NIGINTERN2013

National Institute of Genetics (NIG)・Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI

I was not sure about what to expect as I began this internship. I was excited for a chance to leave my country (USA) and experience another country’s culture. Over the course of the internship I visited the shrines and temples of Kyoto, the mountains, lakes and hot springs of Hakone, the many eclectic districts of Tokyo, the giddy chaos of the Fuji Rock Festival, the gorgeous fireworks of Atami, and braved the climb up Mt. Fuji amongst other unforgettable experiences. Along the way, the Japanese people that I met over here were all so full of smiles as they spoke with me. And though my Japanese speaking ability is extremely limited (it has grown tremendously during these past 10 weeks though, shout out of thanks to Miyauchi-Sensei), the conversations that I had left me with a lasting impression of just how kind the Japanese people are.

One such individual was my professor, Dr. Daiju Kitagawa. During my first day of research at NIG, I finally got the chance to meet him. After getting to know one another, he unveiled my project. I was to work on centrosomes, studying the mechanism they use to duplicate during the cell cycle. Specifically, my focus was on two proteins, PLK4 and STIL, which work together to recruit a third protein, SAS-6, which forms the initial scaffolding during centriole duplication. I used Western Blotting and Immunofluorescence to determine which domains on PLK4 physically interacted with STIL. Being relatively new to biological research (my research back at home falls within the field of Organic Chemistry), I had to be taught from square one. I literally had a crash course on how to use a pipette. Despite being so inexperienced, my entire lab was incredibly supportive of me. I confess, I initially had felt stressed out because I felt inadequate for the task set for me, but Dr. Kitagawa one day sat me down and explained that research is a constant learning process and that he had felt the same way when he was a undergraduate student. In short, he let me know that it was okay to be inexperienced and that meant more to me than anything else. Dr. Kitagawa is the embodiment of the ideal mentor in my mind. He is an admirable man, and I have enjoyed my time getting to know him both on a research and a personal level. Eventually, I procured my result (that in fact two domains on PLK4 interact with STIL in tandem), but more importantly, I have developed a deeper understanding about the day-to-day life of a scientist. Going forward, I am still undecided about what my future career shall be, but becoming a researcher is now a very attractive option to me. For that, I wholeheartedly thank NIG and Dr. Kitagawa.

One other thing I’d like to talk about before signing off: this internship provides an invaluable chance to learn about other cultures besides Japan. Take advantage of it. I have met people from Singapore, Cambodia, India, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Ecuador. Before this, I have never been placed in such a diverse environment and I’ve truly been lucky to get to know fantastic people from other countries. And thus, NIG has also given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of the world. Going forward, I wish to continue becoming a more globalized individual and wish to take the things I have learned from other cultures back with me to America. I now look forward to getting to know the exchange students that visit my university every year whereas before I was too shy to say ‘hello’ to them. My time here has shown me that everyone wishes for happiness out of life, no matter what our background, home-country, culture, etc. The only distinction lies within the approaches we take to earn that happiness within our lives. To everyone who has taken part in my experience here in Japan, it has been an honor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been a true pleasure.

どうもありがとうございます!