I had the opportunity to come to the University of Utah and work in a research lab for 10 weeks. This program has been an incredible experience. Upon our acceptance to the program, we were asked to submit a list of 5-10 university labs that we would like to be a part of and then the program directors did the best they could to match us up with our top choices. We could choose from any biology, molecular biology and biological chemistry, or neuroscience labs.
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| Our group under Delicate Arch in Moab National Park |
I had the opportunity to work in Dr. J. Michael McIntosh's lab. He is a part of the
Conus group at the University of Utah. My lab uses alpha conotoxins derived from marine
Conus snails to study neurotransmitter receptors. I worked on nicotinic Acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In Parkinson's disease, neurons that produce dopamine die. These neurons, however, also express some nAChRs. Discovering which specific subtype of nAChRs are expressed has been hampered by the conotoxins' apparent inability to discriminate between very similar receptor subtypes. My project was to test a panel of conotoxins on two similar subtypes that are thought to be lost in Parkinson's and see which toxins, if any, could discriminate between the two. I found that many of the conotoxins could, in fact, discriminate--which was very exciting!
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| Rafting down the Colorado River in Moab |
This internship was an incredible opportunity. I was able to work in a fantastic lab and learn a lot about the specific methods they use and about research in general. Because I was there for ten weeks, I actually got to know my mentor and some of the other people I worked with in the lab.
Outside of research, the internship itself provided some incredible opportunities. We attended seminars on how to apply for graduate school and what to expect from most graduate programs. We learned how to present our research both in a formal presentation and a poster session. We learned how to make a poster, how to write an abstract and how to write a personal statement. We had the opportunity to apply for a national research conference that will take place later this year. A few of us wanted to shadow some doctors at the hospital at the University of Utah and the directors were more than willing to help us set it up.
In addition, this internship is FUN! We took a weekend and went to Moab, we explored Antelope island and learned about the significance and history of the Great Salt Lake, we took a day trip to Park City and we were able to participate in many of the fun summer activities Salt Lake City has to offer.
I would highly recommend this internship to anyone who is looking to go to graduate school in biological research.
For more information: http://www.biology.utah.edu/undergraduate/research/surp.php
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| Riding the Ski Lift in Park City |
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| Hiking in the Mountains above Salt Lake City |
For more information visit:
http://www.bioscience.utah.edu/.
