My Internship

Interested in genetics? What about cancer research? Come learn about Dr. Mendonca’s Radiation Oncology research. We work with cells that have been altered genetically to test if any particular knockout affects radiation sensitivity. We work with Murine Embryonic Cells (MEF) that have P53-/- , P53 -/- & MDM2 -/- , and P53-/- & MDM2-/- & MDMX -/- knocked out. 

Overview: The goal of our lab is increasing the effectiveness of radiation as a treatment for lung and pancreatic cancers to improve tumor control and minimize damage to normal tissues. We do this by working with cell lines that are P53 null and seeing if the knockout of the genes MDM2 or of MDM2 and MDMX affects their radiation sensitivity.

I will use the skills I already have to contribute to the development of Dr. Mendonca's research. I want to make a difference and apply myself to further something that is used for the greater good. 

I wish to learn different sterilization techniques, specifics about cell biology and how cancerous cells act differently, what our experiment means in the bigger picture, and much more. Essentially the main goal is to learn, learn, and learn some more. I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can and really enhance my understanding of the basic sciences I learn in my degree path. 

I'm most excited about seeing where we can go with the experimental data we gather as a team. What do the numbers mean? Can we figure out something that hasn't been known prior? Do we plan on tweaking the experiment to yield better results? I'm excited about seeing the process of research in each step.

After completing my self-evaluation, I have found that the skill I exceed in most is my ability to take constructive criticism and feedback. That's what led me to become independent so quickly in lab. Instead of taking that sort of thing personally, I took my supervisor's advice and grew as a young researcher. 

My main goal I would like to continue working on is my professional language abilities. I usually know what I'm talking about and thinking, but it doesn't always come out correctly in verbal words. I want to grow my scientific vocabulary so that not only can I understand others better, but I can also communicate better. 

This internship helps me understand course materials in a unique way that I can't get elsewhere. In lab, I do dilutions. Those dilutions are the same ones we learn about in Chemistry. I also count colonies and through that am able to see the very same cells discussed in my Cell Biology course. Being able to see, do, and touch the concepts I learn about in my courses helps me learn the material a lot better than I would have if I wasn't a part of this lab. 

After a semester of working in Dr. Mendonca's lab, I've found that I've grown more confident in doing work solo, understanding what exactly I'm doing and why I'm doing it. My favorite experience so far has been graphing my data and seeing my work pay off through my results. 

My contributions have affected our team positively. Every week I run an experiment, which I add to our database once I get results back. I finished off the P53-/- line for my team. We are currently working on finishing the MDMX-/- and MDM2-/- lines and we are getting close. 

I feel that I have definitely grown as a person through this internship. I have learned to be more sure of myself and more independent. I am in constant communication with my supervisor and I frequently ask questions. I solve problems that I am faced with alone. Every skill that I lacked in at the beginning of the year, I have improved on since. I strongly believe that I will continue to improve on these skills. I will continue to do the things I do now to keep up the good work. After my LHSI internship, I will apply the same methods to future lab work and keep improving. 

I have noticed at work that Helen, my supervisor, seems to be very knowledgeable about different sterile techniques and the usage of various machinery. I hope to eventually grow my skills enough to learn to do all the different things she does in lab. These skills can be transferable to other labs in my future so I believe it's very important to learn as much as I can while I have an amazing mentor! 

Working with people that are different from me is a great learning opportunity in every way. They give different perspectives on things I may not have thought about before. It's always good to have a culturally diverse team. 

There's nothing about the internship that has been different from what I expected. 

My atttitudes and beliefs haven't been impacted by engaging with others. I don't have attitudes that could be impacted by others to begin with. For me, my attitudes and beliefs are completely introspective. The only way that others could impact it is by adding new philosophies. For example, my supervisor has told me her story of how she got to where she is now. That story added to my sense of motivation and inspired me to work harder. People's perspectives never negatively impact me, only positively. 

I feel that I have definitely grown as an individual and will continue to do so with the help of my coworkers. Continuing to get input and advice from others leads me to become a better person. 

The main thing my workplace and team emphasizes and respects is timelines and dedication. It is important that we try to conduct experiments every week since they take so long to do. It is important to be on time because the experiments do have a time-dependent factor. The culture at the lab seems to be more of a lax individual work environment. Although this is nice on some days, on others it just feels a bit too lonely. My ideal workplace would combine both indivudal work and team work to have a nice balance. 

The first time I felt accomplished was when I started to notice that I was remembering the experiment steps. The process has a lot of tiny bits and pieces that if you don't remember to do, can mess up the entire experiment so I was really happy to see that I was learning quickly. Another time I felt accomplished was when I successfully did an entire experiment on my own from start to finish. I felt independent and like I was genuinely making a difference. These successes show me that I can always do whatever I put my mind to. I should never tell myself I can't do something. The first time I was encountered with the experiment, I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to handle everything. All the big machinery, the numbers I had to remember, the dilution process, everything seemed so overwhelming. With a little patience and dedication, I got everything down perfectly. I will apply this learned experience to grad school and beyond. 

I think the most challenging part has been balancing LHSI with school. I feel supported from my team at the lab though so I know that whenever I get overwhelmed and need time to focus on school, they can acommodate for me.