LHSI- Research Internship in LARC, IU School of Medicine

My internship in the Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) with Dr. Debra Hickman involves working with lab animals such as mice, rats, rabbits and dogs to conduct research experiments while ensuring their humane treatment. I have learnt various surgical procedures and techniques by practicing on smaller rodents, which will help me perform surgery on humans when I am a cardiologist. By allowing me to assist in Organ harvesting, the LARC team has taught me so much about anatomy. Being able to cut open the organism, look into it and take my time to get a feel of what things look like in there has helped me immeasurably. This internship has introduced me to the various protocols that research labs need to abide by to keep their experiments ethical and federally approved. I have been able to work with hi-tech scientific machinery (such as the Hemavet) and obtain a broad understanding on operating machinery in the medical field.

I have been working directly with Dr, Hickman to assist with ongoing research for two years now and will be working on my senior capstone project with her as well. We are also in the process of publishing a manuscript.

The main reason I chose this internship experience was to learn to handle live organisms of significant size and consciousness with confidence and a steady hand, and it has been a wonderful experience so far.

LHSI- Intern Ambassador 2014-15

After having such an enriching experince in my research internship through LHSI, I wanted to stay involved with LHSI and get more undergraduate students involved in research. By being an intern ambassador, I had the opportunity to work with current interns and help them succeed in their research internships. We also planned various professional development events. We started a student organization called the ‘LHSI Alumni Council’ to keep alumni interns connected. I served as an officer in this student organization and was the liaison between the Alumni council and the LHSI staff. 

Being a part of the LHSI team for 2 years has been a very important part of my undergrad journey. I have learnt innumerable life skills and developed myself as an individual while being able to help fellow students.