My STEP project consisted of me performing undergraduate research in a lab in the College of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.  Our project focused on the study of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly sinoatrial node dysfunction (sick sinus syndrome).  I performed molecular experiments, such as western blots, immunostainings, protein concentrations, etc. on human heart tissue, as well as coming in for human heart experiments for optical mapping.

I had started working in this research lab in October of 2018 and worked until the end of August 2019.  Honestly, this lab has taught me a lot about myself, but it was one of the most difficult situations I’ve ever had to experience.  Working in this lab put a major strain on my mental and physical health and I eventually lost interest in working in that field because of it.  I’m not going to lie and say that I had a positive experience working in this lab, but it definitely helped me learn how to stand up for myself and handle difficult situations.

When I first started working for the lab in October, I was so interested to learn more about the heart and cardiac arrhythmias.  I still am interested in learning about it, but I realized that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life studying it.  My lab would receive human donor hearts for research and perform 15-20 hour experiments on them.  This meant that we were all on-call 24/7 and would likely have to drop everything at a moment’s notice.  Although I found it exciting at first, I realized that neither me nor my time were respected.  Being constantly yelled at and demeaned after taking the time to come in to the lab at all times of the day or night was not fair to me or any of the undergraduate students working in that lab for essentially minimum wage.

After realizing that the lab was not good for my mental and physical health, nor was it what I wanted to study in the future, I eventually found a different lab that I was actually interested in studying.  I contacted my new PI, Dr. Fuchs, and after talking with him, I realized that I wanted to join his lab.  I put in my two-week notice for my former lab and started my new research lab in the beginning of September.  I have been working in Dr. Fuchs’ lab ever since and I’m very glad I joined.

However, about a week after starting my new lab, I received an email from my former PI saying that he wanted to remove me as a co-author on a paper that I had been working on since February.  Since the first author on that paper had recently gone maternity leave, he essentially took over for the resubmission of the paper and did not know how much work I actually put into the paper.  I figured he was probably upset with me that I left his lab, so this was his way of “getting back at me”.  I was reluctant to ever talk to him again, but, after talking with my friends, I decided to email him back and tell him why this wouldn’t be a good idea.  He ended up keeping me as a co-author on the paper, but I was glad I was able to stand up for myself.

Honestly, this lab was a rollercoaster from start to finish and I would not recommend this particular lab to anyone.  I did not expect to write about my experience in this much detail with STEP, but I feel that I should be honest with the STEP community and any other undergraduates interested in being involved in research. Any students that are unfairly treated should not have to put up with it and I am grateful for the support system I had that led me to find my new lab.  I feel that this experience will help me stand up for myself in future scenarios and it has made me feel like I am ready for anything.

For my STEP Signature Project, I worked as a research assistant on a sociolinguistic project happening in the linguistics department. More specifically, I transcribed audio files from interviews that occurred with non-binary individuals in the Columbus area. The interviews were aimed to gain insight into the linguistic behavior of this speech community, as well as the community as a whole.

Through this project, I was able to reflect not only on the work put into research, but also on the information that was shared throughout the interviews. I am able to see my strengths and weaknesses regarding work in this field and where my passions lie. Analyzing the content in the interviews allowed me to orient myself in a way that I hadn’t before by listening to people speak about an area that I wasn’t very familiar with. I feel more comfortable talking about topics regarding gender and language, and how research plays a role in discovering and educating people about these ideas. This project has shown me not only how much work a research project can be, but more importantly, how much it can reveal.

Listening to the experiences of the people being interviewed was definitely the most defining, transformative aspect of my project. I found myself connecting aspects of my life to their stories, as well as taking my own knowledge and applying it to the ideas that I was hearing in the interviews. I also found myself finding patterns and piecing together my own ideas regarding how language is used by non-binary people, or how the community functions as a whole. I have a deeper understanding of the types of things that are researched in this field, and how it can be done effectively.

The act of transcribing was another transformative aspect of my experience. I first had to learn certain transcription conventions, as well as how to use certain programs and input information. Learning this skill will definitely be useful in the future, when I am bound to transcribe other material. I also found myself gradually becoming more efficient at transcribing and being able to focus better on certain aspects of speech. I feel confident with these abilities and using them in the future. 

This project has also allowed me to make more connections. I am more familiar with people in the department, and feel more comfortable reaching out for more opportunities. I think this project has been a good beginning stepping-stone that will lead me to other things. I hope that the relationships I have built will allow me to continue working in this area, and begin doing work of my own. 

Overall, this experience has been significant to multiple areas of my life. Not only have I achieved personal fulfillment, but I also have worked towards bettering myself academically and professionally. I am thankful that I got to work on a project in an area that I am passionate about, and I feel a sense of pride knowing that I got to work on something very important. I have also gained academic and professional skills that I can carry with me throughout the rest of school, as well as a future career. I know that this experience is something that I will carry with me and reflect on for a long time.

Screenshot taken from the program used for transcription