The first day I met Dr. D’Alessio and his lab, excitement ensued. I was presented with an opportunity to be engage and learn from a great lab! I was really excited for this opportunity because I had no previous research experience and the summer is a great time to get started. What also made the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute a good fit was everyone’s openness to teach me about research.
When choosing a lab this I think the first thing that comes to mind is finding a good fit. Ultimately you want to feel a part of the lab, engaged in your daily tasks, and become more informed about the content of your lab. I would say that is what I expect from my summer research experience. I hope to make relationships with these scientists. From learning about their background, interests, and learning the ropes from them. I can’t wait to successfully aid in glucose tolerance testing and have almost nonexistent error bars. I expect myself to become more comfortable with the literature out there regarding what my lab is working on.
I also hope to learn more insight about the life of a scientist. Lots of the individuals at the DMPI are at different stages of their academic career: from undergrads like me, to post docs, MD’s, and MD-PHD’s. I expect this summer to solidify to me future academic pursuits. I also expect through this summer to develop new friendships through BSURF and become an expert bike commuter!
Prepping for the islet cells!
