Diving Into the Deep End
June 17, 2023
As I completed my first year in college, there were many “firsts”. My first time living with someone who wasn’t family. My first time holding a human brain. My first time achieving a 200% error in chem lab. I could rattle off a long list of “firsts,” but the one I am most excited about is my first research experience. I have just completed my first two weeks as a research student at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and I have to say it has already been one of the most enriching experiences of my life so far.
Just for a little background, I am a rising sophomore at the University of Delaware studying neuroscience and computer science with a minor in philosophy. Entering college, I was adamant that I was going to medical school; however, as my first semester flew by, I began to have second thoughts. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in STEM because science and math fascinated me the most, but the thought of medical school became daunting. So, I did the one thing that everyone says to do in college—try new things. Colleges love to send many emails, and the day I saw the email for the Empower Fellowship, I was intrigued. The first step in the application process was attending a Discovery Day at Fox Chase Cancer Center which provided great insight into what the fellowship was about. After hearing about the general outline and goals of the fellowship, I knew that I wanted to continue with the written application.
The most attractive part of the fellowship for me was the mentorship opportunities that they provided. Since I was unsure about what I wanted to do in the future, having a good mentor who was willing to discuss career paths and help guide me through the new, exciting field of research was important to me. What I can say after only a few weeks after entering the program is that the mentorship aspect of the program has certainly exceeded my expectations. Dr. Purdy, Dr. Leystra, and Dr. Rall have been amazing with the transition process into the rigorous program. The first week of the program is a cancer biology intensive that is not easy, but there is lots of support and consideration taken throughout the busy week. Upon entering the fellowship, I did not have a strong background in biology, so the weeklong intensive was arduous but helpful with preparing me for the basic terminology and techniques of cancer research. Without the intensive, I would not have been prepared for my first day of working in my lab.
Over the summer, I will be doing research under Dr. Lu Chen to explore the trafficking patterns of telomerase. Telomerase plays a role in allowing cancerous tumors to grow. The big picture of my project is to explore the mechanisms behind telomerase assembly which could be used in the future to develop cancer therapeutics. Looking back, if I were to tell my past self of what I have learned so far and what I am learning now, I would be astonished by how much I have learned within two weeks. When I applied for the program, I had a lot of self-doubt because I was a freshman. I assumed there must have been more experienced, qualified applicants. Despite my doubt, what I have realized since submitting my application is that how much knowledge I have is less important than the perseverance to continue working through difficult ideas. I can feel everyone in the research fellowship rooting for me and there is not much more that I can think of that could make the experience better.
One other thing that also made the first couple of weeks very enjoyable was having all the other fellows for friendship and support. After work, it is nice to have people to hang out with and chat. All twelve of us have already had a game night together which was very fun—I hope to have many more! I can already see life getting busy over the summer, so it is wonderful having a group of us going through the same situation and learning how to navigate this new city and lifestyle. I have already found myself comfortable within the group, and I can see many of us staying friends outside of this summer fellowship. We are hopefully planning many fun activities this summer like mini golf, movies, and museums to name a few.
The first few weeks have felt like diving into the deep end of a pool and not from the side but from a very tall platform. The first few days, standing at the top, I was nervous for what was about to come. However, after running off the edge, I realized that the way down was not so bad, and the water was nicer than I expected. I am excited for what is in store for the rest of the summer—probably a lot more jumping into unknown waters—but I am reassured knowing that I have a team of researchers, peers, and friends by my side. Just from these two weeks alone, I have found myself wandering towards the path of medical school again as I see the behind the scenes of research and healthcare.
Learning a New Language & Finding a Community
July 9, 2023
I cannot believe that I am almost halfway through the Empower Fellowship already – so much has happened since the beginning of the Fellowship! Compared to my first day in Dr. Chen’s lab, I feel that my knowledge and appreciation of research has grown exponentially. The feeling is very similar to learning a new language. People say that the best way to learn a language is to go and experience the language and culture itself in a place where it is primarily spoken. Similarly, immersing myself in a research lab has taught me so much more about science than any classroom experience I have had. My first days in the lab were hazy as I was still trying to figure out how DNA and proteins relate; however, I now find myself being able to explain what I am doing and why I am doing each step during an experiment to others in the lab. There is still so much to learn in the lab, but it is still very rewarding to see how much I have grown in the past month.
One of the biggest lessons I have recently learned is to expect the unexpected. Most experiments are not successful on the first attempt, and they often require a ton of troubleshooting. One small part of my project involved site-directed mutagenesis, the alteration of a plasmid DNA sequence that results in a gene mutation. For this one step, Julia (a graduate student I closely work with) and I had to perform the experiment seven times before it was successful. On our fifth attempt we were so excited when our bacteria grew, meaning that we were very close to success! However, our sixth attempt stumped us because it was unsuccessful—it felt like we had gone backwards in progress. It was not until the seventh attempt where every step worked. The entire process has taught me resilience and how to be prepared for when things do not work rather than hoping something will work the first time. I do have to say that there is a special feeling of accomplishment when something works after trying to troubleshoot it many times.
Since a large portion of science is trial and error, I have realized how important it is to have the other members of my lab by my side. Knowing that there are people to provide different ideas about what could be going wrong or sharing the excitement of a successful experiment makes the research experience ten times better. As I have become closer to the members of my lab, I have realized how important it is to have a strong team because every project in the lab can contribute to others. Celebrating everyone’s accomplishments has been amazing and I have found another community where we all inspire each other. I am excited to hear that my lab is growing, and there will be two more graduate students joining the lab next week!
It is easy to get caught up in the research happening in my lab, but a couple of weeks ago everyone in the Empower Fellowship attended the 26th Annual Trainee Research Conference. The Conference was a day to explore all of the research happening around Fox Chase Cancer Center. There were many great oral presentations and so many posters to explore. Experiencing one of these ‘research days’ was eye opening because I had no idea how diverse the research could be in one building. I would be lying if I said I could understand everyone’s research, but I think the most amazing thing is seeing how passionate and knowledgeable people are about their research. Events like this one also allow researchers, students, and other faculty to meet each other and enjoy the latest research.
The Empower Fellowship has provided many great learning opportunities, but outside of research all of us have been exploring the great city of Philadelphia. We went to Center City to see the Mütter Museum, saw fireworks on the Fourth of July, and had many great meals as a group. One of my favorite things I did recently was go to my first comedy show! There are so many different things to do in the area and I find myself craving for more time this summer because time is flying by too fast. As I am reflecting on this experience, I cannot think of a better way to have enjoyed my summer. It has been an enriching experience, and I am so glad that I have put myself out of my comfort zone. There are only six more weeks left, but I will continue to enjoy learning the language of science and research.
Bittersweet Farewell
August 25, 2023
At the beginning of August, I knew that the final weeks of the Empower Fellowship were going to fly by – and they certainly did! The last couple of weeks were really focused on getting high quality data for my final presentation, which was happening very soon. However, we encountered a couple of roadblocks throughout the process. One major setback was that we learned that one of our cell lines was contaminated with another one, so the data we were obtaining was not accurate.
The morphology of our osteosarcoma cell line (U2OS) was very spiky, so we think that our other cell line (HEK293T) was introduced to the U2OS cells. We discovered the issue during the last week of the fellowship, so a lot of the final days involved quickly redoing some experiments. Although this ordeal seemed stressful, I was very close with everyone in my lab at this point which made the process fun and we could make the best of the situation. In the end, I was able to obtain great results and the symposium went very well! The final symposium seemed very daunting at the start of the summer; however, in reality, it was very relaxed. Essentially, it was a celebration of all our hard work as Dr. Purdy had said during our introduction.
The end of the Empower Fellowship also brought many fun events to our lab. During my final week, my entire lab went to Cherry Hill, NJ to do two escape rooms. It was amazing being able to have fun outside of the lab and work together to escape. I am glad to report that we were able to successfully escape both rooms within the one hour time limit that we were provided. It was so fun being able to celebrate my time in the lab and also celebrate the other summer students too! Although the last week had some fantastic experiences, it was still a little sad to say goodbye to everyone. From all my lab members to my mentors, I felt that I had formed a close relationship with everyone. Despite being the end of the summer, it is definitely not the end of the great relationships that I have formed.
As I reflect on my experiences this summer, I want to highlight how much I have grown in the course of a few months. I feel more confident with presentations, lab techniques, and working with other scientists. There were many other personal and professional areas of my life that were improved, but that list could go on forever. All the speakers, projects, articles, and discussions piece together to create a program that encompasses all areas of science, not just the work that is done in the lab. The Empower Fellowship successfully fulfilled my initial goal of having great mentorship while providing even more rewarding experiences. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that I was given this summer, and words cannot express how enriching it has been!