During my two years at UNH that I have pursued research in biochemistry, I have learned the importance of exploring different options to find the work I am passionate about. I decided to pursue lab work because I was interested in it as a career path and wanted to make sure I enjoyed it. (To read about how I found my first faculty research mentor, see my blog post here.). I worked in a plant genomics lab starting in my second semester at the University of New Hampshire, continuing over the summer after being granted an Undergraduate Research Award (URA), and into the fall of my sophomore year. Working with Dr. Estelle Hrabak, I was testing the effectiveness of three ways to fix a root growth defect in Arabidopsis thaliana. I enjoyed working in the lab and I learned new techniques, how to troubleshoot when experiments were not going the way I wanted them to, and how to approach scientific writing. But it became evident to me that I wanted to pursue a different career path in human medicine and I needed to make a change in the type of research I was doing.
I made the difficult decision to leave the lab I had worked in and enjoyed for almost a year. I felt uneasy when I went to talk to Dr. Hrabak because I did not want to make it seem as though I didn't appreciate the experience and the time that she had invested in me. I was honest about why I was leaving: plant genomics was not my main area of research interest. I made it clear how much I appreciated the opportunity she had given me. The experience had given me clarity on the direction I wanted to go in. Dr. Hrabak was very kind and understanding. She made it clear that she wanted me to do what was right for me and that being a student is the time to explore different interests to find the right career path. She was supportive of me in that process, and this was such a relief.
After I left the plant genomics lab I reached out to another professor, Dr. Sarah Walker. I found out about her research from a poster in Rudman Hall and then looked more into the research she was doing on her page in the UNH directory. I was excited reading about this research and an opportunity to learn more skills that I could use in the field. Dr. Walker was researching drug treatments to target specific transcription factors involved in the pathways of breast and ovarian cancer. I emailed her to say I was interested in working in her lab because I wanted to learn new lab techniques like cell culture and bioinformatics. I also included that I had worked in the plant genomics lab and that I decided to leave that position because it was not my area of interest. After hearing back from Dr. Walker, I met with her to talk in depth about why I wanted to work in her lab and my interest in the research that she is conducting, and she invited me to sit in on weekly lab meetings to get a better idea of whether the lab would be a good fit. At the meetings, both undergraduate and graduate students in the lab group discussed research they were doing and new techniques that they could use for their experiments. I found that this lab was doing research I am passionate about, and I was beyond excited to start in the lab in spring 2022.
There is so much excitement and nervousness when it comes to joining a new lab. I have started learning new techniques by shadowing a Emily Pratt, a junior biochemistry major who has allowed me to watch and learn from her. She has helped me to practice new techniques like splitting cells, treating cells with drugs, and performing qPCR. Learning new techniques and information is really exciting, even though the task of getting a good handle on it can be a challenge. I am excited to explore this new position and learn as much as I can from the experience.
Starting research can feel overwhelming. There are so many options and being able to explore those options as an undergraduate is so beneficial to give clarity about long-term career choices. From the experience of leaving one lab to work in another, I learned that it is important to explore your interests early in your education to find the right path. I also learned that professors at UNH want to see their students succeed and follow what they are passionate about. I am so appreciative of the opportunities UNH has offered me because I have seen how many options there are and what path I want to follow.
