My Internship

Abstract

I have been working with Dr. Tom Hummer in the IU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Our lab utilizes a variety of neuropsychological, behavioral, and neuroimaging tools to study how digital media use is related to brain structure and function in children. 

Children’s access to and usage of electronic devices at younger ages has increased in recent years. While this media use can have positive benefits, such as allowing for greater communication with friends and family, concern about potential negative impacts of screentime has grown. For example, an increase in screen time may decrease time available for other activities, such as studying. If this is true, it is likely that screen time is associated with grades and academic performance.  

I used data from the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, to analyze the relationship between non-educational screen time and academic performance. We conducted regression analyses, controlling for scores on attention-based tasks and behavioral reports. This information can help us provide parental guidance on the potential merits in monitoring and/or restricting screen time for children with the purpose of improving academic performance.  

Learning and Skills

I plan to communicate with my supervisor and teammates regularly and ask for feedback on my contributions to the research. I hope that in doing so I will enhance my communication skills and become more receptive to constructive criticism. I hope my participation in the internship will also broaden my horizons to fields and/or disciplines I may have not previously considered. 

Some skills I wish to develop include my research know-how, including all of the steps to producing valid research, from IRB approval to publication. I also wish to learn more about communicating with the subjects of a study and acceptable practice for clinical research. 

I am most excited about working with the individuals who are participating in our research, as well as conducting the data analysis after the conclusion of our data gathering phase and seeing the findings of our research.

Upon reflecting on my learning and skills after beginning my internship, I find that my research know-how has vastly increased. I was fortunate enough to begin working in the lab as we were beginning a handful of new studies, so I was able to witness and participate in the research process from its very beginning. I am also learning more about communication, but wish to learn more about communication specifically with subjects of a study. I hope to have interactions with individuals participating in our studies in January and onward. 

In many of my courses, we read and discuss various research in relevant fields to that given course. Now, my internship gives me the opportunity to be on the other side of a research paper. I have been able to apply some of what I have seen in previous papers in my own work. Getting an opportunity to work hands-on has allowed me to reinforce and strengthen the knowledge I acquired in my classes. 

One of my favorite experiences in my internship has been interacting with the medical students who are working in our lab. We get along with one another due to our common career goal, and they have also given me very valuable advice and insight into the career path. 

My contributions, albeit varying by the week, have been helpful in many different aspects of the lab. I have not only contributed to the research that the lab conducts, but I also have helped with the administrative end as well. For example, I made a form that will be used by future interns in not only our lab, but every lab in the IUSM Department of Psychiatry as well. 

Some of the skills I feel particularly proud of my usage of are self-awareness, communication, and teamwork. I know where my limitations are, and if I am not confident in my abilities, I can communicate with the people who can help me. 

The Workplace

I have witnessed a high level of professionalism from my lab mates and supervisor that I wish to have as a professional myself. I have also seen a high standard of self-accountability and respect for teammates, something I highly value and wish to nurture within myself. 

It has been interesting to see that although my labmates and I hail from very different backgrounds and walks of life, we can all be united with the common goal of contributing to meaningful research that will hopefully make a positive difference in many peoples' lives. I have learned that no matter how different our ages, cultures, career paths, and other characteristics are, we can still get along and work together very productively. 

My internship has shown me that "research" and "lab" are very broad terms that can encompass so many different things. Before I began my internship, I had a very close-minded idea of what research is. Now, my lab has shown me that it can mean so much more, and there are countless types of research and labs. 

Working with people who have different backgrounds and perspectives has highlighted to me the importance of communication and collaboration. I used to be confident that my perspective on a given subject is mostly right and takes into consideration a wide variety of opinions and perspectives. While sometimes that may still be the case, I now recognize the importance of groupthink and consultation before coming to decisions. 

My internship team emphasizes teamwork and interconnectivity. Although we are all working on our own projects to an extent, we help one another out and are considered with each others' success. This is characteristic of my ideal workplace. One difference between my ideal workplace and my current workplace is that in my ideal workplace I would have an element in which everyone gets to know another outside of the work environment, which we have not been able to do yet this year. 

Successes and Challenges

One of the best feelings I have experienced in my internship is when I complete a difficult task that I was initially unsure about. For example, I have successfully read and comprehended very difficult research papers and applied that knowledge to our own research. Furthermore, I feel very successful when I present what I am working on to my peers in lab meetings, as I feel that I have benefited much and can not only reflect on what I have learned, but I can present it to others in a way that is easy to understand as well. 

While I used to find myself expending a lot of time and effort into overcoming a challenge I am currently facing, I am now more comfortable with accepting that I do not know the answer to every problem and that it is okay to ask for help. I find this to be a major success and I expect this humility and self-awareness to be instrumental throughout my career. 

One challenge I have faced is using softwares I am not familiar with. Some examples of this are EndNote and RedCap. To overcome these challenges, I have sought the advice of both my supervisor and online resources, and I will continue to do so in the spring semester. 

Another challenge I have faced is not knowing how to begin analyzing data. My PI has been very helpful to me by not oversimplifying the process for me, and rather, encouraging me to delve into it as much as possible by myself and to learn as much as I can.