My project took place in Dr. John Fisher’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory at UMD, which focuses on building biological models of human tissues for applications in regenerative medicine and disease modeling. My individual project focused on exploring how different extracellular matrix environments affect gene expression in placental trophoblast cells, with the overall goal of creating a 3D biological model of the placenta.
A typical day in the lab varied depending on the phase of the project. Some days were dedicated to culturing cells by checking their confluency under a microscope, changing the cell media, or passaging them to new plates. On other days, I would isolate RNA from the cells and synthesize cDNA, using the samples to run qRT-PCR experiments to assess gene expression. These tasks involved using specialized equipment such as biosafety cabinets, centrifuges, pipettes, thermal cyclers, and the qPCR machine. Throughout the week, I also read scientific papers to inform my work, and on Fridays I attended the “lab meeting” where everyone got together to talk about their progress throughout the week.
By performing hands-on work, I gained a much deeper understanding of the molecular biology techniques that I had learned about in my biology classes both in high school and college. For example, I had learned about qRT-PCR and how it works in my coursework, which helped me better understand how to perform these experiments and analyze my results during my Practicum project. In SGC Colloquium I also practiced problem solving and scientific thinking skills that were very valuable when analyzing data as well as reading scientific papers to get information related to my project. By participating in this Practicum project, I was able to hone these skills even more, which will definitely help me in my future academic and actual career.
This experience was very valuable in helping me clarify my academic and career goals. Before working in this lab I was questioning whether I wanted to pursue academia or industry, but now I’m quite confident that I am more interested in industry. I really enjoyed the hands-on lab work and found it very fulfilling and exciting, but I also realized that I don’t think I want to do this as a career. That being said, I have yet to experience an industry internship, so this is definitely something I would be interested in in the future. Looking forward, this experience has also motivated me to explore other areas within bioengineering. Tissue engineering was originally one of my broad interests in the field of bioengineering, and I definitely was able to achieve my goal of learning more about it during my Practicum project. However, there are still other areas I am interested in, so I plan to take more coursework related to other factors of bioengineering. Still, whether I pursue academia or not, I’ve become more confident in my ability to learn complex lab techniques and troubleshoot problems, which I know will serve me well in any career I may pursue.
I absolutely would recommend this opportunity to future SGC students. I think that research is a very interesting and important thing for people to be a part of, since it offers a realistic and more immersive introduction to what scientific research looks like beyond the classroom. Additionally, especially for students with a similar background and major as me, research experience is crucial for being a competitive applicant for graduate school or jobs, so I think it is very valuable to start it earlier in your college career as a Practicum project. Even though I originally was looking for a lab to fulfill my Practicum, I was still able to stay in the lab even after my Practicum ended, and I plan to continue my work there for the rest of my college career.