My Internship
I am a research intern in the Deane Paleoanthropology Lab, where we compare fossils from ancient primates to bones from modern primates and humans to learn how diet and locomotive function have changed over time. My particular position mostly concerns using 3D scanning equipment to make 3D models of bones, human cadavers, anatomical models to be used by both the Deane lab and the medical school curriculum that Dr. Deane helps construct.
Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates the 3D scanning equipment I use:
Learning and Skills
This experience will give me insight into a career path that I haven't had any exposure to yet - research! I am very interested to see how I would fit into the world of academia, and working with Dr. Deane in his lab is a great chance for me to learn the basics of a lab. I consider myself to be a quick learner and thinker, so my internship will give me an opportunity to test those skills and become more than just the "new kid" in the lab. I also have great teamwork skills and am a very social person, so I hope to strengthen my ability to develop those interpersonal relationships in a professional setting.
My primary goal may be career insight, but I have a lot of other goals for my work with LHSI. I am excited to get exposure to all different types of careers and graduate paths that I come across during my time in the Deane Paleoanthropology Lab. Another goal I have in mind is to learn as much about human anatomy as possible. Dr. Deane is an anatomy professor in the medical program, and much of my work is in the cadaver lab used by the medical, OT, PT, PA, PhD, and residency programs. Through this environment, I get to pick up on a lot of information related to dissections and human anatomy. As far as my contributions to the lab go, they are very clear due to the fact that I am the only intern there. I make and edit all of the 3D scans that come out of the lab, as well as convert them into various forms that are needed for different people.
The opportunity I am most excited to pursue through my work with Dr. Deane is scanning a gorilla cadaver that Dr. Deane has in the lab. These scans would be used for Dr. Deane's research, which is an exciting to me. The majority of the scans I have made so far are for the medical students to access during their studies, so I am excited to do work that is more research-oriented. Also, there is a graduate student employed by Dr. Deane that has expressed interest in learning how I do my job, and I love sharing what I do, so I am really looking forward to teaching her how to scan.
I'd say the skills that I am spending the most time developing are time management and independent work ethic - due to Dr. Deane and I both having intensely busy schedules, I very rarely work under his supervision. Even when I am in the lab at the same time as him, he is typically teaching an anatomy course, so nearly all of my work is independent. I create my own schedule and complete tasks at my own pace as long as I am still within the deadlines Dr. Deane gives me. This is been a great new skill for me, as I have never had that responsibility before. As far as skills that I want to continue improving, I think I still have room to grow on how efficiently I progress in my work. My scans are the first step in a supply chain, so the next person that works with the scans is dependent on me to create them efficiently. Sometimes I fail to consider this, so I hope to improve on that in the future.
This internship fits into what I am learning in school because I am taking classes that fit into my biology major as well as the pre-health curriculum classes. My work is closely related to the medical program at IUPUI, and my projects in the cadaver lab often relate to various biological concepts I have learned about in my classes.
After spending a semester working with Dr. Deane in his lab, I have learned so much about research and graduate programs. My position has given me exposure to a wide array of different career paths, and I am really excited to apply this insight to making my next steps in pursuing my career. My favorite experiences have all been in the cadaver lab - I love being surrounded by people pursuing higher education because it motivates me to do the same. I also am genuinely very interested in the work I do there in regards to making 3D scans of the cadavers. Overall, I have really enjoyed every moment of my internship so far!
The Workplace
When I first started looking into the internship program and interviewing for this site specifically, I was expecting to be a part of a larger team in the lab that worked together on projects for Dr. Deane. I was taken by surprise when I found out I would be the only employee in the lab, aside from a graduate student that works from home. I was initially nervous to be solely responsible for the internship projects, but Dr. Deane has done a great job of communication - both from his side as well as listening to my side. Overall, the Deane Paleoanthropology Lab has been an excellent work environment.
The only thing that has surprised me about the day-to-day life of this internship and the work environment is how casual it is. There are still high standards for the quality of my work of course, but every other aspect is much more relaxed than I was anticipating. I am on a first name basis with my superiors, we all joke around, and they are all happy to coordinate their project goals with my other obligations/responsibilities as a full-time student. I have been afforded the opportunity to interact with people from all kinds of degree paths, areas of research, etc. Research has the unique culture of bringing in people from all across the world, so it has been a wonderful experience to see people from such different backgrounds come together in academia.
Successes and Challenges
As an intern, I have been most successful at learning how to use the scanning equipment on my own and communicating on deadlines/project updates with my team. Our team consists of myself, Dr. Deane, and a graduate student, so communication has been essential for such a small team to be able to complete the projects we set ourselves to. The biggest challenge has been working out the kinks of the "supply chain" of work in the lab. The general process of our work starts with me creating the 3D models of bones, models, cadavers, etc. that are then sent to the graduate student for anatomical labelling. My work requires the most coordination to complete, because I have to be in the lab to create models, which is then a lengthy process. It has been challenging to complete my work at a pace that allows for the graduate student to have enough work to do, but this has been mitigated by allowing me to focus on completing my week's work Monday-Wednesday so that the graduate student has Thursday-Friday to label my work.
