Internship Blog

Category Archives: Research

The wrap-up

Posted on by Posted in Chemistry, Internships, Research .

Hey there…thanks for checking back in with me! Wow, I am really not sure where the summer has disappeared to. My senior year at High Point University is nearing with much anticipation; nonetheless, this past summer was an extraordinary experience. As you know, I served as an undergraduate research assistant for my second year at Wake Forest University’s Chemistry Department under the direction of Dr. Christa Colyer. For a science major, it is imperative that one has opportunities to conduct research to utilize their talents, skill sets and knowledge in real-life applications. I am thrilled to have been able to conduct research with Dr. Colyer over the past two summers!

My research project this summer focused on determining the optimal binding and separation characteristics of an squarylium-based dye with simple sugars like fructose. First, I found the excitation and emission wavelengths using UV and Fluorescence spectrometers. Second, the wavelengths previously acquired aided me in setting up a method for separation by capillary electrophoresis. Lastly, I conducted various on-column and pre-columns separations using capillary electrophoresis to determine the optimal separation technique.

I cannot begin to express my appreciation to Wake Forest University, Dr. Colyer, High Point University, the HPU Chemistry Department and so many others for giving me the skills and allowing me to have this amazing opportunity. As stated earlier, a research internship is vital to a science major and I can wholeheartedly say that over the past two summers, I have learned a great deal and applied my classroom knowledge. When HPU speaks of experiential learning – this is one great example of how students like myself have the opportunity to work with outstanding faculty and organizations to utilize their classroom knowledge in real-life applications.

I want to end on a quote by famous scientists Albert Einstein, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Busy week at the VA Medical Center

Posted on by Posted in Health and Wellness, Internships .

This past week at the Durham VA has been a busy one. The majority of my time this summer has been spent in the pharmacy filling inpatient and outpatient prescriptions. By doing so, I have been able to learn names of perscriptions by seeing them first hand. I have also spent time working the outpatient window, talking with patients and finding their prescriptions for them. All patients at the VA Hospital are veterans and a lot of them will actually tell you what branch of the military they served in and when.  It is very rewarding to talk to them and know you are helping them out in a small way compared to their fight for our freedoms.

This week, however, I spent two days shadowing two different pharmacists in the hospital. The first one was a critical care pharmacist. This was very interesting. Earlier this summer, I shadowed an ambulatory care pharmacist, (she is actually a professor at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy) who works largely with diabetes and hypertension patients. After that day, I thought I wanted to have the one-on-one patient interaction that I saw the patient’s pharmacist having, talking about diabetes prevention and diet planning. However, as soon as I shadowed the critical care pharmacist on the surgical ward, I quickly changed my mind. He talked to me about how much he enjoyed working on the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) because of the fast turn over and interesting cases. After doing rounds that morning with himself and a doctor, I soon learned why.  Every day there is a new case, each one as interesting as the other. I also learned about the different kinds of perscriptions the patients in the SICU were taking, the reasons as to why they were taking them, and the healing impacts the medications were having on their bodies.

Two days later, I followed the Geriatric pharmacist in the nursing home which was an enjoyable experience. I was able to follow the pharmacist and the doctor, visiting the different patients in the VA nursing home. These patients were very interesting to talk to. It was clear that they have been through a lot during their lifetime and were willing to share all they could remember. A lot of them enjoyed discussing what they do in their free time and it was nice to hear them discuss their passions. I was, once again, exposed to the different medications that these patients were on and their different medical conditions, seeing real life examples of medications in action.

Before beginning my internship at the Durham VA Hospital Pharmacy, I had no idea that all of these different types of pharmacy existed.  I learned that a pharmacist can do so much more than work at a local grocery store or drug store.  Nearly every ward in the hospital has its own pharmacist that does daily rounds and is always on call for medicinal advice.  My time at the VA has definitely redefined my passion to go to pharmacy school, knowing that I have so many different options to choose from once I have completed my PharmD.

Research: Navigating some bumps in the road

Posted on by Posted in Chemistry, Internships, Research .

Welcome back! Check out the latest in my research from the
Colyer lab at Wake Forest University! In my last update, I had re-tested a theory by modifying my injection pressure test method and begun some new studies with on-column labeling. After those new studies were developed to provide consistent and reproducible data, it was time to analyze the data.

One of the most interesting problems that I encountered with
the on-column labeling was quite a learning experience for me. Dr. Colyer and I determined that using a fructose solution made in DI water would be better than in the phosphate buffer solution. However, every time I injected this solution, there was a huge drift in the current and response for about three minutes until both leveled off. This really confused me! I felt bad taking these graphs, which I determined was “bad” data to a meeting with Dr. Colyer; however, it really was not that “bad” at all. She made me realize that the water base of the fructose solution did not respond well with the electric current on the capillary, thus making the current and response drift. Although, when the injection had run the length of the capillary (eluted from the end), the current and response came to equilibrium. WOW…how simple. This really was an exciting phenomenon to learn about through experience.

Over the next few days, I will begin to wrap up some experiments as my internship is coming to an end. This summer has really gone by fast, all while learning some amazing new concepts and gaining some great experience with research. I will ask that you check back one last time for my last entry for the summer (you will not want to miss it)!

A famous scientist, Wernher Von Braun, once said, “Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” Sometimes we may not understand what we are doing or how we will get there while conducing research, however that is the fun of it!

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood…"

Posted on by Posted in Chemistry, Internships, Research .

Thank you for coming back for more in the Colyer lab at Wake Forest University! In my last update, I had completed a lot of data analysis from by injection pressure and voltage tests using pre-column labeling on the Beckman CE. Afterward, I met with Dr. Colyer to discuss and lay out my next series of tests.  

One of the first things we decided to do was alter the injection pressure method by varying the time while leaving the pressure constant. This method did make the resulting graph and its resolution much better and of course more accurate. Sometime slight changes can help.

The next big thing was beginning on-column labeling verses what I have been doing with pre-column labeling. With on-column labeling, the dye is pre-mixed with the buffer in the capillary, and then the fructose is injected by itself. Now that I have switched, I had to make a new buffer solution with the SQ-BA dye within it and then run a long condition of my capillary. Here is where things got a little tricky!!! My data was not coming out as expected – a lot of “noise” from the background and low resolution of the major peaks. After pondering on my methods – I had a eureka moment! I made a new fructose in phosphate solution to inject to start with a fresh solution and pre-filtered the buffer before combining my buffer and dye. When one fills the capillary vials, they filter the solutions; however, when I filtered the buffer and dye solution, the dye was being retained on the nylon filter, therefore not binding and separating with the fructose on the capillary. By pre-filtering, I ensured the buffer solution would be filtered while also ensuring the dye remained in solution.

The problems I was experiencing began to subside with the changes mentioned above. Over the next few days, I ran a series of tests including – buffer/dye only, fructose injection, water plug injection, increased fructose concentration injection, and more. Check back with me to see how they all turned out!

Marie Curie stated, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Basically, when you hit a roadblock – do not give up. Instead, step back, ponder on what you are doing, and you might just figure it out.

Science and research are a team effort

Posted on by Posted in Health and Wellness, Internships, Research .

Sorry for the delay in postings guys – the last two weeks have been really busy, but have shown me the value/power of communication and diligence. Like all research assistants, I carry out a variety of tasks, but I’ve also been privileged enough to lead the Eye Tracking Analysis (ETA) Team…just in case you didn’t notice, psychologists really enjoy a good acronym! With this job comes the responsibility of delegating tasks and ensuring that the data that is collected for eye tracking is properly collected, organized, and accounted for. Each member of the team has to be aware of potential obstacles, and encouraged to give feedback concerning possible remedies.

Leading this group of researchers has helped me hone my communication skills and has also taught me that you can never ask too many questions. I have been in constant e-mail correspondence with other researchers, my lab manager, and even the primary investigator of the lab while she’s away in Africa! I’ve also learned a lot from steady communication with an eye tracking expert in Boston. While I sometimes feel like my questions concerning the data are stupid, I’ve discovered that most of my questions lead to productive answers, (if not more questions) that will hopefully improve the project in the end!

My eye tracking team has also helped me realize that it’s important to include multiple perspectives when searching for answers to problems. On Wednesday, we scanned 5 different researchers using the eye tracking technology, and because of our combined efforts we were able to rule out numerous possible reasons for an occasional faulty data set. This experience reminded me that science as a whole is a collaborative work, and it requires many dedicated individuals to ensure that great research is carried out.