Lessons from the Molecular Epidemiology Lab by Sofia

Lessons from the Molecular Epidemiology Lab by Sofia - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I’ve enjoyed science for as long as I can remember—it’s what enables us to describe the enigmatic inner workings of our body and the mystifying machinations of the universe. Perhaps one of the most influential sciences, biomedical research has shown its ability and potential to lengthen, improve, and save the lives of those in need. It allows us to innovate for a future that today would be inconceivable, and it allows us to have one of the strongest impacts on life—including my own.
The courses and clubs in my high school enabled me to explore and develop a great passion for science, especially chemistry and biology. Yet what really influenced me to consider scientific research as a future for myself was my summer internship in the Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center under Dr. Irene Orlow. Although not a high school teacher, Dr. Orlow is one of the most important teachers in my life in that she taught me what my dream—being a researcher—is truly like, while also teaching me one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from anyone: the wondrous ability of biomedical research to change lives. In her lab I assisted in multiple projects, most prominently the investigation of various aging-related genes that may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in brain tumor and Alzheimer’s patients, especially in those treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. This project was in its beginning stages, so throughout its course I fully grasped what being a researcher entails and what working in a laboratory is truly like. I contributed to a multitude of different tasks, the first of which was combing through literature and databases for comprehensive information on the genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms we were investigating. This was a type of research I was used to and enjoyed because of my experiences in high school clubs such as Science Olympiad and American Chemical Society, where autonomous research plays a substantial role.
But the truly inspiring part of my internship came when such exhaustive search and compilation was put to use through the lab’s technology and resources—something I never really had the opportunity of doing in my school’s clubs. The lab work gave my efforts a new meaning—the first time I held an Eppendorf tube filled with a patient’s DNA with Dr. Orlow, I felt as though what I was doing was contributing to something real, substantial, and even imperative. This sensation was piqued when the next day, I saw a slim, balding child wheeled to an elevator. That day, I took a new, earnest look at the artwork of children who were patients at MSKCC lining the hallway into the food court. It was more than just a sobering experience—I felt the searing shame from the privilege I carried but never acknowledged. I was healthy and pursuing my dreams through an internship in a field I loved, while those plagued by an uncontrollable sickness were forced to live a life of constant waiting and hoping. I know what disappointment, fear, and dread feel like—but not consuming paranoia, not the kind of ubiquitous anxiety that comes with disease, medication, or operations. I now finally felt the gravity of the work I was performing in the lab, for I knew it was contributing towards the futures of those whose struggles I could only imagine.
Because of my internship at MSKCC under Dr. Orlow, I’ve gained new insights into how the abounding facets of science can truly affect others and how incredibly important it can actually be for some. I’ve always been intrigued by research—it’s fascinating, enthralling, requires creative critical thinking, and is replete with some of the most dedicated and devoted people. But now, I’ve also come to value and cherish what it can accomplish. Thanks to Dr. Orlow, I’ve come to learn that biomedical research can affect the lives and change the futures of those across all countries—including the lives of those children behind the artwork lining the hallways at MSKCC.