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Enhancing your career with our professional development resources
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https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.128.44
Research Springboard Studentship Awardees
In May 2022, we announced the awardees of a Research Springboard Studentship, a grant that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake a research project supported by a supervisor.
Over the summer the students experienced the entire life-cycle of research, from writing a funding application to conducting and analysing research and report writing. Three of the awardees, Anne Marie O’Callaghan, Laura Gherman and Peter Panizza, discuss their projects and share how it has shaped their future career plans.
The call of regenerative medicine
Anne Marie O’Callaghan
My summer spent working in a leading Irish research laboratory has strengthened my interest in pursuing a PhD in neurophysiology. Delving into my own research project has awakened my curiosity in the field of neuro-regeneration, so I want to continue exploring this area as a postgraduate student.
My project aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering mRNA into neural cells using a non-viral vector i.e. nanoparticles made from biomaterials. Following spinal cord injury damaged neurons are unable to produce growth proteins in order to repair themselves and regrow. Delivering growth-associated genes directly into damaged neurons could therefore be key in treating cord injury. Genes can be delivered as mRNA, which is converted to protein once inside a cell.
For the naturally curious
Before completing this studentship, I saw research in academia as a very likely career path for myself. I thought that research was a fantastic way to explore a set question and therefore is very suited to someone like myself with a naturally curious mind and so was the perfect fit for me.
I was very excited by the field of regenerative medicine because the research seems so ground-breaking and revolutionary. I loved the thought of using cutting-edge techniques and developing new and efficient methods of improving health and quality of life.
I thought a researcher had to already have all of the skills and knowledge prior to beginning a research project. I did not realise how much a researcher learns day to day and how much training is required to become practiced in a specific laboratory technique. I discovered how collaborative research is and how important this collective effort is for the end result.
It was wonderful to meet people at distinct stages of their academia career progression. I learned so much about the different research positions and roles in a university lab setting and gained advice from a variety of experts about the career paths they have chosen.
Delving into the unknown
What surprised me the most during my studentship was the collaborative and social lab environment. I was always surrounded by other researchers, some working on vastly different projects.
As part of the spinal cord team I interacted with neuroscientists, bioengineers, material scientists and physiologists. From participating in weekly lab meetings to informal chats about our projects in the lab, I enjoyed the constant exposure to different ideas and points of view. I came to see how important collaboration is for good-quality research and how beneficial it is to always learn from fellow researchers.
I was given the independence and freedom to explore my project topic and gain ownership of my work. If something interested me, I was encouraged to investigate and follow it through. I found this so exciting and a stimulating way to work, as I was essentially delving into unknown territory and choosing how to lead the way.
I was recently invited back to present my findings at the weekly lab meeting, where I enjoyed hearing the team’s feedback and engaging in stimulating conversation with them about my work.
What the future may hold
The studentship gave me hands-on practical experience in the lab, more than I ever would have received in college. I plan to undertake a PhD research project and follow it with a postdoctoral position. I would like to continue with regenerative medicine and neurophysiology for the long term as it is such a new area of research with limitless opportunities and possibilities heading into the future. However, other topics could capture my attention as I progress along this path, which I will be open to exploring so I could very well end up down a different path. Only time will tell.
Exploring the beauty of science’s vast and ever-changing landscape
Laura Gherman
For a while now, completing a PhD to pursue a career in academia has been a path I saw myself following. After this summer, gaining a peek into the world of research has sealed that this is the journey I wish to continue.
I was involved in a project to understand long-term memory formation. The findings of this could highlight memory-relevant molecules that may be potential targets for therapeutic intervention into human disorders, such as those producing amnesia and compulsive behaviours. We investigated expression levels of genes that play a key role in memory formation, with a focus on genes encoding for proteins that detect a chemical messenger in the brain called serotonin.
A test of oneself
Scientific research is more than just about discovery and the betterment of humankind. I found that it is also about the betterment of the self. It can often test you, your perseverance and determination. By the nature of research, you will hit an obstacle, at which point you have to make a critical decision on how to progress: will you find a way around it, or is it time to start going down a new path?
My project demonstrated how crucial critical thinking, organisational skills and adaptability are in research. It highlighted the need to remain open-minded, and to be receptive to new ideas, even if they oppose your own. The beauty of science originates from its ever-changing nature and the infinite possibilities it offers, limited mostly by your creativity. However, with great creative freedom comes the great need for ambition and passion towards your project.
A lifestyle choice
One of the most fundamental points I came to realise during the project is that working in academia is more than just a career, it is often a lifestyle. There were days where I was so excited by my work that my mind was still buzzing once I had left the lab and failed to switch off even when I was at home, eager to get back and continue. However, not all days were like that, which is when the need for self-motivation, and as mentioned above, perseverance and determination arises.
For me, a life in academia is about succeeding in the face of the blends of thrills and turmoil it offers. I believe that I have the adaptability, resolve and tenacity to guide me through.
A glimpse into how much remains to be discovered
Peter Panizza
The project was an ideal opportunity for me to apply the concepts that I have learned throughout my undergraduate degree. Experimenting on skeletal muscle to investigate Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal muscle-wasting disease affecting predominantly young males. A characteristic of the disease is mitochondrial dysfunction; however, the exact cause of this dysfunction remains unclear. It is hypothesised that the opening of a pore on the mitochondrial membrane may be a contributing factor to mitochondrial dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
To conduct original research in an area of physiology that I am extremely interested in gave me the chance to experience a career and contemplate the field I would like to follow. It also deepened my curiosity about physiology as it has given me a glimpse into how much remains for me to learn.
A fork in the road
Before commencing the studentship I had wanted to pursue a career in research. However, I was unsure whether I wanted to focus my research in neuroscience or physiology. After completing this studentship I decided that I would like to pursue a career in research focused on physiology, specifically skeletal muscle physiology.
A new perspective
Before conducting this project I had thought that life as a researcher was an isolated job. A job that required long hours working alone in a laboratory with little discussion between lab groups around the university. I had believed that the pace research could be conducted was simply up to the researcher and the number of hours they were willing to work. I had never considered the numerous factors that are completely uncontrollable could affect how quickly someone could carry out their work, such as waiting to use certain equipment and the ordering of reagents and the associated shipping times and delays.
Completing this project allowed me to understand that research is a highly collaborative job and has reinforced the importance of good communication skills. Problems are best tackled using the hive mind, so it is useful to ask others their opinion to gain alternative perspectives on a problem. I also learned that research requires large amounts of patience, whether it is long hours in the laboratory running an experiment or waiting to use a piece of equipment that is in high demand by others working in the same area.
Aspiration
My goal from now is to continue pursuing a career in research. My ideal job would be one that allows me to work at a university and both teach/lecture while also carrying out research. The prospect of teaching while also doing research became most appealing to me after spending time among other academics at the University of Western Australia. The experience and talking to academics in this role was enlightening.