Goals & Learning

• Explore various areas of science and potential careers within the field of research.

In the fall I was excited to discover and learn what other careers might possibly interest me. I had hoped to experience some day-to-day activities done in the lab such as, genotyping, real-time PCR and data analysis. As well as communicating with other individuals working alongside Dr. Alam and observing their daily routines. 

Now, as I am coming to the end of my journey this spring I have realized that research is something I would be open to continue doing. My goal is still working towards becoming a general dentist, but I had accepted an offer for working for my current lab this summer! I am excited to continue working with some of the people and faculty I have met over the past year and know that I will have these relationships and connections through the rest of my academic journey. 

• Strengthen my laboratory skills and knowledge in various areas of science.

I have learned so many skills while at my internship site. Not only am I able to participate in discussions, I am also comfortable in communicating new ideas confidently. I have done extractions, RNA analysis, real-time PCR, TRAP stain, bone-marrow extraction, and TB stains. The skills I have learned at my internship are reflected in my classes, as I have became more comfortable and confident in independent work and biological processes. 

• Be able to independently present and carry out my project while maintaining life outside of the lab.

As the showcase is approaching in less than a month, I feel well prepared and I am excited to talk about what I have been up to! My time management this semester has been quite difficult but I am managing to still get my 10 hrs a week which I am very proud of! I hope to plan these next few weeks out really well and try to keep up with study plans so I can focus on LHSI when making final touches! 

My internship experience so far has confirmed my goals in becoming a general dentist. I don't think I'll be pursuing research in the future but I am extremely grateful to have experienced it so much during undergrad. Being in a positive environment, surrounded by supportive faculty, has been so encouraging through this whole process.  They have helps me explore all research has to offer while also pushing me to reach my current career goals. I feel very confident in making career related decisions due to the time I have spent discussing my future to the team.

Some of the goals I have set for myself around this time is making plans for the summer and creating my list of schools, to apply to. Unfortunately, I do not have a finalized list of dental schools but I plan to dig deep after finals. My summer plans are to stay here and take classes over the summer to give me some flexibility in my schedule as well as work for my internship and get some shadowing hours in!

Some skills that I am currently using are integration and receiving constructive criticism and feedback.  As I am putting things together for the showcase, I am reflecting and summarizing all the work done in the past two semesters. I have decided to do a digital poster, showing my research done on osteoclasts. It has been hard to put everything i have learned and done on paper, because I feel as if I am always forgetting to include something. I am thankful to have my supervisor helping me and answering any questions I may have while making my poster. Although I am unfinished with my poster,  I have practiced taking corrective criticism and feedback recently on my summary that was turned in early March. While it can be degrading to be critiqued on my own individual work, I try to use it as an opportunity to grow. I have been giving myself grace, due to only learning and participating in research for a year. Whenever I receive feedback I am open and willing to make changes to stregthen my work.

Some skills I would like to continue to work on are confronting challenges and failure. As I am putting together my poster and interpreting my results, I have noticed that many of my results did not turn out as expected. In research, the chances of your idea working are more slim than them not. I have learned that even negative results is still beneficial in the field of science, and that it still contributes to the progress of finding a therapy for osteopetrosis!

While the brainstorming can be a bit frustrating, my knowledge of osteopetrosis and the way bone cells function is expanding. Learning and being able to explain to my peers the cause and pathway of osteopetrosis has strengthened my understanding. Classes such as genetics relates to a lot of the work done in the lab. Similar methods used in genetics lab are repeated in a much larger scale at my internship site so it's very interesting to observe and partake in both.