My Internship

The internship that I picked caters to my interest in research and particularly radiation and oncology. The internship site is located within a lab setting which I believe is crucial for me as I am interested in gaining first-hand lab experience. Not only do I feel this internship site will provide an insight into what happens in a lab on an everyday basis moreover it gives me a platform to dig deep into subjects that I am really passionate about. It will also provide me with the perfect kickstart as I plan to enter the career field of research and development.

Almost 2.5% of women have been detected with Ovarian cancer in 2019. This is a type of cancer that affects the outer surface of the ovaries and mostly are a mutated form of the epithelial cells. I am working with Dr. Marc Mendonca in a Radiation Oncology lab to investigate if a split dose of radiation would affect the DNA activity to further eradicate the cells.

My lab focuses on radiation oncology. In the past couple of weeks, I have been working with the SKOV Ovarian Cancer cells and radiating them. The primary objective is to understand the effects of radiation when the cell is undergoing DNA denaturation. I am most excited to see the results, while I radiate, stain, and count my cells every week, I am curious to find out how this entire experiment has shaped out.

Out of the skills, I definitely feel confident with "independence" in the workspace (Lab setting). I say this as over the past weeks, I have learned almost all the lab skills required to work in the lab independently. The most important being keeping the cells and all the surroundings sterile.

Over this entire semester, the most important skill that I learned is how to work under a bio-safety hood (under sterile conditions). This is extremely crucial, as it could widely affect the health of the cells and their well-being for the experiment.

I have only worked in an official setting before, for example, the IUPUI Mathematics Assistance Center. Working in a lab setting has made me realize that there are multiple types of workplaces. Dr. Mendonca's lab has a lab supervisor, who handles the lab, 2 interns (including me), and a graduate student. All of us have different perspectives but it was interesting for me to notice how science brings all of us together. For example, my lab requires particular deadlines, if cells need to be irradiated, stocks need to be passed a few days earlier. Due to this, I admire everyone's dedication in the lab, as we then tend to help each other out to complete experiments, hence bringing the research to life.

One of the other behaviors that I have observed in my workplace is strategic planning. Any of the experiments and the way the cells are plated are planned by my supervisor, these decisions are made well ahead of time so that the entire research plays out properly at the end of the day.