During the spring semester of my first year, I had the opportunity to participate in a very exciting research program where I had been matched to an Orthopedic Research Lab and learned valuable research skills under the guidance of a very supportive and knowledgeable mentor, Dr. Qing Goh. In our lab, we focus on Orthopedic disorders in children, one of them being Neonatal Brachial Plexus Injury (NBPI), which occurs due to a difficult delivery at birth causing damage to the Brachial Plexus nerves in the neck and shoulders. About a third of these infants later develop muscle contractures or stiffness which leads to physical disabilities and significantly impacting their overall quality of life. Therefore, our lab is exploring further research into understanding the mechanisms of denervation affecting overall muscle growth to prevent these contractures. As part of the overarching project, my role was to analyze the impact of different drug treatments on the length of the muscle to determine the overall effectiveness of the drugs. Through my efforts I learned valuable skills in time management and efficiency while working on the bench and making valuable use of time by being productive while waiting in between steps of the experiment. I also realized the significance of paying close attention to detail especially when performing data analyses and organizing data collection. This experience allowed me to understand what research entails including working on the bench, performing data analyses, and most importantly, interpreting the results and understanding the significance of the findings and how they can be applied in a clinical setting. I've also gained a greater understanding of proper research terminology and proper literacy in reading multiple research papers. I was able to apply my learning and understanding of protein pathways and other biological concepts in a practical setting and understand how they play a role in contributing to normal muscle function. Now having understood what research entails, I'm excited to continue exploring my interest in research further in this lab throughout the summer and the upcoming fall semester, while also receiving feedback with scientific writing and overall become confident in my research skills.