Rapping up

Congratulations RAP Interns on all your hard work!


Check out this RAP rap, written by Danaisha with support from Taylor and Roger, and read some final thoughts from the interns' last day below.

How would you describe your lab experience to a prospective mentor?

In my lab you are surrounded by a lot of smart and down to earth people. There are days you are assigned a lot of things and busy, but there are also other days the lab is slow. You just need to have an open personality and ask if you can shadow anyone and you’ll be fine. I enjoyed my time and I know the next intern will as well.  - M

I thought that the department where I was assigned was fun because we went out of the building and to peoples homes. Also, I learned that a lab might not always be a “lab,” it can be in an office. The people are always helpful and you can be yourself and not be criticized. The experience is great and it will help you in other intern/job opportunities because it exposes you to different environments!!! - X

My lab experience was about doing experiments and learning how a lot of different equipment. Since I was so interested in cancer, the lab I worked felt like heaven. You will gain so much if you push yourself to learn more and more enthusiastic about things that are going on in your lab. - HG

It was a very wonderful experience, I would recommended it. Definitely be open to whichever department you are in. There's always something new to learn. - R

I would tell them that at first, you may be nervous, but after being yourself, you will mesh well with the other interns (I did anyway!). Also, they should just be open to learning new things and ask many questions. You get a lot of independence, but a lot of guidance at the same time. You will make great connections, make new friends, and you will feel really good about yourself!  - T

I got to meet new people, make new friends, and experience what other peers my age don't get a chance to do. I learned to stay focused and do your job to the best of your ability. "Dress for the job you want not the job you have." - D

What was your relationship like with your mentor?

GREAT!!! I could always laugh and talk to them. I actually had four mentors, so we had our own little family! I’m really going to miss those guys, but I’m excited to come back for another internship in the winter they are allowing. - M

I loved being with my mentor because she helped me with my work but she also took time to talk to me about school and about life. She was very supportive and she helped us when we needed to present and stayed with us until 7 p.m. which was nice because it showed she cared for what we did.  - X

What was your favorite field trip?

My favorite field trip was the Harvard trip. I liked all of the information that we received on the college process, it was very helpful for me. I also liked exploring Harvard Square with the other interns. - T

My favorite field trip was the pathology trip. - D

I liked going to Harvard’s Natural History Museum because we got to walk around and explore what interested us. - X

What did you learn going through the process of creating the recognition ceremony presentation?

It was kind of stressful, but I liked the rap and poem. I learned it is great to be organized and patient. My skills improved. - M

What I enjoyed from the ceremony is that we got up and spoke several times so it made it easy to go up when it was someone’s turn and to present. I also like the intro of the ceremony, because it allowed us to relax, be ourselves, and to be silly. - X

It was enjoyable that we were able to communicate each other toward common goal. Working things out together and creating funny things were priceless. - HG

I learned that practice is key (Onawa's lesson). I learned that the practice of making it very realistic before the actual thing is helpful (Jori's lesson). And Jori’s activities we did build up confidence and relieve stress. - R

I liked the yoga because I felt more relaxed after doing it. I learned how to relax before making big presentations. - T

I enjoyed being able to present what I have learned over the summer so everyone can see. - D

Final thoughts?

I love you guys and we better keep in touch! - M

I will miss you! - HG

Be willing to learn and do yoga! Lol. Be open. - R

I'm going to miss everyone so so so so much! It went by so fast and I'm going to keep in touch with everyone!! - T

Animal Resource Center Field Trip Recap

Dear Random Person,

On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 12:51pm I arrived at a location with many flags hanged on a corridor. The various flags pertain to various countries that I do not recall the name of. This location is more properly known as FXB Lobby located on 651 Huntington Avenue. On this day we were going to visit the Animal Resource Center.

At the Animal Resource Center we went on a tour lead by _____________. On this tour we learned about what the workers at the Animal Resource Center do with their animals, what the animal resource center is used for, what materials and resources the Animal center has, and what procedures must be taken to enter the facility. The main animals that we looked at were mice and rats. The rats were separated by their sex, mating and those that were being experimented on.

Before we enter the facility we had to undergo an interesting routine that every visitor that is entering the Animal Resource Center. From the FXB lobby we went down stairs and then ________ opened the door using her access card into the Animal Resource Center. After we all entered into the cramped space, she made sure the door behind her was tightly shut. The Animal Resource Center has air tight lock doors. Once inside the small room, she told us to put on these funky looking jump suits. I personally taught it looked very dumb, but hey those are the rules into getting to the Animal Resource Center. Plus, I later learned from __________ that the reason all visitors must wear this weird looking jump suit is to help protect the animals in the center against any outside infectious disease or life form that can be harmful to the animals inside the center. In addition, ________ told us that they ran out of jump suits in our size so we had to wear the X-Large suits. Seriously, they were design for very tall and big people because I felt like I was wearing my two bed sheets. The color of these jump suits were dark navy blue, and we also had to wear a head cap and what I thought look like the same head cap but for my feet. Once we looked like we were ready for Halloween we were allowed to enter the next room. "Gasp"...to our surprise there was something else we had to accomplish before seeing the furry little creatures. We had to take a shower. I honestly taught in my head, seriously? Am I going to need to take my clothes off? I really don't want to do that. Luckily, ___________ then mentions that we have to take an "air shower". I was glad to hear that, yet questionable about what exactly that was? Every individual had to step into a chamber individually so he and she can take the air shower. Once both doors of the chamber were locked, air began to blow at your face and all around you, while wearing the funny looking costume. It's like a Jacuzzi without the water. It had the same type of air sockets to blow air towards you.

Finally, we are inside the furry creature’s lair. So exciting! That's until you take a good sniff of the room and your face turns to an angry pit bull's face. Actually I forgot to mention, that smell was notable since you enter the small little room where we put on the jump suits. Ok, so now that we were inside. The first thing I saw many yellow and dirty looking cages. We were escorted by __________ into the mice room. There we saw a huge collection of mice. Each cage had a certain owner and special trait. Each card had a different colored card that stood for something about the mice or rats in the cage. Any cards with three letter symbol STAMPED on the card meant that the mice or rat was going to be let to rest because he or she was not needed for the study anymore.

Rats are smarter than mice and dogs, according big cool guy name ____________. He showed us the rat room, they were place on stands just like the mice, and each rat was in a cage. Most of these cages had two or more mice or rats. The rats were big and ALBINO. They use albino rats for studies, because I think he mention that they live longer. However, I do remember that he said albino rats tend to obtain cancer tumors more than non albino rats. So scientists study these cancer tumors using different drugs on the rats. I learned from the cool guy named __________ that the rats that are more excited and come close to you to smell you are the rats that have not experienced many injections or experimentation. However, the rats that are just sitting away from you and don't move around too much are the rats who get poked around a lot.

Rats and mice are used for experimentation because they are not expensive to keep alive, and they reproduce very rapidly. I forgot the exact number but it takes about every 18 or 24 days I think he said, for mother rats or mice to give birth again. The mother rat or mouse can get pregnant while giving birth.

The experiment that the workers at the Animal Resource Center do with the rats is figuring out what diseases the rats carry and what can be used to cure the diseases. This is useful for humans. The sad part is when the rats have to die.

We were also demonstrated there MORG room? Well I think it was a morg room for mice and rats? It was the room where they do surgery on the rats and mice. They place anesthesia on the rat or mouse and use a microscope to do the surgery more carefully and accurately because you are handling such a small delicate creature.

_________ also mention to us some biological genotype references to how they place the rats and mice into certain cages and how they experimentation on them. However, I'm sorry because I haven't taken Biology since freshman year and don't recall much about what she was saying, but it sounded cool.

Danaisha: The trip was ok but not really something that I was interested in because I am not a big fan of rats and mice; they are DISGUSTING little creatures. Another cool part was wear the funny looking scrubs and we had to take an air bath that was really cool.

Roger: I found the trip to be interesting. Personally I find everything new interesting. However, there are things I liked and disliked about the trip. I like how I learned many facts about what the Animal Resource Center does and what it is used for. Yet, I find it cruel and sad how they are scientist out there that experiment on defenseless living creatures, such as mice and rats. I'm sure they would not like to be poked around and giving injections just to know how a certain drug will work. Don't get me wrong, I like learning new things and I like science. However, if it results in bringing the death to a living thing I find that corrupt and wrong. Knowledge is great, but greed for knowledge is destruction.

Sincerely,
Roger and Danaisha

It's all about Chris and Tracy

The Chris and Tracy Show :)

Interviewer: Midley
Interviewees: Chris and Tracy

Me: What made you choose this career?
Tracy: I choose science because I like the natural world. I grew up in Florida so I wanted to snorkel and scuba dive. I said I'm going to be a marine biologist and it's going to be the most awesomist thing in the world and study sponges! My father grew up in the 50's and 60's when all the kids wanted to be a marine biologist so he thought that was a really bad idea. So I said okay I'll look for something else and because at the time I was working in a lab after college, and I found this job in viruses and I thought it was cool. Then I started moving into molecular biology, and now I'm here.
Chris: In high school I did rescue squad and decided then I wanted to be a doctor, went to college and took a lot of science classes, and then started working in a lab. Then the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn't want to be a doctor. I wanted to help people and doctors don't really help, and it seemed very slipper to get into the medical system and not as rewarding I would like it to be. I really liked science so I went to get my PhD and that is why I am here.

Me: What was your favorite subject growing up? (Science for both)
Tracy: I love solving puzzles and I like asking questions and being able to find the answer.
Chris: However, it is a boring subject when you are just being told what you should be studying, like in high school. But I it like when I get to solve my own problems. That's our job everyday, come in, create a problem and solve it.

Me: What is a big dream that you fear you will never be able to furfill?
Chris: I don't know.
Tracy (shocked): You're furfill?!
Chris (casually): Yeah, I think so. If I were to die today, I wouldn't have any regrets.
Tracy (nods): That's good.
Chris: What are your big dreams?
Tracy: I would like to open a bakery, where I supply my own meat, a farm, and learn how to play the chello!
Chris: I guess I would like to play the piano more, but that's not something I'm worried about not furfilling. But I think I want to learn how to play the piano.
Tracy: How long have you wanted to play the piano?
Chris: A couple of years, four, five. I took a class in college, it was alright.
Tracy: Yeah.
Chris: I'm planing on buying a keyboard to hook up to my computer cause Apple has a program where you can have someone like Alicia Keys teach you how to play the piano!
Tracy: That is too cool!
Chris: Yeah, very cool.
Tracy: I wonder if they have a chello option.
Chris: They may. You have to be able to plug it in though.
Tracy (confidently): They have electric chellos!
-hahaha, they are too cool! :)-

Me: What is your favorite meal?
Chris: I kinda like them all, that's hard!
Me: Tracy like vegetables!
Tracy: My husband makes this ..... soup, it's packed with tofu....(and other stuff)...and I think it is the best thing ever since sliced bread!
Chris: I like food! I'm very agreeable. I like it in large greesy quantities.

Me: What is your favorite color?
Chris: Blue.
Me: Why, do you wear it like everyday? (the whole time I've been in the lab, I've only seen Chris wear blue everyday besides like four days!)
Chris: I own a lot of blue.
Tracy: I can't answer that, I have no idea.
Me: How come you never wear bright colors? (Chris was laughing at me, I wasn't being mean!) Tracy: I don't know, I just never have.
Chris: That is an observation people have about Tracy. She is very into her grays, blacks and browns.
Tracy: My house is really colorful though, we have a lot of bold bright colors! Hot pink, orange, red, yellow...
Me: Is it just to work you don't wear bright colors?
Tracy: I just don't decorate myself with bright colors. I think it's like an attention thing, I like to just blend in the background, that's how I roll.

Me: What is your favorite season? Why?
Me: Tracy I want you to answer this first. (That morning we had a talk about this question.)
Tracy: That is not a real question!
Me: Yes it is, look, number 6!
Tracy: Oh man, okay well, don't tell my husband but my favorite season is fall. It's fall because I love the weather, it's perfect. The evenings are cool enough that you can wear a jacket and feel a nice breeze. Oh and the trees, I love the bright bright orange trees, those are my favorite. And the holidays are coming! It's a nice kick off! Bam Bam Bam :)
Chris: I like spring into early summer. I like watching the plants come back alive and I find winter to be horrible, that's probably the worst time of the year..
Me (sadly): Hey, I was born during the winter!
Chris: Oh yeah, me too. But, it's a miserable season! It's cold, soggy, not attractive and depressing! The days are very short, which I don't enjoy, and I love spring because it is the total opposite. The days starts getting longer and it lets me know how great summer is going to be, since winter was so horrible. Spring is where it's at!
Tracy: Wait, you will never know how great summer is unless you have winter.
Chris: Then I'll love it all the time than! I would love spring, summer and fall!
Me: At least he included fall.
Tracy: Yeah, that's true.
Chris: I like fall, it's just not my favorite.
Tracy: That's fine.
Chris: But it's sad since fall reminds you that everything is about to die and leave you.
Tracy (shakes her head): But there's the excitement for snow.
Me: Not the cleaning part.
Chris: I'm fine with like two snows, but after that it's like this was great but now what?

Me: On your day off, what do you like to do?
Tracy: You can go first, my answer sucks. (haha smh)
Chris: I like to sleep in, read books, definitely not a science book, go for a nice run, go to a park and take pictures, eat a nice meal and go out with my friends at night.
Tracy: I just hang out with my son. aww :) And my husband, but he's usually taking a break from my son since he has him all day.

Me: Any advie for me?
-awkward silence-
Chris (jokingly): What's the saying, age comes wisdom?
Chris: A couple things, never worry about what people think of you, or what people think you should be. Always know who you are and follow that. Also enjoy discovoring what that means. And in life don't work for money or for others, work for yourself and happiness!
Tracy: Find what you love in life and make that your career. Don't worry about money, it will come.


Thank you guys! :)
Those two are awesome! They always help me whenever I need help and they have made my summer worth remembering. Everyday we have the most randomist conversations, but they are so happy and live that you can tell they really enjoy what they do. I really appreciate that I meant them and is thankful for all the advice and conversations I have had with them about my future. I really hope I can come back this December and spend two weeks with them for another internship! :)

Field Trip to Harvard Cambridge Campus

On Tuesday August 3rd, we went to the Harvard Cambridge Campus, the college known as the best college in the world, and of course, our faces were glowing with excitement.

First, we went into the Agassiz building and met two lovely and friendly harvard students, who told a lot of information about the university and led us into the campus. We learned some interesting facts about Harvard: First, John Harvard is actually not the founder of the university, but just a benefactor. Second, long time ago the library caught a fire and most of the priceless books and paintings were destroyed. Third, the Statue and John Harvard actually does not look like John Harvard because the person who was the model for his statue was not him (nobody knew how John Harvard looked like). It was very interesting to hear about these fun facts, standing in the middle of the campus.

Second, we went to the Science Center, which was constructed in an awesome stair-like structure. We got into the building and tried to sneak inside the one of the lecture halls. However, we had to get out because a guy (maybe a professor) kicked us out, saying "no tourists allowed in here." Also, there was a seven meters long calculator, which looked pretty cool but also scary at the same time.

After lunch, we went to Harvard Museum, which was located near the Science Center. It had almost everything inside from small organisms like insects to huge mammals like whales. In one of the rooms there was a box that contained about 150 insects in different categories such as predator and herbivores. The interesting thing about this bug box was that all the herbivores were really big, while the many of the predators were really small like a mice pooh. When I was observing this box, I was able to sense that it was trying to give me a lesson of life: Do not underestimate or ignore the deadliness of small ones.

The Harvard University tour was very pleasant and memorable. Even though most of us hang out and walk around the Harvard Square and heard a lot about the university, there were so many things that we did not know and that were fascinating to learn. Some of Harvard-haters among us actually began to like Harvard after the tour. It will be interesting to see if some of us will be able to conquer the Harvard College. Going to the best college in the world is not the most important thing in our lives, but I want to believe that there is a reason why we, the RAP interns, are accepted to this extraordinary program and having these invaluable experiences in our different workplaces.

My Interview of Eloisa Jardines

1) What made you choose this career?
I like to take care of patients and I like to prevent and cure diseases. In the environment I work in I am exposed to helping the health of children and mothers.

2) What was your favorite subject growing up? Why?
My favorite subject growing up was math because it was easy to grasp and also very easy to understand.

3) What is a big dream that you have that you fear you will not be able to fulfill?
I have many dreams. The one big dream that I have is to become a nurse, but I do not fear that it will not be fulfill. It will just take time, because I have a family and kids. I was a medical doctor back in my country for three years in Cuba. I plan to keep working and taking classes to become a nurse or something similar to a nurse here in the United States.

4) What is your favorite meal?
My favorite meal is called "Congris" back in Cuba "Congris" is basically a rice dish that contains rice, beans, vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, onions, and chicken or steak. I also really enjoy ice cream, cake, "tostones" which are fried plantains and pork.

5) What is your favorite season? Why?
My favorite season is definitely summer because I can go to beach, the weather is not cold, and I can wear light clothing.

6) On your day off, what do you like to do?
On a day off I like to go to the beach, eat my favorite foods, drink beverages with C₂H₅OH, swim in the beach, and breath the fresh ocean air.

7) Do you have any advice for me?
Always keep on studying because school is very important. There are many obstacles in life, but do not fear these obstacles. You must be persistent and overcome these obstacles. Always remember to do the right thing and do what is best.

Work update

Hey everyone,

For the past couple of weeks i have been doing a lot of filing and mailing. Yea not so exciting huh? It's because this lab is based on more paper work then actually doing experiments and so on. I enjoy being around everyone in my lab, they are all very kind. When ever i need help they are always there to help me with anything that i need help. My office area is very quite though, its very relaxing because sometimes it can get to relaxing because i get really sleepy sometimes. The following week coming up Taylor and I will be going to the blood lab where we will gain more experience and be a little bit more active working in a lab. I am really looking forward to working in the lab seems kind of interesting according to what i have been told about it. Two more weeks left guys!!!!! Time can really fly, I just want to say that i enjoyed my time with with everyone...Taylor, Midley, Ximora you guys are hilarious and you guys are cool to be around..I did not forget about the boys lol I enjoy my time with you guys too!!

Field Trip to Children's Hospital - Pathology Department

On Friday, we took a field trip to Children’s Hospital, Boston (more specifically, we were given a tour of the Pathology Department and the Orthopedics Lab). I was very excited about the trip, because it was our first field trip together as a group and I was looking forward to learning some new and interesting information.

First, we headed to the Pathology Department of Children’s. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the Pathology Department, mainly because any and all patient information is confidential and is it very important to respect the privacy of patients. Before beginning the tour with John Baci, a pathologist at Children’s, we met in a nearby conference room, where we briefed him on what we are doing at RAP, and in return, he briefed us on what his job entails as a pathologist. Pathology is the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases. In the pathology department, all the patients that come through, sadly, are already passed away. The job of the people in this department is to quickly figure out the cause of the patient’s death through medical procedures such as autopsies.

Mr. Baci showed us the cutting room first, which I found very intriguing. In this room, they make what are called pathology reports - reports that have been ordered by authorized healthcare professionals describing what has been found in the tissues removed from a patient's body. Mr. Baci told us that if the surgeons know that just one part of the child’s body (a leg, for example) is what was making them sick, they will remove the entire leg and take samples from it. Samples are taken from all different organs and parts of the body - the liver, the tonsils, even from the eyeball! The workers in the cutting room take as many samples as they need in order to diagnose the child’s cause of death.

The samples removed in the cutting room are then brought to histologists, who create slides and blocks from the samples. A histologist is an anatomist who specializes in the microscopic study of animal (and/or human) tissues. The sample is placed into a small plastic dish, called a cassette, the cassette is placed into a mold, and then hot paraffin wax is poured into the wax to preserve the sample. Once it is dry, you have what is called a block. Once the block is dry, pathologists and other authorized healthcare professionals can look at and handle them without wearing gloves! Mr. Baci said that this issue an ongoing battle in the healthcare world, but because the samples are covered with the wax, one’s hands never touch the actual sample. It was interesting to watch the slides being made as well. The wax blocks are used to make the slides, and a histologist cuts slices thinner than a piece of paper off the wax blocks, puts them in a water bath for a few seconds, and then puts them on the glass slide. The slides are then put in dyes of various colors so that they can be better seen. Each patient’s blocks/slide are given an ID number that they are identified by that is written on each one. In the department I am working in at HSPH, I am actually working with these same exact blocks and slides, so I was excited to be able to have some more in-depth information on how they were made.

Finally, we visited the morgue of the pathology department. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be! One particular thing that stuck with me from visiting the morgue was the new machine that is able to detect when an infant has unfortunately died from shaken baby syndrome. The name of the machine escapes me right now, but I just found that one piece of technology to be quite impressing. I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Children Hospital, because I was refreshed on some information I already knew, and I was able to learn some new information as well!

Interview Questions!

On July 20th, I interviewed Anthony Covarrubias, one of my co-workers in my laboratory. He is someone like a big brother for me in my workplace. He has taught me many techniques and things that I need to know in the lab. He is a very funny person and soothes me whenever I make some mistake. His existence in the lab has helped to adjust to work and get used to the things going on in the laboratory.

It was a privilege for me to learn about his life, which was filled with passion and love for science.

Name: Anthony Covarrubias, Ph.D Candidate in Wendy Garrett Lab

How did you get to where you are right now?

"I believe I got to where I am at as a Ph.D candidate at Harvard University by following what I truly love to do. I initially did not know that I wanted to get a Ph.D in science, but I always knew I wanted to be involved in scientific research. Thus, when I started college, I started doing research on plants for two years. Later, I wanted my work to have an impact on diseases that affect disadvantaged and communities of color. Thus, I did science research on hepatitis, cancer, obesity, and AIDS during the next few years. In summary, I got to where I am now by hard work, determination, and luck (I was fortunate to work with people who cared about mentoring me)."

If you had any trouble or hardship as you pursue the career of science, what would that be and how did you overcome it?

"For me, science has been a journey, in which I have worked with many different professors and students on many different topics. Although there are many labs researching a variety of topics, the biggest challenge for me was always getting my foot in the door. It takes a lot of time and resources to add someone (especially a young person with no experience) to a research team. Thus, finding the right lab and topic is one challenge, and equally challenging is convincing them to take you on. However, once you join, if you work hard and are dedicated, everything else will fall into place."

What is the favorite part of your job?

"My favorite part of my job is being able to think of interesting scientific questions and also being able to answer them in creative ways. I think being the first one in the world to know about a interesting science result and also knowing that you have contributed to the scientific community is very enjoyable."

What excites you about the research you are doing?

"The research I am doing is exciting because it allows me to answer questions about how a cancer cell functions. This will allow scientists to learn more about how this deadly disease works and how we can invent new strategies to defeat it. It may also have an impact in the clinic and may one day allow doctors to treat their patients more effectively."

What do you think the most important personality or trait is that a scientist should possess?

"I think the most important trait a scientist should have is persistence and determination. Often science can be like a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs. There may be many weeks in which experiments will yield very little results or don't work. Thus, a scientist should have the resilience to keep working hard and eventually the hard work will be rewarded with important and interesting data. On the contrary, you may have very good results, but it is important to acknowledge the many people on your research team and the countless other scientists who have contributed to your field of study."

Could you give me some advice that would help me to succeed as a scientist?

"My advice to a young person trying to succeed in science is to pursue science that is fun and meaningful to the researcher. This means finding the right lab, a good mentor, and also a interesting science project. I would also suggest that you work with different people and explore all your options. If you try to meet more people and can make strong connections with them, you will be able to get more perspectives and advice that you can use to help yourself in the future."

Thank you so much, Anthony!!

Reflecting my experiences in HSPH at the midpoint XD

The fact that this is the fourth week of RAP Program makes me feel so accomplished and excited. I am so happy that I was able to make through this far, and also happy to imagine how the remaining three weeks are going to be. I am so sure that many new and precious experiences are waiting for me and that I will be able to finish the program successfully and fruitfully.

The most interesting about my lab work is that everything I had been learning and practicing over the past two or three weeks matters significantly. Also, the fact that all the things that I had learnt are connected to each other really surprises me. At this moment, I am working on a little task that I have to show how the propionic acid affect the growth of CT26 cells (mice colon cancer cells). In order to finish this task successfully, I have to know how to use centrifuge, pipettes, and etc., how to make media with exact measurements, how to count cells, how to calculate the exact proportions of various liquids that are in different concentrations, and how to keep everything sterile in order to avoid contamination. These are all the techniques that I had been learning throughout the past three weeks, and after several mistakes, I experienced how important it is to have a well-trained techniques because it is impossible to do experiments successfully without them. If you do not have a good techniques, expensive lab necessities can get contaminated or become useless.

The field trips and lunches that I had so far had influenced me very much. Especially, the field trip to Children's Hospital was very interesting because I was able to learn about the careers and jobs that I never knew about. Also, it provided me with some sort of idea of what kind of job I would love to have and what kind of job that I would not be happy to have. The lunch meeting with DBS undergraduates was so fun and memorable because it was my first time having conversations with about 15 different people in such a short time. I learned how to listen to what others have to say about themselves and how to tell people about me effectively and briefly. Also, I was so surprised at how brave and determined they were; some of them were from other far states, and some of them knew what they want to do with their lives. In addition, it was very interesting to hear how they managed to survive their senior years and how they prepared for college. I am very thankful for all of the field trips and lunches I had so far; they enriched my experience as one of the interns of RAP.

Interview Questions

On July 27, 2010 I interviewed Sarah, who works within the same area as i do doing the same kind of work. Here is what Sarah has to say about being here at HSPH!!

Name: Sarah

Job Title at HSPH: Temp

What made you choose this career?
"My dad knows someone who works at HSPH and he set me up with the job. I also have an interest in working with diseases."
Favorite subject growing up? Why?
"My favorite subject growing up was Science because it's real, science is all around you and you get to know the world around you."
What college did you attend, what did you study there?
"I attended Johns Hopkins University in Maryland as a Chemistry major."
What is a big dream you have that you fear you might not accomplish?
"Becoming a surgeon is a big dream that i have that i fear i might not accomplish because it's a lot of money and a lot of time."
What is your favorite meal?
" My favorite meal is shrimp star fry."
What is your favorite season, why?
" My favorite season is Spring because i hate winter and my birthday is in the spring."
What do you like to do on your day off?
" On my day off from work I like to hang out with my boyfriend, sleep, go to the beach and maybe do a little workout."
Do you have any advise for me?
" Make sure you are happy because if your no its not worth it."

Field Trip: Children's Hospital

Just last Friday, the RAP program took a field trip to the Children's Hospital. It was really great to hang out with the other interns after not seeing them for a whole week and a half. As we walked to the hospital, which was only a few minutes away, I began to snap pictures trying to capture as many moments as possible. During our trip we had two tour, one from John Baci, who works in the Pathology Department, and Keith Solomon, who works in the Orthopedics Department. What I will be reflecting on is my experience with Mr. Solomon.

When I first met Mr. Solomon he was very straight forward, loud and straight to the point. He wasted no time telling us about himself and what he did. My first impression is that he was a mean person and did not enjoy laughter or any type of fun. You may think I did not like him, but as he continued to talk to us, I began to realized he was real and a very smart person who did enjoy to laugh. After he introduced himself quickly, for about 15 minutes (haha), he made us go around stating our name, rising grade, current high school, dream college, and which job we would consider in the future. As each intern went around, he had many comments for each of us while giving us useful advice. I told him my dream college was Stanford University and all he could say was that it was a really hard school to get into and if I really wanted it I had to make sure academically I was on point but still had a personality. At that point I wanted to just seat down and talk with him to get his opinions on many things because they seemed as if they were very useful and he spoke the truth.

Giving us a tour around his lab was nothing new to me because I currently work in a lab exactly like his. He showed us many of the machines and tools my lab had, but it was cool when he asked us questions about them, challenging us to make sure we actually understood what we knew and were taught. I will be honest and say I did not give him my full attention, but only because it was almost lunch time and I was STARVING, but I did learn a couple things from Mr. Solomon. He told us our bones stop growing when we turn 20. That's two more years and a half for me! I'm taking this very seriously and am going to make sure my bones are nice, thick and healthy, so I won't go through the excruciating bone breaking pain many elderly people face. He also told us people don't have to worry about their cholesterol until they are 30 years old. I have many years until that age, but I should still watch what I eat, keeping a well balanced diet so it won't be so difficult when I'm older. He told us a funny story of how growing up there was only one fat kid in a neighborhood who always got made fun of, but now there is a massive amount of people who are obese in one neighborhood. It was funny to hear that, yet it is sadly true.

One thing that Mr. Solomon told me that stuck with me is when he said there is a big difference between a doctor and a scientist. A doctor only works with things that has already been discovered and proven, while a scientist goes into work everyday ready to explore something new no one else has discovered. That has really got me thinking for the past few days. I keep asking myself do I want to work from the past or work on creating the future. I am leaning more toward working as a scientist and there are many things in public health that hasn't been discovered yet.

Coming from the two tours, I realized both Mr. Buci and Mr. Solomon don't work with patients. I love working with patients and getting the opportunity to interact with them and meet so many new different people. I am still currently confused about what I was as a career and a college major since college is only a year away. However, I repeatedly have to remind myself I'm still a kid and have many years to think about it and figure it out. I still have this summer to finish, so I will just continue enjoying this amazing opportunity that was given to me.

Living life one day at a time! :)

Xiomara

Interviewer: Xiomara Garcia

Interviewee: Onawa Labelle

Position: Research assistant

What made you choose this career?

Onawa: It seemed like the right fit, it was interesting to me. I was also naturally good at it and I wanted to serve the public and help people.

What was your favorite subject growing up?

Onawa: I was always interested with social studies and anything to do with people and history.

What is the big dream that you fear you will not be able to fulfill?

Onawa: I feel that I can accomplish anything if I work hard enough and as for help.

What is your favorite meal?

Onawa: I love Italian food!!! Chicken parmesan and sea bass!!!

What is you favorite season and why?

Onawa: I like spring because it is the beginning on a new cycle in life and everything starts to come alive again.

On your day off what do you like to do?

Onawa: I like to read, go shopping I also like to go to historical places and gardens like in the common.

Do you have any advice for me?

Onawa: Absolutely!!!! Never doubt what you are capable of and always as for help because people will end over backwards to try and help!!!

Reflection

Hello, the two longitudinal studies that I have been assisting on for the past 3 weeks are ACCESS (Asthma Coalition for Community and Social Stress) and GUTS (Growing Up Today Study). I find my lab work to be something very new and unique because it is something I have not done before. Learning about a study that goes way back to the year 2000 and actually being research assisting in such an interesting study is wonderful.

I have found the fact about cortisol hormones being a person's saliva sample being used to understand the stress levels of an individual to be very interesting. (Yes, I have said it multiple times, but it's still cool). I found entering data onto a data base to be interesting when you look at the questionnaires and the answers they had respond or the comments they left.

I found that both field trips to Children's Hospital and the Animal Resource Center to be very interesting, because I learned new facts and careers and job possibilities that I never knew about. I didn't know what a pathology was before the field trip at Children's Hospital and I didn't know that rats are very smart, even smarter than dogs before the field trip at the Animal Resource Center.

I learn that there many possibilities at any college, you just have to be engaged and willing to work at it. Also that a lot of them like pancakes.

Xiomara

The project that I am working on is the ACSSES and GUTS studies. What’s interesting about working within both studies is the amount of people that are willing to participate. For the ACSSES study there are home visits and people are willing to answer all the questions and get tested. They also allow their children to be part of the study. The fact people from all over the country are interested in help the study progress by giving time and information about themselves is something that I thought would be difficult but the real difficulty is sorting all the information, uploading it to the computer and filing it away.

This program has helped me to work in different situations, inside an office as well in other people’s homes. I have learned how to deal not only with adults but with the children of the participants in other words how to act. The lunch that we have together has allowed for everyone to get to know each other and be comfortable it has also been a good tool in helping us with our speech skills so we can be prepared for our presentations on the projects that we took on. The lunch that we had with the undergrads forced us to talk with people we really did not know and to find a way to come out of the awkward situation and present ourselves to each person over and over again to eliminate some of the nervousness that we had. I feel as though everything we are doing with in this program is to prepare for when we have a large audience that way we will be confident when we have to speak on our individual projects.

Meet Siobhan!

Siobhan is one of my mentors in my department of HSPH, and she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet!

What is your name?

Siobhan Saint Surin

What is your job title at the Harvard School of Public Health?

I am a Research Coordinator in the Nutrition department of HSPH.

What made you choose this career?

(chuckles) ...well I didn't really choose this career, I sort of fell into it. It was chosen for me.

What was your favorite subject growing up, and why?

In school, biology was my favorite. It ended up coming in handy for my current job! I liked it because we got to do lots of experiments that I was interested in. I really liked doing dissections of animals.

What college did you attend, and what did you study there?

I attended Bunker Hill Community College and studied computer networking there. I finished getting my Bachelor's Degree in political science at the Harvard Extension School and I am about to finish getting my Master's Degree in Management.

What is a big dream you have that you fear you might not accomplish?

Learning to swim! I always have wanted to learn, but haven't gotten to yet.

What is your favorite meal?

Well, potatoes (because I'm Irish), any kind of meat, and a vegetable.

What is your favorite season, and why?

I like spring, because this is the time when everything starts to grow. Everything is lovely and fresh.

What do you like to do on your day off?

I like to meet up with my friends and go out!

Do you have any advice for me?

Always follow your dreams, and don't ever give up, because if you put the hard work in, you'll get where you want to be.

Almost Halfway Done...What?!

I cannot believe that we are already in our third week of RAP! So far, I have enjoyed myself so much and I don't regret spending my summer here at the Harvard School of Public Health. This program is definitely a testament to the fact that time does fly. It seems like just yesterday all of us were at orientation playing ice breaker games and getting to know each 0ther better. Now our time together is already almost halfway gone!

So far many things have surprised me about being an intern in the Research Apprenticeship Program. I really like how friendly and kindhearted everyone in this environment is, from my co-workers in the office to the other interns. When I signed up for this program, I was hoping that everyone would be nice and cool to talk to, and my wish came true! I feel very comfortable around the people here and I can always ask anyone for help, even if I don't know them. I was also surprised at how much I have in common with the other interns, as well as how we are all different. I have learned a lot being here, and I plan to hopefully learn a lot more! I enjoy working in the Nutrition Department of HSPH on the Health Professionals Follow Up Study; I learned about pathology and pathology reports. I was so happy when we took a tour of the Pathology Department at Children's Hospital because it went hand-in-hand with what I was doing in my office and I got some more in-depth information on the blocks I am working with.

Every week I have looked forward to the lunch meetings with Jori and Sarah because not only are they entertaining and fun, but I always gain so much new information and advice from the meetings. I always love re-connecting with the rest of the interns in the program; it always feels like we haven't seen each other in so long when we see each other again. I enjoy hearing about the work my fellow interns have been doing in their labs . I especially enjoyed doing "yoga" with Jori at one of our past meetings because it was very relaxing and I learned a new way to prepare myself not only for the big presentation at the end of this program, but for any and all presentations I will have to give later in life. Lunch with the DBS undergrads was also another highlight of RAP so far. It was so exciting to meet people who are in a position that some of us could potentially be in very soon. Gaining a lot of feedback from them on what they knew about college and careers was amazing. It was interesting to me that there were people from different parts of the country altogether in one room sharing their experiences.

I can't wait to see what else is in store for me as I continue my summer being an intern here at HSPH!

Three weeks down...Four more to go!

These three weeks have gone by so quickly, making me realize my time in the lab is running out, summer is almost over, and worst of all senior year is right around the corner! Working in the lab has been so unpredictable that I laugh whenever I think about my experience. There are days I am in the lab shadowing an employee and is very excited when they assign me something simple that I am able to handle to limit their amount of work, while there are other days I am in the lunch room meeting new employees and conversating with them as if I've known them for more than five minutes. Within these few weeks I have been told what an amazing opportunity that was given to me and I am really starting to appreciate it knowing how competitive this program is.

Just last Friday, I was able to attend a Tuberculosis and HIV conference at MIT. I was one of the only two high schools students to attend. Let me tell you, so many unknown information was thrown at me and I was just blown away. I know nothing is ever impossible to learn but I believe everything I was told last week will take me years to understand! I lost count of the amount of people who presented but every person presented for about 20 minutes. It was cool knowing so many people were learning different information and running different test for the same topic. That made me excited to know I don't have to follow what others are doing but investigate whatever interest me, knowing whatever I find out in the future will be useful to everyone.

Since the lab is so independent and I can't go off and do my own experiments, many of the employees have been very considerate about expanding my learning during my stay. I have had many conversation about my future, been taken to the library to read one of my employees two favorite scientific books, been quizzed about what I was taught about TB, and given books to do some studying. I would say I have come across one problem, because I haven't taken bioliogy in high school yet and my high school doesn't use textbooks, trying to learn and understand all of these new facts through different textbooks has been a struggle. I guess I shouldn't complain because I enjoy a nice challenge and this is a preview of how college is going to be. There are many things I am going to be completly confused about, but I have to me smart and ask for help whenever I need it.

I will say I haven't reached the climax of my summer yet but I am enjoying it so far. There's many more to learn and experience and many more blogs for me to post! :)

My Workplace: Han Gil

Hello, my name is Han Gil Jeong, and I am currently participating in the Research Apprenticeship Program internship at the Harvard School of Public Health. I am working in the Wendy Garrett Lab, and out lab is studying and doing research mainly on colorectal cancer. The object in the photo shown on the left is called "hood." It is used when I have to do experiments, in which I have to keep everything sterile and clean. Before using the hood, I have to put gloves on and spray alcohol all over my hands in order to avoid contaminating samples or equipments. Although sometimes I execute some dangerous experiments, I am safe from those hazardous and toxic substances since the air that blows inside the hood isolates them.

Xiomara

The department in which I work in is the Channing Laboratory. We don’t have all the equipment that other labs have however, we do have computers, the work we do in the office is data entry. the data entry consisted of cross checking as well as finding errors on questionnaires and help with the master computer to a able to have the correct templates. We also do sorting of labels! My co-worker Roger and I are also working with the Access and the GUTS study. We learned how to talk to people over the phone and what we have to say if they want to be part of the study or if they would rather not. I was able to work on a questionnaire and to revise it so that it would be better and clear when being given to participants in the study. The data that we collect along with the data that we enter in the computer is being compiled and analyzed. The studies that we are assisting with are nation wide and have been going on for a large period of time.

My Workspace- Roger

Hello, my name is Roger D. Cruz. This summer I am participating in the Harvard Research Apprenticeship Program also known as RAP. I work in the Channing Laboratory on the west side of the Landmark building. My work enviroment is very friendly and quiet. My workspace is an office setting that consist of a cubical with a computer and other useful supplies at each cubical. At the channing lab Xiomara, my lab partner, and I work on completing data entry. Meaning, we enter the data collect through the bioimpedence analysis questionaires onto the PAM database for the ACCESS study. We have also been alphabetizing labels for the cortisol collecting kit for the GUTS study.