Background

My summer internship was to work in a microbiology lab with a small group of other
students consisting of undergraduate students, a graduate student, and a research scientist.
The goal was to learn more about a bacterial toxin secretion system. This summer experience
was my first time doing any lab or research work.

Things I Learned That Will Still Matter in 10 Years

 Do not assume, ask questions – I think this is especially important in experimental work
because it can be very easy to make a mistake or assume something and waste a lot of
time. Also, asking questions does not necessarily mean that you do not understand
something. For example, when the research scientist in the lab would show me a
experimental technique, he would make sure I ask questions. If I asked questions, I was
following along, but if I didn’t ask questions, he would assume I was lost. It seems
backwards, but many times he was right.
 Importance of failure – On a smaller scale, science is built on failure. For example, if one
experiment fails, the scientist will examine and change something up and keep trying
until a successful result appears. This is the case with the experiments that I have been
doing in the lab, where if something doesn’t go as planned, we change things
accordingly. However, on a more personal level, I think failure is an essential key factor
in improvement and eventual success. During my first week or two in the lab, I was
quite lost, barely knew anything or how to do anything, and made many mistakes.
Fortunately, many of the people in the lab were patient and very helpful in guiding me
and helping me learn.
 Be curious – In a scientific standpoint, curiosity is likely one of the most important
aspects of a scientist as, in a way, curiosity is what fuels scientists and humans to find
more discoveries. I think this is something that took me a while to understand and learn
because usually in school we are taught to just accept things and do as we are told. For
example, we are given a homework assignment and told to finish it. However, we are
not taught to ask questions about the things we learn and things we do in school.
 Collaboration is essential and it is everywhere – Although in school there is not much
teamwork or collaboration, in the workplace there is collaboration everywhere. Also,
collaboration can come in many different forms. I think the most visible form of
collaboration is working together on something, but one form of collaboration that I
think goes unnoticed is helping each other in failures and picking each other up. For
example, during the summer I paired up to work with another undergraduate.
Whenever we were confused, made a mistake, needed help, or did not know how to do
something we would help each other, and in a way, helped each other succeed at our
tasks. In a sense, the core culture of the lab is collaborating to help each other succeed.
 Seek guidance from others – I think this is very important because it helps reach the
traditional career goals much more easily and faster. For example, I likely would have
never gotten this internship opportunity if it were not for my older brother who gave
me advice on how to get the internship. Although someone should not follow
someone’s exact footsteps on their goals and should instead pave their own road, I
think it is helpful to have some guidance on the path to the goal.
Goal Changes
The kind of work the lab I worked in mostly do is wet lab work, where we use cells and
chemicals to perform experiments. A great portion of the beginning half of my internship was
spent learning how to perform different experiments and experimental techniques, which at
first, I found enjoying and exciting, after a while it became more dull. Although I greatly enjoyed
the experience in the lab and the type of work that I was tasked with, during the internship I
found something that I enjoyed more. The research scientist I worked with who supervised me
saw that I had some prior knowledge in coding and technology, so he showed me a different
side to research, a more computational side such as bioinformatics, which I enjoyed much
more. Also, knowing that I enjoyed a more computational approach to science, he began
tasking me a more things that dealt with it rather than experimental work (although there was
still experimental work because he said it was important to have experience in both). With this,
I am hoping to learn more about bioinformatics (perhaps in a future internship) and possibly
pursue it as a career instead of experimental lab. However, I am also keeping an open mind to
other possibilities as well because I learned that goals can easily change, and it is not always a
linear path to a goal. In the beginning, my overall long time goals were to pursue science
(research) and get a PhD to become a University professor to have my own lab and teach other
students. Although that is still something I want to do and something I am walking towards
right now, I am still keeping an open mind for any changes and know that it is not definitive.
As for my nontraditional long term goals that I set in place for myself, they are mostly
the same. The nontraditional goals I set for myself were that I wanted to travel more often,
have/make good friends, have a good balance between work and leisure time, and to overall
enjoy life. I think it is also important to have a good balance between these nontraditional goals
and the more traditional career goals that I mentioned above because some goals from the
traditional and nontraditional can complement each other, such as making good friends (I’ve
met some very awesome people in the lab), while others contradict each other, such as with
traveling. Also, I think that career goals are not something that necessarily gives someone
fulfillment in life, but the nontraditional goals are ones that do give fulfillment.