Over the course of these two weeks, I have learned more skills and facts than I have learned in a whole year of biology. The environment of this internship is amazing! Every single person I talk to is so nice and willing to have some truly great discussion. The interns as a collective have gotten to listen to so many speakers that have talked about many fascinating topics that I myself have never heard of. The hands-on lab aspects were done so incredibly well in the way that we were doing what we had been talking about with the speakers and small groups. This combined approach led to the best possible learning experience combining both passive and active learning leading to at least myself remembering the vast amount of content we have discussed over these two weeks at a much deeper level then of being in a traditional biology class. We covered many topics ranging from CRISPR to running a gel electrophoresis. These were cool activities in themselves but they were even cooler in theory and what could be done with the tools. The speakers were all knowledgeable and easily my favorite part. Guppy was one of the speakers and he introduced CRISPR to us and talked about the CAS9 protein and it was truly interesting but then he told us about his project and how researchers are applying CRISPR to help create a cure for child brain tumors. The incredible things the Fred Hutch are doing are beyond amazing and once you are in the doors the scientists are super willing to discuss what they are working on even if their work is not published yet. This experience has really humanized what being a scientist really is all about and has shown me that they are just regular people who are trying to make a big difference and impact on the world. The ethical debates we have had about Henrietta Lacks and CRISPR are incredibly thought provoking. We briefly talked about the Socratic method and had a Socratic seminar with some amazing debate and thought intensive ideas. The people I worked with in this internship are beyond amazing and I can say without a doubt in mind that the environment made by the Fred Hutch brought out the best in everyone and brought everyone together. I cannot recommend this enough, if you are thinking of applying just do it because if you get in, you will have the experience of a lifetime!
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