Continuity and Growth: A Second Summer in the Research Fellowship
August 25, 2023
I am so excited to be back in Fox Chase this summer! Last summer I learned so much, not only about my specific research and lab but also what a career in this field would entail. I was able to grow extraordinarily both professionally and personally. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to come back this summer to continue that journey. My transition back into the lab was definitely a lot smoother this time around. During our ‘bootcamp’ week I was able to stop into my lab and was super proud to see that they were using the protocol I spent last summer optimizing!
My project from last summer involved characterizing the phenotype of mice pancreata when a protein called SCAP was knocked out. It was exciting to be able to present a poster of my work during the Fox Chase Research Day symposium as I began my new project. I felt so accomplished seeing my research printed onto a big poster! It was a great learning experience as I got to practice teaching other scientists about my work and its future direction.
This year I am working on a continuation of this experiment trying to find the ‘why’ behind the phenotype I characterized previously. We hypothesized that endoplasmic reticulum stress was causing the pancreatitis-like phenotype I characterized last summer. After weeks of culturing cells and running experiments, all our data came back negative. While we didn't get our hypothesized result, I had many engaging conversations within my lab about why the results could have been what they were. We decided to try different growing conditions for the cells as well as to explore other possible explanations.
I am enjoying the lab work and have been given a lot more responsibility, however, I feel very supported and confident as I move through experiments. I have learned techniques from cell culture to organ cryopreservation, but more importantly, I have learned to troubleshoot and bounce back from failures. Most science fails, and although this was a hard truth to learn, overcoming the failures and finding solutions became so rewarding.
Preparing for the final symposium is a lot of hard work. It can feel like crunch time trying to collect last bits of data and add the finishing touches to the presentation. Dr. Purdy and Dr. Leystra have pushed me to give the best presentation I can. They have helped me become a much better speaker. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to showcase the hard work that went into this summer to the other labs as well as my family and friends.
Additionally, I have developed a lot of personal relationships with my lab members as well as the other fellows within this program. They have all pushed to grow but also allowed for fun and stress relief. My mentor, Anna Lilly, has been extremely helpful and went above and beyond to help me learn. Some of my favorite memories was dressing up in all pink and going to see the Barbie movie and the many Philadelphia trips with the other fellows. I am so grateful to have met them and know that we will all keep in touch once we get back to UD. Although I am sad to leave my lab, I feel accomplished with my work that I have contributed and know that I will come back to visit my lab members and mentor!