In 2018 summer, as a part of the Fung Scholars Program, I worked at the University of Hong Kong in the neurodegenerative diseases laboratory of Dr. Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang. My research project utilized tissue clearing techniques to create transparent brain tissue to allow for visualization of 3D brain structure at cellular-level resolution. Through the use of immunofluorescence staining and microscopy, we discovered enhanced antibody penetration depth of the new optimized clearing protocol that the lab had proposed.

 

Additionally, I also conducted western blotting to study tau protein hyperphosphorylation in the frontal cortex and striatum in a rat animal model for Lewy Body Dementia. Through this project, I was able to not only develop technical skills and the ability to quickly adapt and troubleshoot issues in experiments, but also a deeper conceptual understanding about scientific inquiry and investigation.

Throughout the summer, I faced both challenges and successes. While I eventually achieved desirable results that added credit to our hypotheses, many difficulties arose during the process that took a toll both physically and mentally during the research. As I was working some early mornings and late nights due to the scheduling of experiments, I found myself caught up in seeking merit for my efforts and frustrated when the desired results failed to appear. Thanks to an encouraging PI and mentor, I was urged to focus on broadening my experience and gaining knowledge most importantly. I learned to genuinely seek to ask more questions, be innovative, and be bold in my scientific pursuits, while not concentrating on the difficulties that inevitably arise.

 

Not only did I need to learn to adapt for experiments, but the work and living environment was also a slight adjustment for me. Research laboratories in Hong Kong have slightly different customs. Gels are manually made for western blotting, and when using the spectrophotometer, everything is typed instead of electronically recorded. I learned how to wash and autoclave glassware, as well as manually fill pipette tips into boxes, which I had never needed to do in a lab before. Neuroscience research was also different because brain tissue sections are thick, making the staining protocol take much longer. However, Hong Kong laboratories are much more flexible and casual in the work environment, and my PI would interject conversations with casual Cantonese, making work much more comfortable. I learned to adapt to the new work environment and quickly grew accustomed to the lab’s ways.

 

In Hong Kong, customs in daily life are also different than in the United States. Before eating dim sum or at a café, everyone will wash the bowls, chopsticks, and utensils in hot water before eating to disinfect everything. People will also wait for their entire group to get their meals and sit down before anyone can begin eating, as a form of courtesy and politeness. Different words are used as well, such as calling restaurants “canteens” and dormitories “hostiles.” Fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and KFC are also much more popular in Hong Kong than in the US, as there is less of a concern about the unhealthy manufacture of the food products. Pizza Hut sells soup and rice on the menu, something that is unheard of in similar restaurants in the US. Malls are placed everywhere in Hong Kong, especially at MTR stations where many people gather. It is easy and convenient to go shopping or find a café within walking distance in the city. Public transportation, including buses, taxis, MTR subway, and trams, make getting places in the city very simple and convenient as well. However, in terms of education, US is a place of much greater opportunity, even as a high school student, to participate in internships and work to further one’s knowledge. In Hong Kong, there is limited opportunity to do so until undergraduate studies, and even then, it is much more difficult to get into a university than in the US. Due to the limited number of universities, it is highly competitive to gain admission. With the often cutthroat Asian mindset in education, this creates a stressful situation for those in secondary school, where there are not too many options to gain a desired undergraduate education.

 

Food in Hong Kong was also much more varied than in the US, especially with delicious Cantonese cuisine and dessert. I found it difficult at times due to my peanut allergy, as many restaurants use peanut oil in Hong Kong. In one incident with peanuts in a curry bowl, my body was overcome with unbearable hives, but I still thought I could finish the remaining parts of my experiment. My labmate stopped to remind me that no matter how consumed I am with my work at the present, living life and taking care of my own health and wellbeing is more important. I learned a tremendous lesson through this experience and realized that I had to take care of myself before devoting everything to work.

 

I was extremely lucky to find a lab such as Dr. Chang’s. The people made the experience special and fun throughout the entire summer, and genuinely inspired me to push myself further in research while remaining enthusiastic and curious about science. First of all, Krit was a great mentor that I was very lucky to be paired with. As a Masters student only 5 years older than me, Krit was very easy to relate to and very easy to talk to. He openly accepted questions, and even when I asked basic ones, he would encourage me and say “Good question!” The fact that I never felt afraid to inquire something, question ideas, and bring up new ones in Krit’s presence was crucial in developing an ability to understand research more fully, and I am genuinely grateful for all that he has done for me to take my understanding of research to the next level.

 

This laboratory also taught me the value of collaboration. When lab mates depend on one another for advice, help, and troubleshooting, you should help them to the best of your ability. While the science field can get competitive between labs, this tension should never come within the lab between labmates. Giving advice and guidance to others is extremely essential, especially when their expertise and experience will also be highly valuable in the future. Being able to discuss freely with others not only broadened my own experiments, but also deepened my understanding of science.

 

This internship will be highly beneficial towards future scientific exploration. I hope to continue conducting neurodegeneration research at MIT as an undergraduate. In the future career of medicine that I am striving towards, having innovative and inquisitive capability developed through research experience will prove to be useful. I learned to demonstrate initiative and eagerness to conduct meaningful research, and in order to further develop my creative thinking, I openly discussed experimental ideas and questions with my mentor. Throughout my work, I strived to understand the implications of the data that I obtained. Reaching out to others for guidance in the lab, accepting ideas, and offering mine as well made it a cooperative effort this summer. I sought to deepen and broaden my experience, and actively remained both focused in my pursuits and inquisitive while taking part in scientific discussion. This summer genuinely stimulated and deepened my interest in conducting neuroscience research in the future. I’ve also found that sometimes the people in a research lab are more important than the research itself. Although I am interested in neuroscience research, I would not have thoroughly enjoyed it without having such a great mentor and labmates. Taking time for social gatherings such as lunch with lab mates made life much more fun in lab as well. Enjoying time with fellow research members and my mentor and the fact that I had such an encouraging PI as well made for a thoroughly inspiring and transformative research experience, one that I was lucky enough to have this past summer.