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Heritage Youth Researcher Summer Program

Student Experiences 2001

Cystic Fibrosis and a New Appreciation
By Erica Wong

One of the first things that caught my eye about the HYRS program is that it provided a chance to "work in areas on the cutting edge of science not yet in textbooks." After six weeks I can truly say that I'm not disappointed. This was one of the most unique experiences and it has certainly been rewarding. However, my experience has not been limited by the things I've learned on the research project; instead it is more an eye-opener for a world of endless possibilities of careers available in the field of medical research. Also, special friendships were made along the way with people who share the same enthusiasms.

I remember the first impression of the lab was fear. Working in the department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases exposed me to warning labels and materials that are poisonous, radioactive and even explosive biohazards. Needless to say I was pretty nervous. Luckily, my supervisor told me, "as long as you don't try to eat anything in here, you will be fine." It was certainly comforting to know. As time went by, a few things were learned: the importance of hand washing, the idea of "dress as you're told not as you see" and do not take deep breaths in the presence of E. Coli.

Overall, I had a great time and beyond doubt, it has been my privilege to be able to participate in this program. My deepest thanks to my supervisors Dr. Mody and graduate student Slava Epelman for their patience, guidance and humor. It kept me sane in times like filling 130 wells with 10uL of sample each, thinking that I might have lost count. I've learned a lot from them. I thank everyone in the lab for their assistance throughout the program. I would also like to thank Mr. Wasylenko and Ms. Doll for being great science teachers. Finally special thanks to HYRS program administrators Judy Aitken and Tamara McCarron for making such as wonderful program possible.

A Western Summer
By Ria Charbonneau

When I applied to HYRS, I was completely expecting to be rejected. I knew that who ever was accepted would have an awesome time but I was sure that I wasn't going to be one of those people. When Judy called me, I was so surprised I was speechless. Once I had recovered, I couldn't contain myself. I was convinced I was going to have so much fun. I was right. I think this summer has been one of the most influential experiences of my life.

I worked in immunology in Dr. Woodman's lab. He does clinical work, so he is very busy, but during the times I saw him, he was very supportive and informative. He even volunteered to be my victim when I learned to draw blood! (This took guts because my technique needs work.) I worked more directly with Eko, the "Head Guy" in our lab, who was also super nice. I spent most of my summer working on western blots, a method of protein assay. Eko had Jay, a summer student in my lab, supervise me, which must have been totally frustrating (I tend to be clueless, clumsy and slow), but Jay was very patient. Even though my westerns didn't exactly work, Jay and Eko always encouraged me not to give up. I spent most of the summer confirming whether a cell line of neutrophils was positive or negative for a protein called CD43. After completing that, I watched Danuta do inversion assays and grow HUVEC. HUVEC are endothelial cells that form umbilical cords. Danuta was nice enough to let me examine umbilical cords, placentas and amniotic membranes fresh from the Foothills Hospital. Although very bloody (my gloves were covered in it so I imagined I was a surgeon), this was also very cool. Danuta was nice to me and was always eager to teach me stuff, something I really appreciated.

A neat thing about my lab was that people working for three different principal investigators shared it. This meant that I got to experience a variety of research projects. Sarah and Diane were two of my lab mates who worked for different doctors. They were always eager to show me what they were doing and help me out if I needed it. I also took the time to visit other HYRS people in their labs and I got to find out what they were working on. Watching as Josh improved his skills at dissecting mice, visiting Wendy as she prepared gels, and observing Justin as he entered endless streams of letters into his computer were all interesting and allowed me to have a more well rounded experience.

Overall this program has been the ultimate learning experience. I learned more about immunology than I thought there was to know and I've barely scratched the surface.