Flyby of a Week at Fox Chase by Elaine Hu

Like learning to drive on the interstate for the first time on my way to Fox Chase, my time at Summer TRIP has taught me so much that can’t be learned from textbooks. Through my many failures (thankfully in the lab rather than on the road), I learned to perform four separate assays and, eventually, transfer flies without losing too many. While one week seems like too little to learn anything substantial, Summer TRIP has gained me new friends, new lab abilities (I can now hold five vials in one hand), and a phrase to remember: “mentors, mentors, mentors.” 

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Almost every career talk included some variation of that phrase. Many of the talks emphasized that mentorship is valuable because it allows you to grow as a person. Mentors are those who give you a glimpse into the type of person you want to be, or the type of person you don’t want to be. Careers can be very easily generalized, but having tangible experience or stories of mentors’ experiences can help you identify what you want in a career. Summer TRIP was not only an opportunity to gain exposure to laboratory science, but also to learn the nuances of various careers from our mentors at Fox Chase. Although these speakers were not mentors in the typical, long-term sense, they were mentors in that they provided us with valuable perspectives to learn from.  
Dr. Correa emphasized that success in a career does not indicate that you have to let go of other priorities. The job of a physician, and the path to becoming one, is often viewed as all-consuming. While being a doctor definitely requires a massive amount of dedication and sacrifice, Dr. Correa demonstrated how priorities like family can coexist with a demanding career. ​

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A STEM career also does not indicate that you have to fully suppress your individuality, even if it deviates from the stereotypes associated with it. One of Dr. Purdy’s own mentors, unafraid of judgement, dyed her hair blue in a lab sink just before their first meeting. Success in a career does not require you to completely adhere to the ideal perception of that career. 
Working in the lab with Dr. Austria also showed me that years of experience in science can come with fun little skills, like the ability to twist open a cap with one hand. I still haven’t learned how to do that, but I do think that my left hand dexterity somewhat improved last week.

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From my own, one week experience, I have found that it is really impossible to be fully prepared for an assay that you have never personally performed before. As I worked through several lab procedures over and over again, I began to develop some of my own tips and tricks that made my life a little easier. Scraping yeast paste onto a grape plate does not sound in any way difficult, but I struggled for an embarrassingly long time. The yeast paste really did not want to come off the scoopula, so I eventually learned to scoop more yeast paste than I needed and gently tap the center of the grape plate. 
Summer TRIP has given me so many memories, from our frequent Dr. Peppers to our googly-eyed fly morgue. I am so thankful for everyone I met at Fox Chase, and I can’t wait to see where our futures will lead us. Fly high! - Elaine

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