Internship
This is a documentation of my 2024-2025 internship with Dr. Schelcht and lists all my progress and learning experiences as part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship program.
About the Internship
At my internship we are looking and researching sex differences specifically females’ susceptibility to ACL injuries. We are also looking at the response to loading and injury on the ACL in terms of submaximal loading on the ligament.
In April add: your elevator pitch visual (example to the right on this page). You can put it anywhere on the page, we recommend toward the top to grab the viewer’s attention.
If you attended a poster session, conference, presentation, or published as a result of LHSI, add that information here too!
In April you'll add:
your showcase project summary. Give it a heading like Project Summary or Abstract. Embed your final project file beneath this summary. If you’ve created a separate page to highlight your work, add a link or button to link to the page here to make it easier to find.
your final project. The Prezi and Powerpoint below are examples of where you could put your final project. This project is about your work and can be any of the types of files we talked about at the workshop and in the Canvas module about the showcase.
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Workplace
This is a documentation of all the skills, experiences, trainings, and collaborative tasks I gained and learned during my Life-Health Sciences Internship.
Skills and Experiences
Compassion, Bilingual, and Problem Solving Skills
In high school I peer tutored so I gained problem solving and critical thinking skills. This role helped me advance my bilingual skills as well as most of those I tutored were Spanish, French and Mandarin speakers.
Communication, Leadership, and Presentation Skills
I also have experience in administrative roles. I was a student cadet and translator in the attendance office where I took calls, reports, gave school tours, and coordinated with our Assistant Principal.
Lab Skills
My freshman year of college, I worked at the MMGE biobank lab here at IUI. I gained experience in the lab such as pipetting, relabeling, tracking and relocating biospecimen. I have experience using programs such as excel and OnCore which we used on a daily basis to relocate and submit samples into the system. I have on hands experience working with dry ice and other wet lab skills.
Tranferring My Skills to LHSI
This year during my time at LHSI and with Dr. Schelcht I want to use my lab skills and leadership skills to help his research. I think I will be an asset when it comes to problem solving or lab processes. I look forward to learning how to analyze, imaging, and use their unique lab equipment!
This year I have tried to be an organized and helpful team member. In the lab we all contribute to the larger process of the study. For example, one day one team member might be working on staining so the next day I would take over and I would image the slides. Then I pass it on and another team member might continue imaging if I didn't finish or they ight move on and start data analyzing the images. So I started writing sticky notes and organizing what and which slides I have imaged so that way no one was getting confused. I also made notes to remind someone that I wasn't done with something so they wouldn't accidentally throw something out. I have tried to be organized in that aspect but also if someone needs help I am always willing to be there just as they are for me. Or before leaving I always try to discuss what I might be doing for the next time I come in that way we are all on the same page.
I believe this has contributed to our success at the lab. Hopefully it has made my team members job a bit easier or at the very least things have been more organized. I want to continue being a team member that anyone can count on and also contribute to the overall smooth operation of our lab process here at my internship.
Making Success
My first success at my internship was learning how to properly use and manage all the features of our high tech microscope for histology imaging. During my internship, I successfully mastered the use of a high-tech motorized microscope, the Nikon H550L. Unlike standard microscopes, this advanced device has features such as fluorescent lighting, computer connectivity for enhanced visualization, and an integrated camera for capturing detailed images of tissue histology. Learning to operate this sophisticated equipment has been a significant milestone, enabling me to analyze samples more effectively and contribute to our research on ACL injury susceptibility with greater precision. Asking my supervisors and co-interns to learn how to use it was very helpful. Having them explain the why and how of the microscope led to my successful operation of it.
Another proud moment during my internship was when I began to truly understand the anatomy of the ACL by analyzing histological images. Initially, deciphering these images felt overwhelming, as the structures seemed complex and unfamiliar. However, with guidance from my supervisor, who taught me key "landmarks" and specific features to identify, I quickly gained confidence. Now, I can easily recognize the ACL in histological images, which has deepened my understanding of its structure and importance in our research.
In January, my supervisor gave me a new assignment and skill to learn and master. I began learning how to slice the ACL samples and adding them to slides. It is a tedious process because we sliced the hind limbs of the mice to get samples of the ruptured ACL. We cut 5-10 microns thin which means these slices were very delicate and easy to break when transferring them to the water bath. However, with much practice I was able to get the rhythm and I started successfully slicing the ACLs. Another component to this was using the microscope every 30 slices to see if I had reached the ACL in the knee. So knowing my anatomy was very crucial for this. After a few days of practice I became very efficient and accurate.
From these successes I have learned to persevere and to have a growth mindset. Whenever I doubted if whether or not I would be able to learn and grow I remembered that growth doesn't occur just by being perfect and getting it right the first time. It is all about practice, learning, reassessing and asking for feedback and for help.
Overcoming Challenges
One of the biggest challenges during my internship was adjusting to the technology and computer-based tasks, as I’ve never been very tech-savvy. Learning to use new programs, such as the FIJI application for cropping and analyzing histological images, was initially frustrating. At one point, I cropped too much of the bone while thresholding the ACL area, which skewed the results and added to my frustration. However, my supervisor helped me understand how the ACL blends into the bone and showed me techniques to better distinguish the tendon from the bone in that transition area. With practice and guidance, I adapted and became more confident in using the software and refining my analysis skills
Another challenge I faced during my internship was interpreting research papers and protocols, which were initially overwhelming due to their dense, technical language. I was asked by my supervisor to research and find papers, methods, and other works to find factors that determine what populations are more prone to arthrofibrosis after an ACL surgery. As I researched I realized the detailed terminology and scientific concepts left me confused and overwhelmed. To overcome this, I actively sought clarification by asking my supervisor questions and did my own deep dive into medical terms that I was confused with. I also discussed the material with team members to help me strengthen my understanding. Additionally, I spent time reviewing the papers repeatedly and breaking them down into smaller, more manageable sections. Over time, this process helped me build confidence and proficiency in understanding complex topics, allowing me to contribute more effectively to the research.
A challenge I overcame was the fear of messing up the slicing of the ACL. As I previously stated in the successes section I had a hard time slicing because of the delicate nature of it. I would either tear the sample or when transferring to the water bath I would fold it on itself and ruin the sample. We only have so much room for error because we only have so many mice samples to use and I need enough slices of ACL to be able to have enough samples for a conclusive study and analysis. It was frustrating when I kept making mistakes like that. However, my team member that was training me reassured me that he was in my shoes before. Like me, he was an intern not too long ago and he messed up just as much as me.