As summer comes to an end along with the Brackenridge Fellowship and I begin to reflect on all my experiences, it became apparent that my thinking matured relating to my research. More precisely, how I think about my project and connect the dots between different experiments. This skill is essential for understanding role the that my project plays in a vast scientific community, as I am beginning to tie together other biological processes and get a more comprehensive overview of my protein. For example, for data presentations in the past, I found myself explaining figures straight through without connecting them. However, in a recent data presentation, I could tell a story and how my experiments relate to each other with the overarching research question in mind: what does this protein do in DNA brake repair?

The most valuable experience from the Brackenridge Fellowship was the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary team. It was a unique experience that directly played a role in the maturation of my thinking. Jumping from figure to figure may get me through when conversing with colleagues in a specific field, but the ability to tie together a story with my work improved when talking to others not in the sciences. This bolsters not only my ability to present my work to researchers not in my field but also to researchers in my field since I can explain the applications of my research and how it may tie into related areas of study.

I also learned a significant amount about topics not in my field. I gained insights into everything from computer graphics development to research in the arts. I hope to take this newfound information and apply it in ways that further my project. One of the best outcomes from Brackenridge were the connections I made. Of course, nobody can be an expert in everything, and even being great at one thing, in particular, is difficult. But now, I have broadened my network, and I know that I can reach out to any of my colleagues with a question that falls into their field, and they can give me good advice.

After the Brackenridge Fellowship, I plan to continue my research. There is still much work left to be done to characterize my protein of interest. After graduating, I hope to continue with school, as I am looking to attend a health professions graduate school. My dream is to be in a clinic helping patients, but research drives innovation, and I hope to utilize my research experience to help people live a happy life.