Majors:
Internship title:
Laboratory intern.
How I got this internship:
I got this internship by networking with Dickinson alumni, faculty, staff and parents.
What I do, day to day:
A lot of what I do at Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery involves learning and using laboratory technical skills, such as immunohistochemistry (IHC), a staining process for tissue samples that utilizes antibody-antigen interactions to stain specific proteins of interest. I have primarily been staining primate gastrointestinal tissues for glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), a protein suspected to play a role in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Similar to humans, many primates develop spontaneous IBD-like diseases. My goal for this summer is to optimize the GCPII staining procedure and to begin performing head-to-head staining on samples from primates with IBD-like disease vs. non-diseased tissues to see if primates, like humans, have upregulation of GCPII in IBD. In addition to tissue staining, I occasionally have the chance to work with mice in preclinical IBD studies by recording stool and bleeding scores of affected mice. While working with mice, I have also had the opportunity to learn and practice common animal technical skills, such as gavage and IP injections
Other internships:
In high school, I helped with clinical analysis of outpatient data for pancreatic cancer patients and last year I worked in another lab at the University of Connecticut Medical Center. In the future, I plan to continue doing work in biomedical research. Next year I hope to return to Johns Hopkins and continue the work I am doing now.
Most valuable part of this experience:
The hands-on and practical experience I have gained by working at Johns Hopkins has allowed me to learn and practice common laboratory technical skills that will be useful as I move forward into research. Furthermore, seeing first-hand everything that goes into conducting research has given me a better understanding of the field of biomedical research as a whole, which will help me as I decide on my post-graduation plans.
Advice for students considering internships:
Definitely do it. No matter the field, the real-world experience you gain from an internship can provide insight into a field that you just can’t get in the classroom. Even if you are unsure of your post-graduation plans, an internship can help to confirm a field of interest or even discover a new one through the experience. Also, if you are having trouble obtaining an internship, I highly recommend you take advantage of the opportunities Dickinson provides. Throughout the year, Dickinson brings many alumni and lecturers from a wide range of fields onto campus to speak to and converse with the college community. Take the time after a guest lecture to ask questions and converse with the presenter if you can. I was fortunate enough to obtain this internship through an alumni connection I made following a lecture they presented on the she does at Johns Hopkins. You never know what opportunities may arise from a brief conversation.
How this internship has helped me:
During this internship, I have had the opportunity to see concepts learned in the classroom being applied to real-world research. Learning about these concepts in the context of research has definitely helped to solidify my understanding of them, which will prepare me for next year when I plan on build upon these concepts in upper-level science courses.
Post-Dickinson plans:
Although I am still piecing together my post-graduation plans, this research experience has definitely confirmed my interest in the fields of medicine and biomedical research. I am currently studying as a pre-med student with the hope of going to medical school after graduation. My dream would be to eventually become an M.D./Ph.D. where I can work to translate biomedical research into clinical practice.
Published October 20, 2017