What students are saying about summer science opportunities, in their own words...
Maeve Secor ’18
JHU Department of Environmental Engineering
During my internship I worked mostly on qPCR reactions. In doing so, I learned about stuff like Cq values, the concentration of DNA, pipetting, proper biosafety hood procedure and much more. In the Preheim lab, qPCR is important because DNA serves as a proxy for the presence and distribution of microorganisms, and my supervisor’s overall goal is to capture as much genetic signal from the microbial community as possible. I also got to go out on a sampling trip on the Chesapeake Bay, which was really cool.
Sophia DeVito ’18
JHU Department of Civil Engineering
I had a great time in my internship! I spent the first couple of weeks learning MATLAB, which is a programming language that is used heavily in the engineering fields. Using these new skills, I then worked on a model simulating the behavior of a piece of ceramic material being subjected to load. It was great to be able to learn a skill I will use in college, and work with a professor in the field I want to go into!
Raven Brown ’18
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Over the course of my four-week internship, I worked on a project that revolved around zinc finger proteins and how they reduced inflammation. We looked to see if cadmium could bind to these zinc finger proteins since cadmium has become a more common air pollutant. I also worked on two other projects during that time. The first project was about water, so I tested the metal concentration in water from both Baltimore City and Baltimore County. We worked with a program called CURE Scholars, which is for middle schoolers interested in science. I ran their "day in the life of a scientist" experiment. The second project was a clinical trial that was basically trying to make a new generic drug for iron anemia. Overall, I enjoyed my internship so much!
Caroline Troy ’18
JHU Department of Environmental Engineering
During my internship, I learned about hydrology, water testing and water chemistry. We took measurements of the water chemistry along a stream network at Oregon Ridge Park, and I analyzed the data, creating graphs to represent it, and considering possible reasons for any fluctuations. At the end, I presented to the department about my findings and hypothesis.
Emma Wyatt ’17
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
This summer I worked on the University of Maryland’s FDA trial for an iron drug to treat anemia. I was part of the team who worked on developing the method for testing the drug's effectiveness during the clinical trial.
Jwana Khatib ’17
Wilmer Eye Institute
At the Wilmer Eye Institute's Lab of Nanomedicine, I had opportunity to observe numerous surgical experiments involving nonmedicinal methods, in addition to making my own nanoparticles of anti-inflammatory drugs.
Teresa Norman '15
JHU Environmental Engineering and Geography
For my internship we were at Oregon Ridge Park, and we were studying the different tree species that are there. We measured the diameter of different tree trunks to estimate their age, and use that information to see how the speciation relates to the land. At first, working with grad students was very overwhelming, and everything that they were saying was going straight over my head. That was the biggest challenge, along with the analysis of the data. But after awhile, once they walked me through what we were doing several times, I really understood it, and it made me feel good to be able to work with them and contribute. Before this internship, I knew that I wanted to study environmental science in the future, but I hadn’t even considered environmental engineering. Now I think that that is what I would like to study in college. It also reconfirmed for me that I am taking the right classes this year, as I am in both AP Computer Science and AP Environmental Science.
Feddi Roth '15
JHU Medical School, Oncology
This summer I worked at Johns Hopkins with two other Bryn Mawr students. We each did several different projects, but I researched nano particles that are being used for cancer treatments. In the research I was doing, the nano particles are useful because they are extremely small, and the ones I was researching have magnetic properties, so we can force them to speed up and act in different ways. They can be injected into very small spaces, like tumors, and they will be able to target cancer cells without hurting the rest of the cells. One of the biggest challenges I faced was a lack of knowledge about this topic. But my mentor was great about giving us a list of questions and guiding us to do research on our own. There were also very specific procedures that we had to follow to prevent contamination to the cells, and that took some getting used to. My favorite part of the internship was the research itself. It was fascinating to think of the applications, because we talked a lot about how this could be used to treat cancer. Aside from that, all of the people working in the lab had such interesting projects, and they were so excited to tell us about them. This experience definitely confirmed that I want to study science in college.
Hala Bailey '14
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Summer 2013
I had a blast working in the lab this summer. I do not think I could have gotten a better experience. Dr. Fletcher and his group were so friendly and willing to teach me. I was surprised to be doing more chemistry than I expected, but it inspired me to consider a future in research. I learned so many things, such as what the NMR does, how to read the information it gives, and the proper way to run a column both manually and through the machine. I was able to do my own workups, and by the time I was finished I could run a TLC in my sleep. I will also be published on two papers within the next year because of the work I did with Maryanna Lanning, a grad student in Dr. Fletcher's group. All in all, this was the most incredible summer experience I have ever had and I definitely hope to go back next year. This internship was a life-changing experience for me and I am so thankful to have been granted this opportunity.
Nia Ebrahim '14
Johns Hopkins University Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Summer 2013
I absolutely loved working at Johns Hopkins this summer. The experience was even better than what I expected it to be. We were welcomed so warmly by everyone in the lab and they made us feel very comfortable. The first thing we learned about was cell culture, and seeing real cancer cells for the first time under the microscope was fascinating. Watching scientists who were so focused on their work to find answers that will one day save lives made me love the idea of research.
The first two weeks, we had a lot of "studying" to do. We were given papers and slideshows to read so that we would learn all of the important background information that was needed to understand the researcher's experiments. During those weeks we mainly watched experiments. Everyone made sure to clearly explain what they were doing and why, and they didn't let us pretend we understood. As we watched the experiments, the scientists gave us advice-not only on techniques, but on how to approach science, sharing results and working with others. They allowed me to realize the meaning of science, and seeing the passion in their faces as they shared their experiences and wisdom really made me want to be a scientist.After several weeks, we got to culture our own cells and perform the Western Blot, PCR, Cell Titer Blue, and Ferrozine assay. We watched tumor injections into mice and learned about measuring the tumors as they grew. Dr. Ivkov also took us to Gaithersburg to visit NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which was amazing. Overall, we had a great experience.
Alex Saiontz '14
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Women's Technology Program in Electrical Engineering, Summer 2013
This summer, I spent four weeks at the Women's Technology Program at MIT. During the program I lived in dorms at MIT, explored Boston, and learned about Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Discrete Mathematics. I worked with female MIT graduate students and other high school students on problem sets and projects. I loved this program and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't know much about engineering (either electrical or mechanical) or computer science, but would love to learn about it in a challenging but supportive environment.
Melda Gurakar '13
JHU Medical Campus, Neurological Surgery, Summer 2012
I watched 3 brain surgeries at the Hopkins Medical Institute while I was there, although I did not stay for the full length of 2 of the 3 surgeries, as those lasted for more than 10 hours. Surgery was simply AWESOME. I loved every aspect of it and have decided that I very likely want to go into neurosurgery. From what I observed, surgery is a very meticulous process that requires a lot of on-the-spot logical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and leadership, which is, I think, why I was so mesmerized by it.
Kanika Kamal '13
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Summer 2012
My time at the University of Maryland was unlike any experience I had had before. I got to be an active part of the research, show off my scientific skills, and feel like a team member in the quest for a cure for patients. It was an opportunity that I am glad I took advantage of. Hopefully in the future I can do more lab work!
Katie Liu '13
JHU Engineering Innovations, Summer 2011
I really enjoyed all of the people that were in my class. I liked learning more about different types of engineering, and I was able to discover that I am really interested in electrical engineering. My favorite moment was building an electrical car that was programmed to follow light. I was in a group that was one of the first to make this car successfully, and it was awesome. Another fun thing that we did was build bridges out of spaghetti and epoxy. Our goal was to make the bridge support as much weight as possible. My group won the competition, with our bridge holding over 80 pounds without breaking. Overall, it was a great experience.
Sophie Ranen '13
MIT’s WTP Engineering Program, Summer 2012
I loved this program. I would highly recommend it to other students who are looking for both a challenging and exciting summer experience. The program gives students a great opportunity to live on a college campus and be mentored and taught by current MIT students. I learned so much during my time at MIT, and I loved making friends with other girls who also love science!
Beth Ross '13
National Aquarium Student Volunteer and Shark Week In Bahamas
I absolutely loved both of these opportunities. I would recommend them to anyone interested in science, especially marine science. These programs taught me so much more about something I already love, and assured me that marine science is the path I want to take in the future.