I’m Going to Miss This Summer!
My research experience this summer was absolutely amazing. There is so much that I loved about this summer…I don’t even know where to start!
The lab. I want to thank my mentor Mardee, my PI Doctor Telen, and everyone in the lab (Susan, Carol, Milena, and Rahima) for making my research experience so much fun! I got to really see what it was like to do research every day like a job. I got to create my own experiments, learn new techniques, analyze and present my data, and at the end make a finished product: the poster. It was really nice to experience for 8 weeks what researchers do on a daily basis. In addition, it was nice to have a sort of family in the lab where people were always talking about their lives and sharing stories. I’ve concluded from my experience that I loved thinking science all summer…even though it was kinda weird when I would be designing experiments while lying in bed, waiting to fall asleep.
Howard Hughes activities. It was interesting getting together with all the other fellows and learning about their research, while sharing my own research. It was fun learning about research going on at Duke and learning to be a better scientist by improving my poster-making and communication skills. Thank you to all the Howard Hughes staff (Dean Nijhout, Suzanne, and Alex) for all that you have done!
Nights and weekends. I don’t even think I can recall most of the fun things I did this summer with other Howard Hughes fellows and friends. Just a few memories: The Wilmington Beach Trip. The Quarry Trip with the not-so-safe cliff diving. The Late Night Basketball Games. The Homemade Dinners from Indian Food to Pizza to Omelets. The Numerous Potlucks. The Mafia Games. The Lakers Games. The Vermonster from Ben and Jerry’s. Feeding the Ducks in the Gardens. The Trip to UNC. The Too Many Trips to Mount Fuji’s. The Fireworks and Barbeque on 4th of July. The Dancing in the Rain. Lap Tag. And so many more things that I can’t possibly list them all.
I’m sad that the program is over, but I am happy that it happened! Thinking in the short term future…I am definitely going to continue in my lab with an independent study next semester…it’ll be weird though not going to lab every day…and only being able to go in between or after classes! Next summer, I would be open to maybe doing another similar research program or something in my lab. Thinking in the long term future…I still don’t know. I’ve come to love research a lot from this experience, but at the same time I can’t tear myself away from the medical field. I love being with people and helping them and medicine fascinates me. I don’t think I am the only one with this dilemma though…there must have been a reason they created the MD/PhD program. It’s okay though…I still have a couple years to decide…and if I still haven’t decided by then…then maybe a MD/PhD program is really the thing for me.
Thank you everyone who has read my blogs! Now I am on my plane back home to California and then to Hawaii! Bye! =)
