I’m typing this having just recently submitted my final poster draft for the research symposium, but I feel like I only just submitted my first blog post a few days ago. Reflecting on the past 8 weeks, I feel comfortable saying that my expectation for the summer as outlined by that first blog, “to grow a lot,” was achieved. My first full time “adult” job- that is, working approximately 9-5 without an onslaught of assignments, extracurriculars, and exams to keep track of- was quite the novel experience and I loved it. I could devote my full energy to a single project for two months and still have free time to visit the Farmer’s Market, hold snakes and canoe at the Eno River, and explore Durham more than I’ve ever been able to during the school year. Those experiences were all part of my growth as a person- becoming more independent and involved with my surroundings -but most of the growing I did was as a scientist. I was quite honestly pretty scared to begin research this summer. I’d had very little lab experience and a brooding fear of failure. This wasn’t immediately lost during my first few despite the welcoming and helpful mentors I found. I remember being handed a DNA extraction protocol and trying not to ask 16 thousand questions about each step. However, with each faculty talk, workshop, and new day in the lab, these nerves began to shake off. All of the faculty speakers and my lab mates recounted reassuring stories of their time as undergraduates and I got to see what their path and current “day in the life” in science was. And, as with most new things, after some practice I felt a whole lot more confident (only having to ask maybe 5 thousand questions).
The influence of this program was much less linear than I expected. I thought I’d take part and know that either “wow, I love research this is what I’m going to do forever” or “nope, definitely not for me” and go directly from there. Instead, I realized how binary that view was. Each faculty talk showed me a new area of intrigue. We were exposed to molecular genetics, ecology, microbiology, clinical research, computational biology, and more. We met people who worked in the woods, on a computer, in the hospital, and on the lab bench. In that way, B-SURF’s influence on me was more wide-sweeping, exposing me to a whole area of potential opportunities rather than a yes/no consensus. It’s honestly a little daunting to see all that’s out there but I’m excited to continue exploring with a more confident and experienced outlook. Thanks to Dr. G, Dr. Harrell, Austin, and my lab mentors for a great summer!
