Christian interned as a research assistant taking BNSN C341 during Winter 2023 Semester.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
I was a research assistant in Dr. Brian Woodfield's lab studying a metal organic compound with potential uses for drug delivery and gas sequestration. Dr. Woodfield gave me the tools and autonomy that I needed to develop a new method of measuring this important class of materials, and as a result I was able to present my findings at the ACS national conference, and am currently publishing a paper detailing the new method.
What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
I learned the value of never looking at problems with a new perspective. Research is often riddled with frustration and dead ends, and many times I was ready to throw in the towel and determine the project was impossible. My incredible mentors helped me to keep trying and to see the problem with a fresh perspective over and over and over again until we finally solved the problem.
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
Though my plans haven't undergone a complete shift, I certainly feel that a course correction has happened. I now see more clearly what I want to do and my career plan has become much more focused.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
I learned the value of facing adversity with a positive outlook I had been working for a year doing this research and was rewarded with nothing but broken instruments and frustration. I was ready to give up and say maybe I'm not cut out for this work, but my mentors helped me to push forward and eventually accomplish something really impactful in my research.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
Absolutely. The experience I had was unreal. As I was presenting my research at the national conference, several professors approached me and were shocked that I had the autonomy and ability to do this research as an undergraduate, and several of them asked me to please consider joining them for postgraduate research work.
This type of experience is almost unheard of for undergraduate students, and the experiences I had and things I learned will stick with me forever.