Revisiting Summer Adventures - Reimagining Research Exploration
In the realm of academic pursuits, one Princeton student discovered the significance of collaboration in research, rather than relying on individualism. This realisation was a cornerstone of their summer research journey, which took place in the esteemed Amgen Scholars Program at the University of Tokyo.
The Amgen Scholars Program, funded by the Amgen pharmaceutical company, offers a unique opportunity for scholars to conduct research in various regions of the world, including Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States. This program was instrumental in the student's personal and academic growth, providing a stipend that enabled them to focus on their research without financial constraints.
Prior to this internship, the student had minimal research experience. However, the long summer schedule at Princeton allowed them to seize this opportunity, stepping out of Princeton-sponsored programs like the International Internship Program (IIP) and Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS). Instead, they found a summer opportunity outside of Princeton's offerings.
Spending 11 weeks in Japan, the student participated in the program and was guided by a mentor from the University of Tokyo. Their mentor emphasised the importance of interpersonal interaction and communication in research, a sentiment that resonated deeply with the student. In addition, they received assistance from doctorate students in other laboratories, fostering a collaborative environment that was essential for their research.
The student's summer internship experience was not only beneficial for their academic growth but also for upcoming summer internship interviews and essays. Reflecting on the past summer helped them understand what to expect from future research and changed their perspective on research as a whole.
Common misconceptions about lab research often involve underestimating the impact of small technical errors, such as mistakes in sample preparation, which can cause significant failures in reproducibility and invalidate results downstream. These errors are frequently due to lack of proper training or mentorship rather than theoretical misunderstandings. Another misconception is around the clinical use and regulation of emerging fields like stem cell therapy, where outdated knowledge leads to misunderstandings about safety, regulatory oversight, and the scalability of treatments.
In terms of collaboration and competition in research, collaboration is essential for advancing complex interdisciplinary research, as it requires mutual learning, trust-building, and combining diverse expertise to create outcomes that no single discipline could achieve alone. On the other hand, competition in the research field can fragment teams and harm the work environment. Good institutional practice guides emphasise fostering collaboration, collegiality, and open communication over unhealthy competition. A positive leadership model in research values inclusive team development, transparency, ethical conduct, and an encouraging environment where all members can contribute freely without being hindered by power imbalances or publication pressure. Such environments enhance research quality and rigor, whereas excessive competition can detract from these goals.
In the end, the student's summer research experience at the Amgen Scholars Program was a testament to the power of collaboration and the transformative impact it can have on one's academic journey. The student's story serves as a beacon for other students, encouraging them to embrace collaborative research opportunities and to challenge the misconceptions that often surround laboratory work.
The Amgen Scholars Program, with its focus on fostering collaboration and learning, played a pivotal role in the student's academic growth, providing a unique environment where interdisciplinary research was made possible through mutual learning and the combination of diverse expertise. This program served as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration in the realm of education and self-development, particularly in the context of research.
