Goals

My main goals for this internship opportunity were to become proficient with biology laboratory techniques, scientific literature analysis, and scientific publishing procedures.

In order to reach these goals I have devised a plan with my site coordinator to do extensive lab work as well as review certain relevant journal articles in order to become familiar with the requisite terminology and presentation for biology research. Additionally, I have been tasked with aiding my site coordinator in proofreading grant proposals, and work to be sent to editors and journals in order to become more familiar with scientific writing. This Spring, I plan to lead a project in which I will do extensive reading over the winter to secure a baseline for the research, and then complete an experiment utilizing the resources present in the lab. This will tie the majority of these goals together, as I will be continuing with the literature analysis aspect of the internship while also getting considerable hands-on experience through completing my own experiments.

Professional growth outside of the LHSI internship for me relates to my schoolwork primarily and various chemistry research opportunities. I am definitely a lot better in the lab than I am out of it, so securing a long-term position in a Chemistry research laboratory would be the superlative case scenario. Ultimately, though, finishing my degree and continuing on to a graduate program is my primary pathway at the moment. Since I will not be entering the workforce after my undergraduate degree, I am prioritizing my education over overt professional development, which means less dinner parties and more exams. This experience is definitely a stepping stone to achieving those graduate degree aspirations though, and many of the skills I learn here such as leadership, critical thinking, and cooperation will take me far in future careers/research opportunities both in and out of the university setting.

Career Goals: As a biochem student, many doors are open to me with regard to choosing a career. At times I have wanted to become a medical doctor, and at others I have wanted to go into the chemistry field through a doctoral/graduate program. The further I get into this internship, the more I realize that the things that I wanted for so long, may not be what I truly want to do career-wise, and I am grateful that this opportunity has given me that insight. For a long time my primary goal was to find my way into a genetics laboratory, in which I could pursue epigentic and biotechnological research. However, as I have been working in Dr. Clinkenbeard's lab and attending my biology courses in my regular curriculum, I have found that I may be much more suited for Chemistry as a career. I think number one I am far-more detail-oriented than is what is necessary for Biology, and chemistry is a field that is much less broad from my understanding. I feel in many ways that getting sucked up into a biology field as vast as genetics may cause me to feel lost in professional career, whereas Chemistry could allow me to be much more focused. In other words, I suppose that my being good at things and enjoying them are directly correlated. I would rather be doing something that I know that I am successful at.

I chose my goals out of a consideration for my talent in science, monetary value, ambition, and passion. In other words, I wanted to do something that would satisfy my ability and want to pursue challenging things, while also having sufficient salary and being something I was legitimately interested in. I believe that these four categories are realistic and they have allowed me thus far to make strong choices with regard to my education/major pathway. I believe that self-actualization is necessary in a career, and thus have tried to chase dreams that will allow me to actually enjoy the work I am doing. This is also a primary reason that I have backed off a bit in biology, as I have found that chemistry fits my tastes a bit more than biology does. Even still, I will value both of my degrees equally, and my efforts in my undergraduate program have given me opportunities that have left me with numerous options.

No doubt, there will be more time to explore both of these topics in my upcoming semesters and throughout the rest of my college career. As I've said, its better that I pick something I truly enjoy and can earn reasonable money at, than simply chase a career in a field that doesn't excite me. hopefully throughout the rest of this internship and in the future, I can narrow down my choices to a particular career that puts me in a concrete position to succeed in the sciences. I will continue to participate in internship opportunities, job shadowing, and extra-curricular projects to solidify my understanding of biology and chemistry, and hopefully retain and add on to the skills i have learned throughout this professional experience.