Stopping to ThINC, Finding a Future
By Kayla Barnes
Graduation is a scary time. The fear of change and post-graduation plans can be debilitating for most.
As an impending graduate with a biology degree, I felt the fear. I began to ask myself questions about my next steps. I knew I was interested in scientific research, specifically working in a laboratory setting, and in pursuing a medical career, in hopes of becoming a doctor. But I didn’t know where to start – where to gain experience to prepare for these careers.
I felt I lacked experience partly due to the extended effects of COVID, and I would have to rectify this – maybe through an internship. On Handshake, I noticed a great opportunity to gain experience in a laboratory setting with ThINC lab, and was overjoyed to receive an internship offer.
On my first day, I met a past intern who gave me a tour of ThINC lab’s multiple instruments. As she gave me an overview of each instrument, I felt intimidated and underqualified – I even wondered if I’d been hired by accident.
During subsequent visits, I was able to shadow Dr Simon Chang, an instrumentation scientist who specializes in multiple ThINC lab instruments. He turned my shyness and apprehension into confidence, encouraging me to ask questions, taking joy in answering them.
He graciously showed me the ropes of the Scanning Electron Microscope, the Confocal Microscope and the Transmission Electron Microscopes. Instruments I was at first afraid to damage, I now handled with confidence. I knew how to prepare samples fopr analysis. I knew how to use the software. I knew which knobs to turn to control the focus and magnification.
My time with Dr. Chang was cut short when he moved on from ThINC lab. But I’m very grateful to Dr. Chang for accepting my inexperience and teaching me in a wonderful and accepting environment. I was able to learn a tremendous amount in such a short time.
With the knowledge gained from ThINC lab, I was able to move onto the Central Microscopy Imaging Center lab, where I worked under Dr. Guowei Tian and Dr. Yunming Hu. Here, I was able to learn how to utilize a new instrument, through Dr. Tian’s guidance: the Super Resolution Microscope.
I was also able to further my skills on the Transmission Electron Microscope by shadowing Dr. Hu. What I enjoyed most about my experience in this lab was the biological specimens I was able to view – as a biology student, it was really exciting to see the histology of cells that I learned about in class, clear in front of me.
Along with gaining hands-on experience in each lab, I was able to develop professional skills through personalized meetings with Shruti Sharma, program manager of the ThINC facilities.
As I have learned through our multiple meetings, Shruti is both knowledgeable and wise. When I felt lost on where to start after graduation, Shruti graciously took me under her wing and provided me with numerous resources and opportunities to help me plan out my next steps – and most importantly, to find opportunities fitting my intended career. This included help with my résumé, the formulation of a personal five-year plan and the creation of numerous action items to keep me on track.
Overall, my ThINC internship helped me grow in many ways. I came in with limited lab experience and a fear of what postgraduate life might look like; this internship gave me hands-on experience, confidence and the outline of a plan for life after graduation.
I first sought out ThINC to see if I could really picture myself working in a laboratory. After this internship, I’m anxiously looking forward to my next experience in a laboratory setting – and I’m excited to announce that I’ll be interning as a laboratory aid at NYU Langone this summer!