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| SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENT LIFE :: Biophotonics Internship |
Center for Biophotonics Can Help You See The LightVictoria Lee, who graduated with a B.S. in micribiology, says the internship at the campus's Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology (CBST) is a "really great program that not a whole lot of people know about." Lee says that when she was a freshman, she took an introductory class on biophotonics, the study of the interaction of light with biological material. "The class inspired in me a fascination with the different uses of light in research because a lot of biophotonics research has medical applications," says Lee. "In the class I learned about the CBST internship, but I decided to wait until sophomore year to apply for it. I wanted first to get some lab experience and see if I enjoyed doing research." Lee applied for the internship and began in summer 2006. "Aside from my organic and general chemistry labs, I had no previous lab experience," says Lee. "So I was fortunate to have the guidance of Dr. Samantha Fore, a post-doctoral fellow who was very patient in explaining everything I needed to know. Dr. Thomas Huser, the principal investigator of the lab, was also very helpful." Lee says that the internship provided insight into what it's like to be part of a research lab. She attended lab meetings and discussed her project with other lab members, and says that once she became fairly proficient at using the confocal fluorescence microscope system, she was able to help scientists from other labs use the system. Lee also attended weekly seminars for the summer interns, which covered topics such as professional networking, writing résumés, and mapping-out future career paths in science. "The summer intern meetings also served as an opportunity to get to know fellow interns better," Lee says. "I met some interesting and driven people through this program." A highlight of the internship for Lee was attending the centerwide retreat. "It was a sort of internal conference," says Lee, "with speakers and a poster session. Scientists affiliated with CBST from all over the country attended and shared their research. It was a great networking opportunity; the interns mingled with each other, graduate students, post-doctoratoral fellows, and principal investigators." While Lee says she had a great research experience, the internship helped her realize that she did not want to pursue a career in research. Says Lee, "This is a great experience for anyone who is interested in research. Biophotonics is still a relatively young field of science so there are some exciting, innovative projects ongoing. Previous lab experience isn't necessary, just the enthusiasm to learn. Of course, the nice stipend is another incentive to apply!" Visit the CBST Web site to learn more about biophotonics and the undergraduate summer internship. |