Justin Wang
Midpoint Reflection — Post 2
Currently, I am interning for the UNC Institute for Environmental Health Solutions (IEHS) through their Equity and Environmental Justice Internship Program. I have completed eight weeks so far of this ten week internship! Through this internship, I am currently completing a research project on the effects of early life maternal trauma on placental epigenome and telomere length.
As a biostatistics major and chemistry minor, most of my experience has been within math and science. In the process of conducting this research, I’ve had to learn more about things that I am more unfamiliar with, such as maternal and child health. However, I’ve really enjoyed getting to collaborate with researchers with different areas of expertise than mine. When I was conducting a literature review on my topic, it was super helpful to talk to others and get a feel for current discourse on the topic. One thing I really appreciate about academic research is the emphasis on collaboration: everyone has different skill sets, but combining them allows people to achieve more.
One of my favorite parts of my internship has been getting to mentor a student who is participating in an IEHS program for high schoolers. I am helping her conduct a literature review on the effects of phthalate exposure on children’s health. I’ve always been the youngest member of any of the labs I’ve worked in, so this is a new and challenging experience for me, but it’s been super gratifying getting to see the other side of research mentorship. I feel indebted to all the mentors that have helped me out throughout my time at UNC, so it’s great to be able to pass it on!
Getting to be at the forefront of a research project has given me a lot more responsibility for my project than I’ve ever had, which has led to a lot of personal growth. In the past, I have been mostly confined to conducting statistical analyses or wet lab experiments, but writing about research and articulating the methods has been much more difficult. However, I have learned a lot of skills that I am excited to continue using in future research. Working with mentors I admire continues to inspire me. This experience has reaffirmed my interest in a career as a physician-scientist.
Pre-Departure Reflection — Post 1
I will be located in Chapel Hill, NC, participating in the The Equity and Environmental Justice Program (QUEST) Internship at the UNC Institute for Environmental Health Solutions (IEHS). My internship started in mid-May and will last until July 31st.
My primary goals for this internship are to improve my research skills and my knowledge on epigenetic mechanisms of perinatal health. Additionally, I would like to be able to contribute to current public health knowledge by presenting or publishing my research publicly. I have been conducting research within epigenetics/public health for the past year, and as a biostatistics major, I have loved being able to apply my skills in real world applications. I look forward to continuing to hone my computational and research skills this summer. Specifically, I will be using R to perform statistical analyses. Additionally, as an aspiring physician, having an understanding of epigenetics is an invaluable tool for understanding the mechanisms that underlie many of the body’s innate functions.
I am most excited to get the chance to work more in depth with the researchers at the IEHS and learn from their experiences as researchers. I’m also excited to work alongside other interns; being able to collaborate with others is a key aspect of the research process. I am most nervous about drafting a scientific manuscript on my project (which is part of my internship) since I have never done it before, and it requires more thorough knowledge about the subject matter than I currently have. However, I’m excited to be able to learn a skill that is an integral part of the scientific process.
In order to overcome challenges that I will face during this process, I will lean heavily on the other members of the lab I will be conducting research in. In the past, whenever I have faced challenges, talking them through with other people has always been the best course of action. Trying to accomplish things yourself can be frustrating, and it can be easy to get stuck on a problem when you don’t involve others and get outside input. Of course, being productive in research requires a lot of personal drive and perseverance as well; these are the things that have made me successful in the past, as there is a lot of trial-and-error involved in any research project.
Through this experience, I hope to be able to contribute to the public health research community. Specifically at UNC, I feel like I can make a real impact; much of the research that I have done has been fueled by other UNC researchers; additionally, I have talked to many other researchers at UNC and gotten invaluable information from them. I hope that my research can also be of use to future research projects as people build on what I have done. In the short term, I will be participating in a program through my internship that will allow me to mentor a high school researcher. In this way, I will be able to pass along the scientific knowledge and research skills that I have built during my time at UNC and this summer.