Name: Hallie Kern
Class Year: 2024
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Whitehall, PA
Internship Organization: University of Pennsylvania Betley Lab
Job Title: Research Assistant
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
In the Betley lab, I am assisting researchers, graduate students, post-doctorates, and my principal investigator in their neuroscience research by running and supervising experiments, analyzing data, stocking and synthesizing chemicals, maintaining the mice used for experiments, and other day-to-day tasks. I also join lab discussions, where I am able to contribute through the use of journal articles and my own research. From one day to the next, I could be running a behavioral experiment and recording neurons with fiber photometry, and the next I could be staining tissue using immunohistochemistry, so everyday is a new challenge! Specifically, in the lab I have been working on projects that relate to the neural processes that mediate the positive effects of exercise on the body. This includes running mice on treadmills, ensuring their safety, and analyzing post-perfusion tissue.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because I also worked in the Betley lab last summer, and I wanted to continue growing and being challenged in the field of neuroscience research. The researchers in the Betley lab push me to find solutions to new problems nearly daily and to think in creative ways to bring forth new research ideas and to make new connections. My curiosity and interest in how the brain works and how problems associated with the brain may be solved draw me to the Betley lab. I am fascinated with the brain, how it dictates nearly all processes of the body, and how for many, it begins to degenerate towards the end of one's life. I have witnessed firsthand the impacts of neurodegenerative diseases, and knowing how it impacts one's quality of life and one's family, I wish to find ways to combat them. I have been fortunate enough to begin this research in the Betley lab, and I believe that after I graduate, I would like to continue researching neurodegenerative disease mitigation.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship is being included in discussions and truly having a voice when it comes to research and new ideas! I am always encouraged to contribute to discussions and to give feedback on others' research, even though I am only an undergraduate! I love being able to talk to researchers about journal articles that I have found interesting or potential ideas I have about future projects and seeing that they truly care about what I say! I could not have asked for better mentors, and I cherish being able to see them succeed as much as I appreciate their encouragement.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The most rewarding part of my internship is feeling the puzzle pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is the brain fall into place after reading many research articles, being able to take what I have found and form a working hypothesis from it and bring the experiment to test my hypothesis to life. Being able to make any unknown connection in the brain in itself after deep-diving into studies feels exhilarating. Then, actually finding that your ideas can come to life and be put to the test is another thrill, especially when your hypothesis could lead to life-changing discoveries that could help others.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.