These past 8 weeks have been a great introduction into scientific research. Not only was I able to conduct real experiments and do real work in a lab, but I was able to hear about what many professors study around campus, as well as be exposed to the work of my fellow classmates. Overall, it was a great experience, and definitely showed me more about how to “science” (yes I’m using it as a verb).
As I have said many times before, this experience has taught me that in scientific research, patience is essential. Working in the Lynch lab for two months has definitely shown me that to accomplish most things, patience is most definitely a virtue. Not only that, but this lab experience has shown me the benefits of collaboration and communication within a scientific setting. Both of these aspects are essential to progressing with any topic.
Additionally, this summer has been a great introduction to science as a career. Hearing about not only the projects on which professors are working, but also about their career paths and their education backgrounds has pretty much shown me that nothing is ever set in stone. While right now, I plan on majoring in BME and chemistry, next year I may end up dropping STEM all together, or I might find myself working at a technology startup sometime in the future as well. Also, hearing about why certain professors either A) took the MD/PhD dual degree route or B) have both degrees, though not necessary through one program, got be thinking a little bit about pursuing that career path. Though I am not on the pre-medicine track right now, and have not planned any of my coursework accordingly, listening to what professors think are the benefits of having an MD in addition to a PhD was very interesting.
Overall, I am very very grateful to Duke University, HHMI, Dr. Grunwald, KP, Dr. Lynch my PI, Dr. Ye my secondary mentor, and everyone else that made this summer possible for me. It truly was a great way to get introduced to research science and it was definitely beneficial in getting me thinking about more research in my career here at Duke and beyond.
