Where did you co-op and what was your role?
I am currently a Research Assistant for the Diaz-Cuadros Lab at MGH Harvard Medical School.
Why did you pursue this opportunity?
I wanted to gain research experience in a laboratory where I could challenge all my knowledge learned in the classroom. I aim to be able to apply the things I have learned from professors in order to contribute to innovative research being done at this institute.
Can you describe a typical day?
My day consists of attending to and working on my designated stem cell lines. I have to change their media, make sure they are growing properly, passage them to different places if necessary, and discuss next steps with the postdoctoral research associate I work with.
Additionally, I help my supervisor with longer assays that require multiple hands. This includes western blots, Seahorses, lactate-glo detection, and others. I help other coworkers if they are in need—giving me the opportunity to work with other organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans. On different days of the week there are multiple opportunities to attend departmental talks from guest speakers and lab meetings.
What new skills did you learn?
I have developed an immense amount of laboratory skills such as cell passaging, cell media changing, aliquoting reagents, cell freezing, cell fixation, and many more.
Were there any challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
Learning these skills and perfecting them was the greatest challenge as well as having the courage to ask for help as a new addition to the team. Everyone at the laboratory is very open to answering questions and helping me learn as much as possible. Being exposed to such a plethora of information can be overwhelming, especially as I am expected to understand the experiments I am doing on a conceptual level. But throughout my first month, I made sure to take notes and study them as much as I could to improve my knowledge.
What is something you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
Differentiating cells can be a tricky process. I did a few trials of differentiation for my cells and they all died. I worked really hard each time to see if I could improve my technique and eventually was able to successfully differentiate one of my cell lines.
Was there anything you were surprised by?
I was definitely surprised by the team dynamic. Everyone is so helpful to one another and is willing to lend a hand when there is free time. This is why every day looks different and there is always something to do around the lab.
How has this experience impacted your education and/or career path?
Working at this laboratory has further advanced my passion for genetics and reproductive biology. I have been able to learn concepts much better as I got through assays because I am looking at reactions of cellular processes in real time.
My understanding of glycolysis, the electron transport chain, CRISPR-cas9, metabolism, and other cellular processes has improved so much!
What advice would you give to a fellow student embarking on their first co-op?
My advice is not to be afraid to ask for help. You are new to the field; it may even be your first job. There is no shame in asking for help and guidance along this journey. It took me a long time to understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process, but being able to learn from them and notice improvement is the ultimate goal.
