Research Internship Experience

In the Fall of 2021, I assisted Dr. Leryn Reynolds in her research and took leadership in a study on the impact of lactation on resting metabolic rate. For the project, I mainly headed the data collection, amongst other responsibilities, and computed our current findings to present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium the following semester. Working in the metabolic lab, I became incredibly comfortable with navigating the metabolic cart and utilizing the BodPod for data collection. For the data collection, I would have the responsibility of showing up at least an hour before the subjects to make sure the computers were warmed up and calibrated. Then, I would go through a series of 3 metabolic tests; baseline, 1-hour, and 2-hour. Following the testing, all equipment used would be sanitized and racked up. For each subject, I would record the qualitative subject data, protocol, and experimentation data in a lab notebook and additionally upload all subject data onto a comprehensive spreadsheet.

Having hands-on experience performing research was an opportunity that I did not take for granted. I obtained CITI certifications in biomedical research and learned how to carry out research duties. Being in this position further expand my already advanced interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills, as I worked closely with assisting graduate students along with professional staff members. Most importantly, this experience showcases my passion for discovery, time management abilities, and problem-solving skills. Since I was working as an assistant to Dr. Reynolds, I had to maintain consistent contact with her to make sure that I was taking care of my responsibilities and also to ensure that we were both informed on the research progress and scheduling. Additionally, I worked very closely with some graduate students as a team to also ensure that all necessary components were completed. This involved constant written communication which primarily occurred over email and text and especially important verbal communication which took place either over Zoom or in person for our progress meetings. I was also able to practice and advance these specific communication skills when engaging with the subjects. Another experience that supplemented my ability to communicate in various forms was my presentation for the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium. For the symposium, I created a poster and delivered an oral presentation regarding the current research findings. This experience has provided me with an exuberant amount of knowledge that I will most definitely be using considerably in graduate school as I embark on collaborative research with other students and staff.