This summer I will be conducting research in Dr. Susan Murphy’s lab in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology through the B-SURF program. Here, under the mentorship of Dr. Kelly Acharya, I will get insight into how scientists conduct epigenetic research, helping me in turn to understand the many complexities of the epigenome.
One of my major goals this summer is to learn how to ask insightful scientific questions that could potentially lead to independent research directions. To do this, I am making it my goal in my lab to constantly ask questions about various processes in the lab so that I could understand the intricacies of experiment and assay design. By doing this, I will not only better understand how to ask scientific questions but I will also understand how to answer them.
Building on my previous goal, I also want to learn how to communicate more effectively in science. I have always struggled with conveying shortcomings or failures when it comes to my work, so I want to learn how to comfortably convey these shortcoming to my peers. While this may seem minor, the ability to convey mistakes to my colleagues will be an essential first step in learning how to effectively convey ideas to them.
Another component to this goal would be learning to talk to my colleagues as more than just researchers. To do this, I attend social events in the lab and share details about myself whenever appropriate.. An essential element to learning how to communicate scientifically is learning to communicate.
My final goal this summer would be to make a contribution to Dr. Murphy’s lab through my work. While I learned skills in my laboratory experiences in school, I found that I did not contribute to science in any meaningful way for having learned these skills. This summer, I want to use the skills that I learned in this lab to further their epigenetic research projects. There is so bigger motive for this goal other than to make a contribution to science through my work in the lab.
To be continued on the next episode of B-SURF: The Williams Chronicles