By LILY FLAHERTY
This summer, I have had the privilege of interning in the Gradilone lab for my second consecutive summer, and it has been my favorite summer yet. To be invited back to The Hormel Institute to continue researching primary cilia with my previous project and to explore new ones has been the greatest opportunity a young aspiring researcher like me could ask for.
Last summer, my primary project was to assess cell proliferation of cholangiocytes when treated with 26 different inhibitor concentrations, all of which affected at least one important signaling pathway between primary cilia and the surface of the cells. This summer, I am not only continuing with that project but also gaining experience with various new techniques including western blots, immunofluorescence, transfections, and AI development, just to name a few. The Gradilone lab has many projects in place, involving cholangiocarcinoma, polycystic liver disease, autophagy, EGFR signaling, DNA damage and repair, and many more. We are busy bees here in the Gradilone lab, which makes for a great scientific poster and an even better summer experience.
I had minimal research experience before coming here last summer, so my lab really took a chance on me. Reflecting on it, I learned so many important concepts about having a career in research. Along with some fantastic science, I learned about lab culture, professional skills, and how to be an all-around great scientist. After my internship concluded last summer, my PI – Dr. Sergio Gradilone – invited me to come back again this summer and to say I was thrilled would be an understatement. I have sincerely loved working with the post docs in my lab and I am happy that we have some new additions this summer.
I have been fortunate enough to work with the best mentors an intern could ask for, especially Estanislao Peixoto, who has been my primary mentor throughout my entire time at The Hormel Institute. Stan has had an incredible amount of patience when dealing with my endless questions, mistakes, and worries after coming in fresh from my first year of undergrad. It is evident that he values my growth as much as I do, taking time away from his own projects to help guide me through mine. Kishor Pant and Naheed Borah have also been great mentors, from helping me understand concepts from the lab to nailing down techniques, they have been important people in my journey. And none of this would be possible without my PI Sergio Gradilone, who has supported me since my first day here and I know will continue to do so even after I leave. I can truly say that my mentors have been some of the most influential people in my life and they want to shine a bright light on not just molecular biology, but the important underlying values that science can teach all of us.
When I first started realizing that I loved science, I thought it was because it was something I felt inherently good at, something that came easily to me. But as I continue learning more and broadening my horizons, I’ve come to the realization that the opposite is true. The never-ending questions, how one door leads to 20 others, and how everything is intertwined in a complex and messy web is why I love science. To think that something so all-encompassing, unexplored, and misunderstood can be quantified, plotted, and mapped out to help one another brings about a feeling I only get when I think about science. I feel so lucky to have found something that I want to do for the rest of my life at such a young age, allowing me to perfect my practice and help as many others as I can along the way.
Being a SURE intern here at The Hormel Institute has been one of the greatest opportunities I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in, and I would highly encourage anyone who is interested to apply. A position where you can solidify fundamental concepts from basic techniques to professional development is so rare. I can say with the utmost assurance that this program has helped me feel more confident in not only my skills as a student, but in myself as a scientist.