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Junior Internship
Very little information exists on the anatomy of mitochondria, as only a handful have been modeled. This is detrimental, especially to neurobiology, because mitochondria perform such essential functions. They are mainly responsible for creating energy in the form of ATP, but they also are the source of body heat and facilitate health cell death. All of these functions are rooted in the structure of the mitochondria. The level of energy production and the amount of heat that radiates through the rest of the body may be increased by a greater internal surface area. My project was part of a larger study of those properties. I traced a single mitochondria that had been segmented into 299 images by computerized tomography, the same process involved in medical CT scanning. Creating such a detailed model required tracing each individual image in a program called Reconstruct. My project manager, Tom, was then able to put it into Blender, which allowed him to smooth out the model and create the movies shown below. Going forward, the model may be used to simulate the function of the mitochondria to conduct tests. We are continuing to work on finding the measurements and may even create 3D-printed models.
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I am happy to have pictures to remember my experiences as internship comes to a close. For this photo essay, I decided to share what a typical day at the Salk was like. Enjoy! Measuring success throughout the project was something I expected to be pretty straightforward. My mentors were not sure how long it was going to take for me to complete the model, or if it could even be done in the duration of the program, but my hope was that I could complete it in my four weeks there. I set benchmarks for myself and consulted my project manager to figure out what the timeline would have to be in order to reach my goal. I aimed to finish the more simple inner and outer membranes in the first week of receiving the data, which was the second week of the program, and tracing the more complex cristae membrane this week. I am only a few traces away from achieving this goal tomorrow morning. While setting goals from myself has been helpful, I felt unsure of my success in the internship as a whole. Today, for example, I did not feel like I was on top of things. I was tired and just tried to get through it. When I was able to show my mentors my progress, everything changed. I pulled up the model and my motor was ecstatic. He called in my other mentors and they were all so supportive. It gave me energy to continue. I am so grateful to have such kind and encouraging mentors. They work able to help for press on and stay on track throughout the project.
The word "meaningful" seems so inadequate when I try to describe the impact this internship has had to my education. Being around people who are not only brilliant and established in their field, but also kind and humble, has given me a renewed enthusiasm for biology. I have had the opportunity to go to lectures from world class professors and have conversations with groundbreaking researchers. It has really been such a blessing. While I have formed a clearer path of my education goals, it is going to be very difficult to go back. I am motivated to pursue research and internship opportunities that will allow me to work in laces like the Salk. I have a better understanding of how to get grants, conduct research projects, and succeed in the academic side of the field. Here is an overview of a typical day at the Salk in pictures. Hover over each image to see the description.
I have been fortunate to have very considerate mentors, so there have not been many situations where I had to advocate for myself. When I started out, my mentor encouraged me to take lots of break from staring at the screen and to relax. It was kind of him to make sure I was at ease there, but he told me to stay calm again that afternoon and again later in the week. I got a sense that something was wrong. Did he think I was trying too hard? Did I seem too uptight? I had been following the advice in "How to Be a Memorable Intern" very closely. Maybe I came across as being overly concerned with impressing them.
It wasn't until we sat down on Friday to do the interview that I realized what it was: my tremor. The shaking has gotten better as I've gotten older, and I rarely notice it now. It was only because of the tracing I was doing for my project, as I mentioned in my last post, that it was on my mind that day. When my mentor asked my if I was okay, I realized that I came across as nervous because I was always shaking. I had hesitated to mention my condition earlier in the week because I thought it would make a small problem seem bigger than it was. It occurred to me that they may be hyper-aware of it as I tried to create an accurate model. I had figured out how to filter any shaking out of the program by the end of the week, so I felt more confident talking to my mentor about it. I explained that I was born with an essential tremor and that it can seem like I'm nervous when I'm not. I felt relieved that to know what had made me seem less relaxed, and that my mentor now understood why I kept shaking. Looking back, however, I should have brought it up earlier or simply asked what made me seem uneasy. I will try to be more communicative with my mentors going forward. For my internship project, I am creating a three-dimensional model of a mitochondria within the axon of a neuron. In order to do this, I am using a program called Reconstruct to trace the membranes of the organelle on each image. The entire mitochondria is about 1.5 microns tall, the size of a single pixel on an iPhone. They use an electron microscope and computerized tomography (CT scanning) to capture such a small object in great detail. As I work to create the model, I am also providing feedback about the program to help my one of my mentors create better versions. I will be testing each new update and adding to a wish-list of desired features. Along the way, I am learning about programming in python and seeking to better understand neurobiology. A big part of making my product efficiently has been learning to use the tools and finding new shortcuts. I am working with a Wacom Cintiq, a drawing tablet that comes with a stylus. Last week, I programmed each of the buttons to help the work go faster. The buttons on the pen, for example, allow me to go to the next image while barely moving my hand. I had the opportunity to get advice from one of the experts in Reconstruct who was a big help in making the program easier to use. She will be my go-to person when I need help with the program. My project manager is the best person to go to when it comes to question about how I should interpret the data. When I started, I was concerned that my essential tremor (a chronic shaking in my hands) would be an issue in creating accurate traces. I was almost afraid to mention it to my mentor. When I was reading through the manual, however, I found that there is a smoothing feature in the program. I increased the setting and there is now no sign of my tremor in the traces. I hope to continue to find new ways to improve my product as I continue to ask for advice, explore new features, and simply get more practice. In fact, the creator of the program is visiting soon. I look forward to learning from her. Interview Note: These are my summaries of answers from the more extensive interview. What were your goals in high school? How hard did you have to work to achieve them? My mentor wanted to be a military pilot in high school. Before the Korean war, you didn't need a degree for that. No one in his family had gone to college, so it didn't occur to him to apply until he overheard some of his classmates talking about studying physics at Cal Tech. He only applied to that one college and did not get accepted. A family involved in his boy scout troop recommended him to Stanford and he got in. When he was there, he decided to pursue a career in engineering. We went on to have three whirlwind careers: installing atmospheric measuring devices in Antarctica, working on the first Mars flyby with the Jet Propulsion Lab, and finally becoming a computational neurobiology researcher at the Salk Institute. How do Salk employees get funding for their projects and themselves? The Salk operates on the educational model that universities follow. There are professors that are expected to find their own grants and get published. Professors run labs with graduate students and research associates. Not all employees are working to become professors. Some focus solely on research. It is usually the more senior professionals that must fund themselves. What is the traditional path to a career in research? PhD graduates must get post-doctoral research positions, which are hard to come by. They then try to become assistant professors or staff members. If they choose to pursue professorship, they become assistant professors. This is where the pressure is on to get funding and get published. They are on a track to get tenure as they progress from assistant to associate to senior professor. If they chose not to pursue the tenure track, they are considered staff members and focus more extensively on the research. Highlights of My WeekFor my project, I have traced what must be at least a thousand circles on a screen. (See more in my next post.) As boring as that sounds, and it sometimes is, this has been one of the best weeks of my life. I am in awe of the people I work with. They are brilliant and so accomplished that I sometimes think, They have to be making this up! , but they are the most humble group of people I have ever met. They all went through so much trouble to make a little teenager feel welcome and engaged this week. No matter how successful or modest my career is, I hope I can have the humility and kindness that they do.
I wasn't sure I wanted to go into biological research when I started my internship. My first email to my future mentor explained that I might like to incorporate it into a career with elements of education and business. Having thrived in an environment filled with interdisciplinary projects, I couldn't picture a career focused solely on biology. I can now. I have spent the last four weeks with people who actually seem to glow when they talk about their work. That kind of excitement is contagious. I have come to appreciate that research, like many other careers, requires a great deal of focus; it can even be tedious sometimes. It's the significance of the work and that sense of wonder that I believe is going to push me through the challenges.
I have also learned that committing to the biological sciences doesn't mean doing the same thing for years on end. Not only have my coworkers taken very unique paths to get here, they continue to pursue other passions. They have volunteer work, hobbies, and even hang gliding-organizations that continue to be apart of their lives. They have also been able to explore the many areas within biological study, each bringing a different perspective to their current work. While I believe that my time here will improve my chances of getting into the colleges I'm interested in, it has also influenced the colleges I consider. Being right next to UCSD and getting to attend lectures there has made it a top contender. In addition, my coworkers gave me advice about universities. They have been able to provide insight on unique research opportunities at different institutions, such as ongoing projects I might be interested in. I have been given a whole new perspective on college and career opportunities, and am so grateful to my mentors and coworkers for giving me those opportunities. In my first day I had the opportunity to learn the basics of image segmentation. Appling my drawing and CAD modeling experience, I will be constructing the second three-dimensional model of a mitochondrion for the Computational Neurobiology Lab. This will be included in research being published by the Salk as well as other international research teams. They are hoping to better understand how learning and growth happen within the synapses, but need further research about the energy produced within a neuron. The work I am doing may be tedious at some points, but I know that the significance of the work and and the community within the lab will keep me motivated.
I was most interested culture of the workplace. Especially in a very sectioned-off computer lab, one would think it would be a very antisocial environment. I found that the opposite was true. The group makes conscious efforts to connect with each other that have created a strong sense of community. They have Tea Time (which I am very much looking forward to) and lunch together. They are interested in each others work, constantly learning from their peers. People truly light up when they talk about their work and are constantly asking other researchers about theirs. The Experience I'm a so excited to be interning at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. I will be observing and assisting in the Computational Neurobiology Lab. Researchers work with supercomputers to simulate the functions of the brain and process data from other departments. I will be doing image segmentation. Using images taken via an electron microscope, I will construct three-dimensional representations of the brain. In addition, I may be assisting with other projects in the lab and learning to program. I am looking forward to learning new skills and meeting with scientists to talk to them about their work. Research is primarily done independently, but everyone has an area of expertise that others are interested in. I imagine that a typical work day is spent at the computer doing research. The team is also very social, however, so collaboration and discussions often occur. My Mentor, who is more involved in the computational side, was very interested in my Project Manager's cellular neurobiology work. He asked him questions and listened to our conversation. The Project Manager has worked with other members of the lab to create software that simulates cells for researchers all over the world. This plays a major role in the work of the lab. The Salk works closely with UCSD, where researchers give lectures and attend events. They also have lunch and tea time together as a break from work. The main policy I encountered is that everyone needs to wear a badge at all times. I had to have an escort and a visitors badge. In order to receive a badge, I must complete a quick training session and fill out a work permit for minors. The dress code is semi-professional. Each person is responsible for their time table. They have a lot of projects, classes, and events to keep track of, so success is determined by the work they produce. Sometimes they work 12 hour days, while only working 4 hour days on others. Skills Not only will my understanding of the cell from Biology come in handy, but I will also be able to apply skills from Robotics and Art class. My project is to create a model of a mitochondria within a neuron to help them understand how energy within the neuron correlates with learning. To do this, I will using a digital pad to trace images taken with an electron microscope.
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The ProgramJunior Internship is a month-long opportunity to gain experience in a real work environment. I am happy to be spending this time at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. ArchivesCategories |