a.      Mosquitoes Be Gone Social Media/Web Design Intern- One of my fellow students invented an all-natural, cheap mosquito repellent, and I was chosen to join her team to get investors and market the product. Part of the proceeds will go to donating these repellents to developing countries. I am responsible for designing the website (via a pre-made template) and using social media like Facebook to promote our company. I wanted to intern with Mosquitoes Be Gone because my experiences in India and South America have shown me that I need to do everything I can to make this world healthier and stronger. However, my selfish reason is the amount I will learn working alongside this team of Stony Brook’s finest students. This experience will be my first step into the door of the medical workplace, and will provide me with the expertise on how to combine business, medicine, technology, and research to make a tangible difference. Lastly, I also joined because I hate mosquito bites!

b.    Department of Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant- This semester, I got hired as a TLT consultant, so I essentially help students with computer issues in the SINC sites (computer areas on campus). My responsibilities include learning how to deal with printer and scanner problems, learning about new computer programs, and building interpersonal and teamwork skills.

c.   Stony Brook Research Assistant- Working in a research lab for almost two years has altered the way I view science. I have realized that failure is one of the staples of science, as I constantly have to repeat protocols because of ideas that just didn’t work or sometimes even mistakes. The minutest details, like not vortexing or contamination of a buffer, could alter the results of an experiment. While it is incredibly frustrating, the repetition has allowed me to learn at a higher level and sharpen my skills further. My skills include PCR, digestions, gel electrophoresis, bacteria transformations, protein expression and crystallization, and yeast transformations. Perfecting mutagenesis and cloning procedures, I often use these skills to help out my mentor and other PhDs in the lab. Volunteering full time over this previous summer, I learned a multitude of skills involving proteins and yeast. In addition, I acquired the ability to pass on my skills as well, teaching another undergraduate student how to conduct mutagenesis. Training her raised the level of my expertise, as her curiosity pushed me to explain every aspect of what we were doing. Both of us worked on a new project given to me by my mentor, something that I will use for my Honors College senior thesis.

I really appreciate the opportunity my mentor has given me. Just being in the environment of the lab and listening to the academic conversations (and sometimes not so academic!) they have is quite enlightening. I often attend group meeting where the Ph.Ds of the lab present their research while the others watch and ask questions about every little detail. It is incredible to watch the debate and passion for science during these meetings. In the future, I hope to once again be within a crowd of the greatest minds and add my own input into the world of science.    

d.      Stony Brook Teacher’s Assistant for BIO 205 (Biology Laboratory Course)- As a BIO 205 TA, I helped a Graduate TA facilitate the lab every week. I had to also attend a three-hour prep session every week to learn the details of the lab for the next week. It was my job to know everything about the lab, so I could answer the students’ many questions. I held office hours once a week, and I also ran one lab session without the Graduate TA. I was asked to volunteer for the INTRO Biology Lab tour on Admitted Students Day where I talked to high school students about attending Stony Brook and my experiences as a TA. Becoming a TA allowed me to create a camaraderie with the students and give them advice about how they could learn at a higher level.

e.      Writer for Stony Brook Young Investigators’ Review- This semester, I became a writer for this undergraduate research magazine. This magazine allows me to combine my passion for science and writing and make undergraduate research more accessible to the general body. Currently, I am writing an article in which I analyze how rhetoric plays a role in grant writing, as well as the broader socioeconomic implications of this genre. Furthermore, I also name some flaws in this system of writing and offer possible solutions to solve these problems. This article will be published on the website around Spring 2016. In the future, I would like to publish my own primary research article in the magazine.