Jeffrey Hayashi ’21

Summer Student at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry

“At the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, I work with a staff scientist on an ongoing project. So far, I have learned confocal microscopy, R, PCR, and wholemount staining, as well as a bit of developmental biology background and chemokine signaling. I also had to learn a great deal of embryonic mouse anatomy. Working in a lab with so many ongoing projects brings with it a level of excitement because you never know what to expect on any given day. I never imagined that I would use my previous experience in immunostaining and data visualization on two separate projects during my time here. I have really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the lab. The staff, physicians, and scientists have been so kind to me.

For students in the natural and health sciences, internships are important experiences that reinforce material that we learn in school in a more realistic way. It is also a chance to ‘try on’ different fields and hopefully gain the perspective and knowledge to decide what we want to eventually do as a career. I think that in medicine it is particularly important to understand the underlying mechanisms behind pathologies in order to understand the growing number of novel therapies. After graduation, I hope to start medical school. From there, I hope to become a physician scientist and assist in research as well as run a clinic.”