My Gilmore Girls Summer: Research Intern at Yale

This summer I had the privilege of conducting research in the Ahuja laboratory at Yale University. If I were to explain my experience I would split it into two seasons.

I began with Dry Lab work, something I already had experience with, yet I did not know what was in store for me. The Ahuja Lab focused on epigenetics. For those who may not know, epigenetics is the study of the modification of DNA without altering its sequence, which is largely due to environmental factors. As I began my summer research journey, I was directed from the lab bench to the desktop. Analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas data became my daily routine, using Python to create heatmaps, analyze genes, and draw survival curves from data. I played a major contributing role in a submitted paper on racial heterogeneity in pancreatic cancer patients, which is currently under review.

The magic of Biomedical Engineering, to me, lies in its versatility. After working to complete the analysis of genomic data, my device of choice shifted from laptop to pipette. I began running RNA isolations from biopsy tissue, deparaffinization curls, sending slides for staining, and running qPCR after qPCR. After optimizing each process through several sets of trial and error, I felt at home in the lab. The greatest takeaway was perseverance, adaptation, and acceptance of imperfect results. Additionally, all the reactions would take hours, allowing me some time to complete more dry lab work. I graduated from the analysis of existing data to using GitHub and Bioconductor to aid in Genome-Wide Analysis. Though the learning curve was steep, I managed to shift from Python to R to run these pipelines, all while waiting for a PCR. This season, to me, truly represented Biomedical Engineering—a major where all the doors are open, and you have the opportunity to create the key. I learned a plethora of new skills, ranging from attending a machine learning workshop to using the NanoDrop to measure the purity of isolated RNA.

However, contrary to popular belief, I did not live in the lab. My labmates and I enjoyed all that Connecticut had to offer. From the top-rated New Haven pizza to weekly Friday outings, I not only gained valuable learning, but I also gained a family.