My Internship
We prepare and analyze biological samples for research purposes.
Learning and Skills
This experience will allow me to further develop the skills I have gained over the years in classes and labs, and apply those skills to real-world practices, such as this internship. I have a history of data analysis-type courses, in addition to a personal interest in collecting and analyzing data. I wish to learn how to do more than the lab skills required for this internship, but also other transferrable skills like collaboration and communication. After having multiple semesters of online courses, face-to-face collaboration has not been able to be done. I look forward to collaborating and communicating with others in-person and applying my knowledge.
I have been able to work on my skills of collaborating with others in working towards a common goal. I have demonstrated the processes I know how to do in addition to observing others perform procedures I do not know yet. With my project, I require the samples to have been run with full volumes prior to when I can process them, so I can run the reduced volumes afterwards. The manipulation of the samples and reagent and the use of the machine and its program is the same between the full and reduced volume processes, so I am able to help out to make sure others are processing the samples correctly. Then when the other lab technicians are done with the samples, I am able to run the exact same procedure but at reduced volumes to produce data to analyze on my own. I have successfully been able to work on my abilities to instruct and work with others in addition to becoming confident in working independently. After LHSI I will continue to work on and demonstrate these skills because they are beneficial to have in any setting.
In my internship, I have learned more methods and processes in addition to what I already know from my classes. I have also learned what it is like in a work environment. I have grown more comfortable with doing my own tasks without asking for assistance in what to do next or how to do it. The things that I have been taught in the lab so far have become activities that I am able to do with ease and almost automatically, such as the process to pull and scan samples into OnCore. I can sum up my favorite experiences with saying I have enjoyed the steps I have taken to get to be where I am at now and my overall growth academically and personally.
The Workplace
I am interning at the IU Genetics Biobank in the sub-aliquoting lab with Samantha Smith where samples are gathered, organized, and prepared to be shipped out to researchers. Sub-aliquoting is the process of creating children samples from parent samples, or creating a more workable dilution from a stock solution. I have had some experience so far in picking out the desired samples and scanning their identities and locations into the lab management system OnCore. I have also learned how time and temperature sensitive everything is in this lab, as everything must be kept frozen in a bin of dry ice or in a -80C freezer to preserve the samples while they are being stored or worked with. It is even important to thaw the samples in a regulated manner, such as in a refrigerator or on ice. Then once thawed, the samples have a 5 hour lifespan to be worked with before they are no longer viable. This work is important because it provides researchers with the samples and data they need to conduct their research, which can include looking for treatments of diseases or cancer.
The current workplace is very relaxed and gives a great sense of community! There are rotations of the other lab technicians between each of the various lab departments, so I have opportunities to meet and work with new people. Everyone is friendly and open to assisting each other with their tasks. Also pretty much daily there are various foods and treats brought in by everyone for people to try! I wouldn’t desire a different work environment because the current one doesn’t have any bad aspects to me, as well as this being one of my first work environments. Since I haven’t had any reason to complain about things in the office or lab, I don’t feel like I can compare this to any more ideal workplace! This would have been my first experience working with individuals who have graduated and are in the working field. Most are a few years out of college and have been working here full-time since they graduated from college, so it’s comforting to know that there are jobs in the Biology field available out of college.
I have seen a lot of people helping each other out in their tasks, and not necessarily to get them done faster, but to ensure the tasks are being carried out properly. Since a lot of the activities at the site are very sensitive and important, it's good to have a second set of eyes and hands present. As a professional I wish to gain the ability to give feedback and to aid others in their work. Once I am in a position where I am knowledgeable and skilled in what I am doing, I will be able to see the quality of how others may be performing the same task and I can offer my guidance. Whether it may be just handing out a tip to make the process go smoother or needing to correct one's entire work, I believe that aiding others in such a manner is beneficial to myself and the team.
My internship experience has turned out to be slightly different than what I expected in terms of what I would be doing. I had in my mind that I would be simply sub-aliquoting samples to be shipped out, but I am actually doing everything except that! Instead, I am doing the majority of the prep work that will come before the actual sub-aliquoting of the samples, which the other lab technicians are doing. I also thought my project would be random and would require a lot of learning, but I have had a lot of experience with a similar technique already in my immunology lab on campus. I was very excited to hear what my project was about because I knew every term used and the general process already!
My supervisor and the lead technician for the sub-aliquoting lab have discussed with me a project to pursue during my time here. I would perform assays of plasma to quantify the amount of hemoglobin present using a machine and its software to generate data I can then analyze. Once I run the plate through the machine, I would then run some statistical analyses in Excel to compare my results of this to previously collected data of the same assay of the same samples ran in the lab. The difference between my trials and the previous ones is that I would be using smaller volumes of sample and reagents. The procedure I perform and the analysis of the data I do will also determine the method for this process in the lab. Since the majority of these samples are directly from the patient and need to be processed for lab work or research purposes, it is important all factors are checked. A sample may be rendered useless to the researcher, or may affect the integrity of their results, if there is a certain level of hemoglobin present and the researcher is not made aware of it.
At first this process seemed complex, but in actuality it is very simple! I reviewed the procedure several times beforehand and got to practice under supervision a few times before I felt comfortable and confident enough to do it on my own. It is quite a high-stake process since the samples I am working with are biohazardous and also low in volume. I have to maintain a sterile environment when working, therefore I work in a hood and keep an ethanol-soaked towel in my workspace. I also must dispose of the pipette tips after each sample into the correct waste bin and eliminate all chances of contamination by the outside, myself, or other samples. After needing to reference the procedure and have to ask for reassurance between each step, a few months later I am now able to come into work and do my process on my own. This includes preparation of the plate, pipetting of the samples, running through the measurement machine, and then analyzing the data.
Success and Challenges
Successes:
I am proud of my overall growth since beginning this internship! I went into this with very few expectations about what I would be doing, but I knew that I would be open to whatever and learn as much as possible. I have been keeping up with learning new things, whether that has been being instructed by another or researching on my own, in order to have more confidence in the work that I am doing.
I have been able to master the process that is required for my project, in the sense that I am doing it faster and more accurately. The first time I did the process, I spent over an hour because I was still learning how to do everything and was constantly checking the procedure to make sure I was not messing up. Upon my third time doing the process on my own, I have been able to do it in only 30 minutes! In addition to being faster at it, I was also more accurate in pipetting the sample fully and not creating bubbles which will cause the machine to not report the hemoglobin concentrations accurately.
For my project I have been needing to communicate and collaborate with other lab technicians who are the ones who run the initial samples at full volumes. While they are using the samples before me, I am assisting them in their own samples by helping out with the use of the machine. Since I had been exposed to how to use the program before they learned the process, I was in charge of demonstrating how to navigate the program. Now that the group and I are proficient in our processes, the methods have been streamlined where I am able to pick up the samples as soon as they are done and I may begin my process!
Challenges:
I have had a bit of difficulty fully adjusting to the setting of the internship and some of the protocols. The lab here is very different from the labs I have been in for school. There are more important guidelines to follow, in addition to things being different from what I am used to! For every lab I have taken in school, the lab safety protocols and waste disposal methods have always been the same, in addition to the lab rooms even looking the same! My internship has a different setup of waste containers and stricter policies of how waste is handled because these are actual samples. There are also significantly more steps that I need to work on remembering as I do my processes in the lab, but only with repetition will I master them!
