For my STEP Project, I continued my research with the Seveau lab in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity through the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Our lab studies the facultative intracellular bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, and its pore-forming toxin, Listeriolysin O (LLO). Particularly, my summer endeavors centered around generating stable cell lines that expressed fluorescent septins — a class of cytoskeletal proteins — that could be used to conduct live-cell imaging of various experiments that further build upon our existing understanding of their role in cellular processes. Previously, we found that septins play a role in plasma membrane repair mechanisms following perforation by LLO.
The project allowed me to work independently in my research lab and understand the many steps that make a research project feasible and successful. The focus on reproducibility in the project also helped me practice my laboratory techniques and restructure my experiments based on what I had learned, which also helped me independently grow as a researcher. I also learned that while I enjoy research and am grateful for the opportunities that I had this summer, I would like to continue exploring several types of research to see if there are others that I am interested in for the future, such as clinical or public health research.
Working very closely with my graduate student mentor, I was grateful to have received guidance on the ways that I should be approaching each aspect of the project, especially when there were setbacks or challenges that I had not previously encountered. While she allowed me to reach my own conclusions and work through these challenges independently, she helped me conceptualize every step and understand the detail with which I needed to approach problems to solve them and progress in the project. This was a skill I built with more dedicated time in the lab, and I am grateful to have learned problem-solving strategies and mindsets that certainly have applications in other aspects of my life.
I found that the repetitive nature of the research I was doing helped me to learn more about specific lab techniques and improve my skills. Also, I felt like I was understanding the research techniques I had read about in scientific journals and publications for my classes, which helped enhance my ability to comprehend scientific literature. This even helped me understand the content that I was learning and interpret figures and graphs during my MCAT preparation, which made me realize the true magnitude of knowledge that comes with application, especially on a more regular basis throughout this summer project.
Finally, I realized that while I do enjoy microbiology research and the work that I am doing in the lab, I am interested in learning more about other aspects of research in different disciplines that may be a better fit for my strengths and interests. I really enjoy working with other people directly, and the sometimes-solitary nature of research would be challenging for me if I decided to pursue it as a career path in the future. This helped me feel more reassured about my decision to pursue medicine as a career, but I am certainly interested in exploring other aspects of research and continue working in the lab, because of all the valuable knowledge and skills that I have learned.
The opportunities I have had in the lab this summer transcend just technical skills—many of them have shown me ways to tackle complex challenges that I am certain I will face regularly in a medical career, so I am immensely grateful for the experiences and am excited to continue learning about other aspects of research in the future that I have never done before. Additionally, I have gained knowledge about how to evaluate scientific studies and processes that is critical for me to practice in both the academic and career settings as I pursue medicine and work to finish my degree in Microbiology. Overall, I have had such a rewarding experience working in the Seveau lab this summer, and I am excited to continue my work throughout this year and explore other pathways for me in research in the future.
