, critical-analysis, and qualitative-research skills. I have learned to use databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Tripod, while organizing sources and findings through Zotero and research databases. I am also learning how to develop thoughtful interview and survey questions that help people describe their experiences in their own words. These skills are important to my future interest in public health because they will help me understand health experiences through both research evidence and patients’ perspectives.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge has been finding reliable and accessible sources, especially because research on dizziness spans many disciplines. This taught me to refine my search terms, explore different databases, and make thoughtful decisions about which sources were most relevant.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives – Interdisciplinary, Insightful, Rewarding

Nouns – Discovery, Growth, Research

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding part has been contributing to research that may help others better understand the experiences of people living with dizziness. I have also enjoyed creating interview and survey questions that allow people to describe their experiences in their own words.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

The internship went beyond what I expected. I initially expected to focus mainly on the medical and historical aspects of dizziness, but I also explored its social dimensions, including invisible illness, identity and legitimacy.

My Farming Internship at the Garten Coop by Cece Albright ‘28

Posted on by


Name: Cece Albright
Class Year: 2028
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Biology

Internship Organization: Garten Coop Freiburg
Internship Title: Gardener
Location: Freiburg, Germany

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

At the Garten Coop, I am a member of the Anbau (farming) team! Our farm property in Tunsel, which is a community-supported agricultural initiative, grows over 70 varieties of local vegetables using organic and sustainable practices. We work on our farm Tuesdays – Thursdays from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, and do everything from planting, weeding, and pruning to harvesting for the weekly share of vegetables delivered to families across Freiburg. Every week, over 300 shares of vegetables are harvested at the farm and then transported using an electric van to our transportation hub in the sustainable city district of Vauban.

From there, members can volunteer to bike the vegetable crates out to our many distribution points, where families will then pick up their weekly share. The Garten Coop is a food justice initiative centered around collective knowledge and ownership. I have already built so many deep and meaningful relationships both with other members of the farming team and with community members.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I am incredibly interested in food justice and the community-supported agriculture (CSA) model. As an environmental studies student, I believe that food lies at the nexus of so many important social justice issues, political, and economic struggles. When I applied for this internship, I was very intrigued by the combination of physical labor with organizational and community-based labor with regards to securing collective land for the farm and ensuring equitable access to our services across the city.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of this internship has been planning the Garten Coop’s presence at the local Agrikultur Festival in mid-July, which was a celebration of all of the local food initiatives and had a wide variety of rich cultural events, informational sessions, food, and children’s activities. The Garten Coop had a large tent at the festival with foods from our farm, informational presentations about our collaboration with land solidarity organization Ackersyndikat, and interactive activities for children, which I helped coordinate.

We had a painting table with Earth paints we made from different colored soils on our farm, and postcards designed by a local artist to color in. We also harvested wildflowers from the farm property and set up a bouquet-making station. Overall, it was an incredible experience where I got to witness so many beautiful connections being made between community members and our team.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I am developing physical farming skills first and foremost, with new ecological knowledge gained on specific crops and practices in small-scale organic vegetable farming. I have found so much value and dignity in physical labor, especially knowing that the food is going to so many community members throughout the city and is helping in providing organic alternatives to local families. It has been an incredible experience to have knowledge from my coworkers and role models on the farming team be passed down through repetition, constructive feedback, and immense attention to detail.

I have developed conversational skills through interacting with my coworkers and members of the Coop who visit the farm during the week, as well as some elementary German language skills. In terms of the intellectual and logistical side, I’ve gained incredible organizational and advocacy skills through the opportunity to observe and assist the planning team for the Agrikultur festival, which I feel have better prepared me for community organizing within Philadelphia and my hometown.

Anbau und Landwirtschaft by Lucy Brannon ‘27

Posted on by


Name: Lucy Brannon
Class Year: 2027
Major: Biology

Internship Organization: GartenCoop Freiburg
Internship Title: Volunteer with the Anbau Team
Location: Freiburg, Germany

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

I work as a gardener in a small-scale local vegetable farm that serves just over 300 households, or about 850 people. The organization is run as a coop, and the farm is run as a small team, the Anbau Team. Every week, they name a different person to be the ‘Team Fairy,’ who is then in charge of organizing the farm tasks. I work on the Anbau team and a committee that helped organize the GartenCoop’s portion of the Agrikultur Festival, which aims to gather people working towards a just food transition. On the farm, I have learned a lot about how planting, cultivating, and harvesting plants is done, and it has given me a higher appreciation for fresh vegetables, knowing how much work goes into them. With the planning committee, I went to planning meetings, helped set up our tent and posters, and showed up every day of the festival to raise money for our participation costs and market the GartenCoop to potential new members.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I got to visit Freiburg, Germany, last fall as part of my Climate Change 360 course cluster, and I fell in love with the city. I really liked the ecological focus of the place and wanted to be able to live the sustainable lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of, but is very difficult to achieve in the US. Then, I heard that there was an opening at a vegetable farm. I remember visiting my grandparents’ farm every summer in the mountains of North Carolina, and spending hours wandering their acres of land eating wild berries, and being a menace to their vegetable fields as I picked whatever I pleased and ate whatever I wanted. I have a really complex relationship with food because I have severe food allergies that have dictated my ability to interact with food. As a child, I did not experience food freedom in grocery stores or bakeries, but I was on an equal playing field when I was snacking on fresh berries and vegetables. I have spent my teenage years learning to navigate my allergies in an uneducated world where food is mislabeled, waiters don’t know what cross-contamination is, and food bank programs don’t cater to special dietary needs.

Food injustice is far beyond access alone; access to SAFE food is a necessity for all. This summer, I wanted to participate in an organization that is working on reforming the food system, and I wanted to make progress in my own food freedom journey while I was working to help others. While the GartenCoop only focuses on small-scale change and pushing for Community-Supported Agriculture, at their core the idea of making fresh produce ecologically sustainable by using a Pay What You Can model is incredible progress for the food injustice movement. Immediately upon hearing about them, I thought that they are a great grassroots model and I want to learn from them so that I can bring this kind of thinking back to the United States.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I love the community that the Anbau team has created, and how they all look out for each other, me and Cece included this summer. I also really love getting to meet members of the wider community who, as part of their membership, work at the farm 3-5 times a year. It is such a cool organization, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.

In addition, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I enjoy doing. I really enjoy working a job that has me moving around and doing different activities every day. It’s a lot of learning, and I love the change of pace.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Novel, Rejuvenating, Introspective

Members, Community, Vegetables

Preventing the Spread of Lyme Disease by Hope Hsu ‘27

Posted on by

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 

Margo Carmona Born ’27 Explores Digital Literacy in Berlin 

Posted on by

Name: Margo Carmona Born
Class Year:  2027
Major: Biology
 
Internship Organization:  ReDI School of Digital Integration
Internship Title:   Digital Kids Program Intern
Location:  Berlin, Germany
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

The organization I’m working at, ReDI School of Digital Integration, works in immigrant and refugee communities in Berlin with a focus on teaching them digital skills, so that immigrants who come with a degree and strong skills don’t fall behind due to a lack of computer knowledge and digital literacy. The program I am working for under this school is the kids program, where we run multiple projects to teach kids coding and digital skills.
 
Why did you apply for this internship?  

I am looking to live and work abroad once I graduate, so I was looking for an internship where I could work internationally for the summer, and ReDI was the opportunity that was offered to me.
 
What has been your favorite part of this internship? 

My favorite part of this internship was my coworkers! I was able to make a lot of friends at my workplace, and the vast majority of the people I got to work with were Latina women, which helped make Berlin feel a little more like home. The connections I’ve been able to make abroad have made this experience really special.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

Working with immigrant communities has been rewarding not only for, of course, the help it does for the community, but also personally rewarding as someone who came to Germany as an outsider, and as someone who is a first-generation immigrant back home. I’ve been able to bond with my fellow non-German coworkers over coming from different cultural backgrounds and learning to adjust to the German norms, and I found a pocket of Berlin that’s more familiar to me, which helped with learning to live abroad. 

Sophia Kim Conducts Research with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Autism Research 

Posted on by


Name: Sophia Kim
Class Year:  2027
Major: Neuroscience
Minor: Biology
 
Internship Organization:  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Autism Research
Internship Title:  Student Clinical Research Assistant
Location:  Philadelphia, PA
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

This summer, I had an invaluable opportunity to continue my position as a Student Clinical Research Assistant at CHOP’s Center for Autism Research, specifically with the Infant Synchrony team. Our team, consisted of four student interns this summer, aimed to develop a novel screening method using interactional synchrony in hopes to detect earliest signs of autism.

In simple terms, interactional synchrony refers to the temporal coordination or alignment of individuals’ behavior, emotions, speech, during a social interaction. A common example of this would be smiling back at someone who is smiling at you or making eye contact during a conversation. As research has shown various differences in the manifestation of interactional synchrony between neurotypical and autistic individuals, a core study of our team was to further study how interactional synchrony could be used as a tool of detecting early signs of potential autism in infants.

As part of the IS team, a big part of my work included watching infant and caregiver videos taken from earlier clinical study visits and annotating the audio/video data prior to computer analysis. Following the guidelines that indicated which quality factors could potentially impact the analysis, I worked both individually and with my co-interns to encode impacted parts of the video data. Further, throughout my time at CHOP, we were given the opportunity to shadow in-person study visits and observe how developmental and autism assessments (Mullen, ADOS) were conducted through live video footage.

This experience, along with our weekly career talks hosted by the Center for Autism Research alumni and faculty, allowed me to further branch out my interest in clinical research. Lastly, during the last few weeks at my internship, I completed an independent research project studying the “The Role of Culture in Interactional Sychrony and its Relevance to ASD Diagnostic Assessments”, and presented at our annual Student Trainees in Autism Research (STAR) Presentation day. 

Why did you apply for this internship?  

I decided to apply for this internship because I was seeking an opportunity to gain experience in clinical research, specifically in the field of pediatric research. As my ultimate goal is to go to medical school and become a pediatrician, I was particularly drawn to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), as it is a renowned institution known for its excellence in both medical and behavioral research, as well as its quality in patient care. Hence, when I came across this opportunity on Handshake, I immediately knew that I wanted to apply. Given that autism is an area of research that holds personal relevance for me as well, I believed this internship would offer a valuable opportunity for both my personal and academic growth.
 
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
 
My favorite part of this internship was participating in the STAR Speaker Series, a weekly panel featuring alumni and faculty from CHOP’s Center for Autism Research. Each week, professionals from a variety of fields and professions (i.e. clinical researchers, research assistants, medical residents, etc.) shared their career journeys and the specific work they were currently doing. I particularly appreciated the QnA session after every talk, as it opened up the floor for the students to network with the speakers, and was a great chance to learn from my co-interns as well. This opportunity, along with several other research/career talks hosted at CHOP were incredibly both helpful and insightful, and allowed me to learn more about different paths within research.  

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you? 

A technical skill I gained from this experience was learning how to navigate REDCap. Since most of our data encoding was done through this web-based application, I spent a lot of time organizing and managing data in this platform and troubleshooting when needed. Secondly, communication was a critical skill I was able to strengthen during this internship. We were given a lot of flexibility and independence with our day-to-day work, and while support and supervision was given, it was mainly up to the interns to ask questions, seek advice, and network. Hence, over the course of my time here at CHOP, I was able to become more comfortable asking for help when I needed it, speak up during professional meetings, and utilize my time wisely to complete given work at my own pace. Although these skills aren’t directly related to my future career or my current research (which focuses more on fundamental laboratory techniques), I believe they are highly valuable and transferable. Being able to manage data efficiently, conduct research and work independently, and communicate with both my co-workers and supervisors are all essential skills that will benefit me in any work environment moving forward.  

What is most rewarding about your internship? 

A major aspect of autism screening development involves not only early detection but also improving accessibility and availability of autism evaluations. For this reason, along with working to develop a novel technologies to better detect early signs of autism, our teams is focused on reducing disparities in access to screenings, particularly by integrating evaluations into pediatric visits at local clinics in Philadelphia. Hence, knowing that my work directly contributes to these efforts are very rewarding, as it plays a critical role in making early intervention for autism more attainable for children. 

Between the Synapse by Nirvaa Shah ‘27 

Posted on by


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. 

Sophia Beckmann ’26: A Summer at SERC

Posted on by


Name: Sophia Beckmann
Class Year: 2026
Major: Biology
 
Internship Organization:  Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Internship Title:   Plant and Molecular Ecology Intern
Location:  Edgewater, MD
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

First day out at GCReW in front of the CO2 lab

Right now, I just finished census, which is when we count and measure all the plants in the experiment I work on. It’s a very rigorous job, but everyone does their part to get it done. I was a team leader for the second year in a row, so I was responsible for keeping my team on task and checking on them in the Maryland heat. Before this, I have mostly been conducting fieldwork in the marsh looking at soil and leaf greenhouse gas emissions using a portable greenhouse gas analyzer. I also designed and deployed a decomposition experiment this summer using tea bags and bags of plant litter.
 
Why did you apply for this internship?  

Checking in sea level rise experiment chambers

SERC is at the center of climate change research, which is a passion close to my heart. SERC is also home to the Global Change Research Wetland (GCREW), which has long running global change experiments. The community and people at SERC is unlike any other, they’re extremely welcoming and hardworking which inspires me day after day.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you? 

I am developing my R coding skills, method creation and adaptation, and scientific communication skills. R is a commonly used coding language which I use to process large datasets, and even though it’s challenging at times I now can see how applicable it can be to other situations. It also feels like a testament to my growth journey since I’ve been at SERC. In my internship, I keep finding myself adding on new things to my project, which requires methods so I can implement it. I have to push myself to think about feasibility, and materials and be prepared to change things when I get to the field if needed. It helps me keep the big picture in mind of what I am trying to do. Scientific communication is vital to climate change science. It needs to be shared with the public, and other scientists to inspire and educate.  

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience? 

Three adjectives to describe my summer at SERC are insightful, reflective, and joyful.  

Three nouns to describe my summer at SERC are bonds/ friendships, marsh, and biogeochemistry.

Drug Discovery and Anti-Platelet Therapies: Naomi Oliver ‘27

Posted on by


Name: Naomi Oliver
Class Year: 2027
Major: Biology
Minor: Health Studies 

Internship Organization: University of Michigan Medical School
Internship Title:  Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Location: Ann Arbor, MI 

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

The Holinstat Lab at the University of Michigan focuses on developing novel anti-platelet therapies to combat America’s leading cause of death: heart disease. Currently, I am testing a new drug that was developed in the lab that will hopefully be an efficient treatment for thrombosis. 

Why did you apply for this internship?  

I wanted to be fully immersed in a research program that would help me gain valuable skills to bring back to Bryn Mawr. At the same time, being involved in life-saving medicine was a big deal when deciding on this internship.  

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

I didn’t expect to gain such a deep understanding of platelets and inhibition pathways! This program involves so much more than lab technique. Before learning any new assay, I learn exactly what the experiment means and why we are conducting it.  

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you? 

So far, I have learning platelet prep, aggregometry and western blot. Platelet prep converts whole blood from a fresh sample into washed platelets of a certain concentration. This is how we prep the cells for experimentation, and it will be an important foundational skill in any future platelet work. Aggregometry measures platelet function, and can tell us whether a donor’s platelets are fit for experimentation. Western blot is a much broader assay, and is used across several scientific disciplines. It is used to detect and identify specific proteins, and in my project, tells me if the platelet inhibition pathway has been activated.

Jiya Iyer ‘27 Interns at Drexel College of Medicine 

Posted on by


Name: Jiyer Iyer
Class Year: 2027
Major: Biology
Minor: Spanish
 
Internship Organization: Drexel University College of Medicine
Internship Title:   Drexel Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, SURF Fellow
Location: Philadelphia, PA

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

Western blotting

This summer, I have been interning at Drexel College of Medicine through the Drexel Summer Undergraduate Fellowship program in a lab studying Parkinson’s disease. I have learned so much about scientific research, including techniques for cell culture, quantifying protein expression and western blotting. My day-to-day work includes running experiments to study expression of cell survival proteins in a Parkinson’s cell model. I have also been shadowing Drexel grad students to gain exposure to other fields and techniques of lab research. It’s been really cool seeing real-life applications of topics that I learned about in my biology classes and translating previous knowledge I’ve gained into the work that I’m currently doing.

Why did you apply for this internship?  

I applied for this internship because I’m really interested in doing research as a career, and I wanted to gain more experience in a lab. I’m particularly interested in neurology and immunology research, which is why I was so excited to be matched with Dr. Sandhya Kortagere’s lab that does neuroimmunology work.  

What has been your favorite part of the internship? 

So far, aside from the really cool science I’ve been doing, my favorite part of this internship has been the people I’ve gotten to work with. The grad students in my lab are some of the smartest and coolest people I’ve ever met, and they’ve really solidified my desire to pursue a graduate degree in science as well! I know the connections I’ve made here will be so beneficial to me in the future, and I’m so grateful to have learned from such wonderful humans. 

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience? 

Adjectives: interesting, challenging, exciting  

Nouns: gloves, gels, cells