Studying Microplastics

I worked in the Burkholder Lab at the University of New England assisting a graduate student conducting research for her thesis. Her project studies the impact of ocean microplastics on food safety and uses Zebrafish to study microplastics as vectors for pathogen contamination. This was my first experience working in a research laboratory. I learned that I love spending time in the lab and working collaboratively on projects.

This experience helped further solidify my aspirations of a career in biology research. I may not pursue microbiology in the future, however, this was the perfect first lab experience for me, as I had taken a microbiology course this spring. From working with a graduate student, I also learned about what a Master’s program involves, and how it can be beneficial before a Ph.D. program. I acquired many new laboratory skills including fish dissection, bacterial plating techniques, tissue embedding, tissue sectioning on the cryostat, tissue staining, and tissue imaging on a fluorescent microscope. Everybody in the Burkholder Lab was incredibly welcoming, especially my lab partners who made every day fun and exciting!

 

This internship was funded by the CXD Internship Fund.