Week 10:
Bittersweet Goodbye

August 4, 2021

My last week in Dr. Yuan’s laboratory was the end of an experience for me but the start of something new for the lab. I continued working on my previous experiment. It looks as though all our samples will be completed by next week by the other lab members.

As I prepared to leave Blacksburg, I also helped the lab prepare for their next studies. This included prepping treatments/drugs and meeting to discuss the new study plan. We were still trying to figure out when I left was safe handling of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). C. diff is a bacterium that spreads similarly to rotavirus and norovirus. It causes severe diarrhea, fever, stomach pains, and more intestinal issues. Like norovirus, there is currently no vaccine to prevent C. diff infection. Our lab had a meeting with our PI as well as a lab we are collaborating with for the next study to discuss the safety issues the lab will be encountering. It was interesting to witness this meeting and everyone working together to brainstorm the safest ways to perform all the activities necessary for this study. It is amazing to see a group of people putting themselves at risk of infection and subsequently infecting their families and friends to further the efforts in making a successful vaccine. I am sad that I will not be a part of it, but I am so grateful for those in our lab and others working to make the world a healthier place.

This internship has taught me to appreciate the modern medicine that we all use today. It all had to be developed somehow and then optimized as well. Analyzing vaccines for viruses that affect people worldwide is a big responsibility, but someone has to do it. I am grateful I got the opportunity to partake in this research and make a small, yet still meaningful, contribution to worldwide health.

Not only did I make a contribution to the science world, but I also learned a ton about living and traveling on my own. I was completely responsible for rent, groceries, cross-country travel, etc. It was an amazing opportunity to throw myself into the real world. Now, I am halfway home writing this post, and I can’t help but think of what a different, more independent person I am. Cornell made this opportunity possible, and I used it to grow in a variety of different ways. I can’t wait to put my newfound lab skills and my newly developed life skills to good use in my final year at Cornell and beyond.