Internship

  My strengths for this internship include being organized and prepared, and seeking new ways to solve problems. I have confidence in my ability to brainstorm and generate ideas to solve problems while maintaining a clean workspace and utilizing my organizational skills to ensure I have all the necessary materials to complete the task. I learned this when I first worked in a laboratory. I prioritize time management, using calendars, timers, and alarms to keep my tasks on track. Finally, I recall my previous internship experiences to constantly improve my growth by learning from my mistakes and enhancing my skill set and knowledge. These various skills will help me navigate the internship site's new environment, prepare myself for future experiments or tasks I will be assigned, and achieve results to the best of my ability. My future career involves being in a laboratory, so getting accustomed to these responsibilities and improving myself are essential to my growth. 

I've been a sound team member this year. Whenever someone needs something or has a favor to ask, I get it for them to the best of my ability. I assist in experiments that I know I can help with, and finally, I'm willing to learn new material that team members explain to me. We don't work in teams much, but sometimes in two-person groups; communication during experiments is usually good. Sometimes, there is a bit of miscommunication because people conduct the same experiment differently. As I learn how to do it from multiple people, I must adapt to a new style, which can trip me up. Afterward, I asked more questions than during the experiment, which I understand is a part of learning. However, it can be frustrating at times. 

My team role has changed since the beginning of my internship. At first, I shadowed and observed how everyone conducted the experiments. Now I'm doing it with them or all alone, so a sense of trust has been built to do it on my own. 

My contributions to helping my supervisor with her research are minimal, as I'm only at the internship site three days a week. Still, when I help her and see her research in lab meetings, I can see some of the Western Blot images I worked on and feel a sense of accomplishment. 

My efforts involved running many western blots with different proteins to see how they react to antibodies, hoping to find a pathway to help with PAH. My minimal work can allow them to focus on more critical tasks.

A success I'm proud of is starting to do procedures independently now, with little supervision. I have also been taking notes when I make a mistake so I can correct it in the future. Also, I’ve become a bit better at managing my time. Most experiment steps usually take some time to prepare and execute. When I started, it took me over an hour because I wanted to be as careful as possible with the samples and instruments, which were too long. Now I'm around 30-35 minutes, which is much more efficient. 

Another success I'm proud of is that I'm starting to get the hang of doing calculations for solutions in experiments. I wasn't as confident at first, as it was all new to me, but after seeing the formulas and practicing with multiple methods, I started to get the hang of it, especially when you have to do it on the spot. For example, we ran out of Transfer buffer for the Western Blots. I could find the materials I needed and create the solution without assistance. When asked to explain my process, I was told I was correct and hadn't made a mistake. I've learned to pay more attention to detail when explaining things, as many solutions and instruments look the same and share common names. In my future career, I plan to work in a similar environment, so catching on to the little details now is essential, and recognizing how easy it is to make a mistake.

One of my biggest challenges is forgetting minor things that are still important, as they might end up nullifying the experiment, whether a step or a solution. My biggest challenge is that I'm timid about asking questions. If my supervisor is busy, I will greet them and wait until they are free. However, at the same time, they may ask why I haven't said anything yet. 

Another challenge is not being able to finish my experiments. There are only so many hours I'm at my internship; I would have to leave in the middle of an experiment, and the next time I come in, I'm doing something completely different, as I have to work with my supervisor. Now that I have the previous experiment and a new one in my thought process, I get confused about my steps and make mistakes. My internship team has been very patient with me regarding learning, as they understand I'm also learning school materials. They have also reassured me when I make a mistake and leave in the middle of an experiment. I take accountability when I make mistakes, but they don't hold it over me; they ask that I learn from them and adapt.