April 27, 2012
Before my internship this year at the New York State Museum,
I had no idea how vast the insect species is, what a PCR machine is, or how to
run gels. I have absolutely no regrets in my experiences in this internship. I
couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Dr. Cryan taught me so much more than
just how to categorize insect species, replicate DNA, and create master mixes.
He taught me how to work in a laboratory environment, he taught me how to remain
positive when experiments don’t go as planned, and he taught me to have fun
while focusing on a task. In the beginning, I made mistakes creating different mixtures
of ingredients into the master mix and when inserting the pipette into the
grooves I made for gel electrophoresis, but in the end, I was able to complete
the process more smoothly than I could ever have hoped. Dr. Cryan walked me
through every step and was always patient and encouraged questions. By the time
my internship ended, my accomplishments at the museum were vast and I wouldn’t
give them up for anything. I consider my accomplishments from tasks as small as
putting the correct DNA into the right test tube to as big as seeing my final gel
after the fifth time of trial and error experiments. On my first day at the
museum, I was nervous, palms sweating, knees shaking, but I soon realized there
was nothing to be afraid of. It was a great experience and I wouldn’t change a
thing about it. My only advice to future interns is to have fun with it and don’t
be afraid to make mistakes.
