Center for Inflammation Research
Over the Summer of 2022 I was able to work with individual researchers to learn about their experiences and assist with their current research projects. I gained professional connections, laboratory skills, and learned more about not only what I look for in research but in a job setting. I also further gained appreciation for parts of research I didn't know I would be interested in before this summer. I was introduced to fiber optics and their usage in medical imaging as well as chemical probes for bacteria and their production process. It was fascinating. In particular I was able to work with the Chemistry group to produce a chemical probe made of a chain of amino acids called Bac2, as well as learn about packaging and processing of chemicals intended for human use. During my time with the Biology group I continued growing my understanding of how to mount slides, I prepared and infected eyes with bacteria for testing, and I tested the probe I made with the Chemistry group. The back stock of the probe I produced will continue to be used for several months. I also grew more familiar with different types of microscope, mainly confocal, and how it interacts with different fluorescent stains and lifetime fluorescence imagery. I was also able to witness research being done with a set of human lungs.