Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to learn about anything and everything, but science has always piqued my interest. So, naturally, I fell into chemistry as my major, with a minor in Spanish and a one-hundred-hour community service-based honors project (what can I say? I love learning in every topic!) As a chemistry major, I have always been aware of the typical options there are for jobs in the field. They fall into two major categories: academia and industry.
Before this summer, I had only been able to experience academia; in fact, I had a pretty good look at what academia is, and I enjoy it a lot. This summer and my internship here at Indium Corporation has let me get a good look at what industry looks like, and I’ve found I enjoy it just as much as academia. Each instance of wanting to learn more has shaped me into who I am as a person, both inside and outside of the lab.
I was the kid that was always asking, “why?” Now that I get to experience having a lot of younger cousins and family members, I see this is much more exhausting when you have to answer the questions, rather than just asking them. I was also the student in my middle school who got really bored because I had already completed the packet we were handed 15 minutes ago. So, naturally, as I moved through school, I grew more interested in my science classes, as those were the classes I didn’t always have the answers for, and I loved that.
For a while, I was sure I would go into biology, something in research; not the medical field, even freshman me knew that wasn’t quite my speed. Then, in my sophomore year, I took my first chemistry class, and as much as I would like to say that I knew instantly that it was what I wanted to go into, but I didn’t. In fact, I detested it for a while; there were concepts I didn’t understand and that irked me. Plus, it was 2021, so school was a hybrid of remote classes and in-person classes. My junior year, I took the chemistry class my school offered for college credit, and I dragged my feet the whole summer, dreading it. Then, slowly over the year, the things I hadn’t understood previously started to click into place, and suddenly, chemistry was so fascinating. That year, I knew what I wanted to do.
In my senior year of high school, it came time to start looking for colleges. I knew what I wanted to major in, and I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school. I grew up in a small rural school, and even what was considered small for colleges seemed like big classes to me. I was torn between schools for a little while, but landed on St. Bonaventure University, a relatively-small school with a huge love for basketball (go Bonnies!) and very small chemistry department.
The small chemistry department meant I was lucky enough to be able to do research over the summer after my freshman year. I dipped my foot into academia research early on in my university experience, and it was great, I really enjoyed working on my computational research over the summer. I continued doing research the next summer. My research group and I were able to present at both our school’s mini conference and the ACS conference in Washington D.C. It was amazing. It was my second time presenting my research, and I loved it. I loved sharing my findings with other people, and I loved being asked questions.
This past year (my junior year), I switched to working with another professor for my research, as is suggested by my department, so we can get a wide variety of experience. This research was a big change from my previous computational research into inorganic research, which required many more lab skills. While there was a momentary knowledge gap, I quickly applied the skills I had been taught in other labs into my research. I was then able to present this research twice, and yet again, found that I adored presenting: I loved the questions and suggestions even more than I liked sharing what I had discovered. The knowledge from my research and major weren’t the only important things I learned, though.
This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Indium Corporation intern program. It has been my first look into what the industry side of chemistry has to offer, and a chance to learn a whole new set of skills and information. I went into this internship excited for the new set of skills, and the new connections I could make. Now as I finish up with week seven of this internship, I am certain there were even more things I have learned and gained.
In the first two weeks of the internship, I met so many great new people, including my team and my fellow interns. What struck me was that everyone was so nice and excited to meet me. When they told us in orientation that everyone loves having the interns here, they weren’t lying.
I also was reminded of the importance of patience and finding ways to spend unavoidable waits productively. The equipment that I needed for my project had not arrived until nearly two weeks after it was expected, so I was stuck in a limbo. It was during this time that I found ways to occupy my time productively, which was a lot of reviewing what the past interns in our department had worked on. It was only a few weeks in, and I had already gained both of the things I had hoped for: connections and a new skill. But my learning didn’t stop there.
The next few weeks came in a rush, with weeks three and four being spent in the lab, working on my project, but also time with my fellow interns. As I talked about in my other blog, the other interns and I have been able to share lunches, dinners, and gelato with each other, both during work and outside of work. The time in the lab taught me a lot of practical skills that have been invaluable. My meetings with my team have also been amazing: I get to hear about the project my team is working on as well as share my own progress with them. Similar to when I presented my posters for school, I enjoyed getting feedback and questions the most: there is something so great about learning even more about a topic you already know a lot about.
Weeks five and six passed in an absolute blur as I prepared for midpoint presentations, celebrated the Fourth of July with some of the other interns, and went to an intern baseball game. Midpoint presentations presented the opportunity for the interns to present our projects to several company executives. Naturally, it was a little stressful to prepare for, but the more and more I practiced the more comfortable I felt. When I presented, I was reminded of the skills I used when presenting a poster. I went through my midpoint presentation confidently and was happy to receive questions at the end. As for spending time with the other interns, it has been amazing: I feel like I have made great friends and personal connections.
I went from the kid who was always asking, “why?” to the highschooler absorbed in science, to the dedicated student researcher always excited to present, to the intern who is happy to get feedback and questions. So, really, I didn’t change too much. Curiosity and a desire to learn has always been my driving energy. Over time, it has shifted its form but never wavered. Learning doesn’t always have to be obvious: one could look at my first few weeks with my late equipment as a loss, but it still taught me something. Feedback is similar: it’s easy to see feedback as criticism, but it’s a chance to learn more about your own work, and that’s a special kind of learning that’s hard to find. That being said, there is still so much knowledge to be discovered, so I doubt I’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
