This summer, I have been working at National Jewish Health, a hospital specializing in respiratory care. Typically, I come into the lab at around 9 AM and begin by checking my email. Then, the rest of my schedule varies from day to day. When I first started out, I was mostly shadowing other researchers. Through doing this, I learned how to work safely in the lab and became proficient in various experimental techniques. In the first few weeks, I was also reading lots of articles on topics that I would be exploring and researching. Recently, I have been performing more independent work, running my own experiments and collecting data that the lab will hopefully be able to use in the future. While it has been confusing and difficult at times, everyone has been super helpful and welcoming. Overall, the flexibility I possess and the diversity in my day to day routine has made this experience really enjoyable thus far.
Regarding the office culture, it has been very inviting and positive. Everyone I work with has been kind, inclusive, and eager to help me out. I have learned a lot from chatting with them, both about science and about life in general. While I expected a strict and stressed culture, being within an easy going and relaxed lab setting has made my transition very smooth and made the work much more exciting. I am looking forward to finishing out the rest of my summer at National Jewish.
