Name: Samnang Kim
Class Year: 2024
Major: Biology
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Internship Organization: 老王论坛
Job Title: Summer Science Research
Location: 老王论坛, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
Currently, I am participating in Summer Science Research at 老王论坛 within the Biology department under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory K Davis. Our research over the summer focuses on developmental plasticity observed in Acyrthosiphon Pisum (pea aphids), which can reproduce asexually or sexually. The mechanism for this reproductive polyphenism in aphids is still unknown and is the main focus of our lab. On a typical day, when experiments are in progress, I will go into the lab and perform general maintenance on the aphids. This will include cleaning plates, changing leaves, and collecting progeny. When we break between experiments, I often plant or maintain the cage where the rest of the aphids are located. At the beginning of the summer, I helped test the different strains of aphids using PCR to ensure no cross-contamination before starting experiments. So far, I have completed two experiments: the first uses the drug wortmannin to induce asexual progeny, and the second uses exogenous juvenile hormones (methoprene and kinoprene) to induce sexual progeny. For each completed experiment, I helped with dissection and determining the reproductive fate of the progeny. I am working on my third experiment, which combines the previous two to gain insight into the mechanism of the reproductive polyphenism observed in aphids.
Why did you apply for this internship?
Invaluable mentorship, opportunities to learn new research skills, expand my network, and explore different career paths through seminars offered during the program drew me to apply to this internship. This internship helped bring into context various concepts I have learned in the classroom and allowed me to apply them to the research. In addition, I had the opportunity to work with live insects and study developmental plasticity, which was another main attraction of this internship.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part about the SSR program so far has been connecting with my mentor and labmate outside of the research context. We have a lot of fun doing research together in a space where we can uphold formality when deemed necessary, but also ease up and get to know one another on a more interpersonal level. One of my favorite things we have done as a group this summer was go see the new Barbie movie together.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
Gaining confidence and working toward overcoming imposter syndrome throughout the summer has been the most rewarding aspect of this research experience. Coming from an underprivileged background, where I am a low-income, first-generation, and non-native English speaker, I often struggle to feel adequate in what I am doing. This summer, I was able to voice this concern to my mentor, and together we have been working to build on my confidence and validate my ability to demonstrate my understanding through taking part in small talks, mini-presentation, and writing.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.