Conversations with STEM Summer Research in Glasgow, Scotland Alumni

Aiden Armstrong (AA): senior Biology, Health, & Society major and Asian Studies (Chinese Studies) and Music minors

Project title: Bacteria in Freshwater: A Historical Record of Past Pollution?

CR: Why did you choose this project? 

AA: For two reasons. The first one is, I will be starting dental school next year, and I do not have any formal wet lab training. I might go to U of M School of Dentistry, and it's very research focused. Any dentist school in the US might have some research involvement, and so I wanted to have some sort of baseline level of experience before I did that. Also another reason is Scotland, Glasgow, Edinburgh, have always been on the top of my travel list for many years.CR: What did your project entail?AA: Our project was about freshwater micro-organisms. It was a very loose topic, but essentially our PI, our principal investigator, allowed us to essentially form our own projects related to that. So we divided off into pairs. We each had one lab partner, and we did our own project, but we helped each other out during that process because our techniques were rather similar. But for me, my partner, Julia [Kirschenmann], we collected tap water samples from across the city. We went to public bathrooms. We went to taps and public places, museums, cafes, shopping malls, that sort of thing. And then we incubated those water samples and tried to successfully grow and identify these bacterial species. And the goal of this was to find out if there are any pathogenic bacteria present, or bacteria that are potentially harmful to humans.

Julia Kirschenmann (JK): junior Environment and Ecology, Evolution, & Biodiversity major and Global Media Studies minor. 

Project title: Bacteria in Freshwater: A Historical Record of Past Pollution?

CR: Why did you choose this project? 

JK: I felt like I could learn the most from it. The other projects were very specialized in particular labs, so this gave me more of an opportunity to conduct my own research, because I wasn't coming into an already pre-existing lab and just doing work that they had for me. I was entirely creating my own project and then working on it from there.

David Yang (DY): sophomore Undeclared major.

Project title: Bicyclic Peptides

CR: What did your project entail?

DY: My research project was about proteins. The official name for it was called Bicyclic peptides, but that's a mouthful. So the main point of my research was basically just researching different kinds of proteins and making them in the lab and making changes to them to see how that affects the protein, with function and things like that.

CR: Why did you choose this project? 

DY: I chose that because before this program I had a little bit of prior research experience, and that was also doing work with proteins, and I thought that was really cool, so I wanted to do something that was similar to that.

DY: I did the literature review beforehand. I think it was due two days after we were supposed to land in Scotland, so it's basically right at the beginning of the program. So beforehand, I emailed my PI, just asking him what do you want me to do for the literature review? What should I write about? And then he basically just gave me a general summary of what I should write about, and also gave me a couple research papers and articles to look at and to help with that. I think I had around two weeks before the program started the official start date [to complete the literature review]. Around two, two and a half weeks. 

For the final there were two portions for it. One was a presentation and the other was a paper. The presentation was on the very last day of the program. Everyone who is in the program got together and listened to each other's presentations. That was pretty interesting because they were very specific about the time; it had to be around 12 minutes long. Preparing for that, I had to really pace myself. The people in my lab helped me a lot with my presentation. I did a practice run with them beforehand, and they gave me some pointers. And also just helping me with how to make the different charts and stuff to display the data that I got correctly. For the paper, that was due a week after the program ended. That was more of a typical research paper sort of thing.

DY: Yeah actually, because some of the stuff that I learned in the lab, after I made the protein, I'd have to analyze it and stuff like that and the machines that I use to analyze it, they were called LCMS and HPLC, and those are very standard machines in terms of chemistry research. So I got to learn how to use them, and how to interpret the graphs and stuff that it spit out. So if I attend any future chemistry labs, I'll definitely have to use those machines again. The experience that I already got with them in Glasgow will definitely help with that.

JK: Yeah, definitely, it helped me in that I had a better idea of what to expect going into an interview with a PI. My study abroad time made me much more confident in my knowledge of different scientific techniques and whatnot. For me personally, I recently chose my STEM degree, so I'm still working on some of those prerequisites. So there was a concern going into my study abroad program, that I didn't have enough background, but the people that I was working with were extremely understanding and helpful. That's [a] thing about the Glaswegians, they're super kind and they're willing to help. So yes, I would say that my experience in Glasgow helped me secure another research position moving forward, and also the experience in and of itself was immensely educational.

AA: I think so but it also depends on what sort of research I plan to do. But no matter what I now have about 3 years of research experience. I definitely feel more comfortable in a research and academic setting. I know how to read a research paper, I know how to write a literature review, I know how to address a problem with research, and how to ask for help and I know how to figure out things on my phone. And public protocols, I'm relatively familiar with those.

DY: My previous research experiences here were pretty limited because at the lab that I was here on campus during the winter semester, I still also had to go to classes and stuff, so I didn't have as much time in the lab. But when I was in Scotland I had a lot more time. It was from 9 to 5 every weekday. And the really big thing that was different from the labs here in the U.S. was that the lab that I was in was actually multiple labs in one: So was the research group that I was in, and two other research groups. We all use one big lab setting. It was pretty interesting because some of the other people in my group said it was a benefit because they were able to collaborate with the other people in the same lab, since they were right there, so it was really easy to collaborate.

AA: We lived in a student dormitory or student apartment. I will say it was a bit far away, about a 20 to 25 minute walk. I would get up and leave for the lab around 8:30 and then it varied by day. We would either do some techniques in the lab, or if we were collecting samples, my partner and I would show up to lab and then leave to go elsewhere throughout the city. So we got some options to explore a little bit on our own. There was one day we went to the cathedral when we were going to get a sample around the area. So we made it a sort of touristy experience. We took about an hour lunch break around noon, and worked in the lab the rest of the day. I left around 3:30 and I'd always make dinner at my apartment. We had a full kitchen, which was nice. It had all the things necessary to cook and clean and such. And some days I would go out and do something after dinner. Tuesday nights, my friends and I would go to a local bar and play trivia. I wouldn't say there was a whole lot of time to go very far during the weekday because it takes a while to travel. But Glasgow had a small subway that could take you around the city.

JK: One thing that was kind of difficult, and I didn't realize it would be like this when I went was that most stores and things will close at 5pm, beyond like bars, restaurants, grocery stores, and things like that. But a bookstore, for example, will close at 5pm. I feel like our dorm was located in a really interesting position: we had about a half an hour walk to campus every day, but we had to go through the botanical gardens and then also through downtown, so it was a very peaceful and rejuvenating day-to-day getting to the lab, getting back home. I felt like I had a really good work-life balance, so when I left the lab, I wasn't really doing too much work outside of it. An exception would be the end of it, when I was working more on my presentation and paper and stuff like that, just because that had to be really fleshed out. My day-to-day kind of varied, but some of my friends and I would go to a recurring trivia night at a bar every week. I personally enjoyed going to different restaurants and experiencing the different cuisines that they had there. I found this really good Indian restaurant that I really liked.

And then, just in general, I'm a big fan of bookstores, record stores, and things like that. So I found some really cool places like that. And museums as well are really cool. Not all of them are free, but most of the ones that I went to were free admission, and that was really amazing for me to be able to do. I also loved hitting up the movies or just walking around, and I definitely spent a lot of time in the botanical gardens, just laying in the sun when it was sunny out.

JK: We got our dorm assignments before we left for the program, but my accommodations ended up switching. I think it was just because there were not enough beds or something like that, but we ended up about a half an hour away from our lab, and it was a dorm complex. All of the people within the same complex were international students for Glasgow, but all on various different programs. People came and left in the time that I was there, people were there before I came, and then were still there when I left. But for me, I got an all-female dorm, but I think that they do have co-ed dorms. There were five of us women together. Every person had their own bedroom with a bed, desk, sink, trash, and closet. Then we shared a bathroom and a kitchen and that was pretty much similar for all of the people in the Arcadia program. The way they did the assignments was that I was with one person from Arcadia, and then three people from the UC program. I'm not really sure how they did that, but we were all working in the same lab.

AA: I will say in Glasgow, the area we were in feels very, very academic. One of the Arcadia staff members said it was like a yuppie area. Lots of really interesting restaurants and different cuisines. Of course being Scotland, there were a lot of bars. The drinking culture there is very pronounced. The city center was unique. I mean, both are very old cities. They both have very unique architecture of stone, very old stone buildings. Glasgow had a few more modern high rises in it, because it is a larger city. Edinburgh, on the other hand, is very, very historic. They've preserved everything in the old architecture. I think it's  definitely a more beautiful city, in my opinion. Both are very beautiful, but Edinburgh, you can just tell from being there it has a very unique history. I will say Edinburgh, because it is like one of the most famous Scottish cities, was very touristy. There were a lot of people there all the time, and there were a lot of gift shops and tourist attractions and things like that. But otherwise, it's still a very nice city. Both cities have many museums that are free to the public, which is nice. The National Museum of Edinburgh is really cool. There's a one of the original dolly sheep there, the sheep that was cloned. There's plenty to do in both cities I think.

JM: I would say as far as the schoolwork and stuff goes and completing it, I cannot believe that we got 40 participants in 6 weeks. We did that in 3 weeks, along with getting the entire thing set up before that, and then after that, giving presentations and we did all the data analysis and everything so fast. Completing it in general, but more specifically, the presentation. I was so nervous for it, but with everything that we had done, I was so knowledgeable about what I was talking about and once we got up there and started talking it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be, because I actually had the knowledge, and that was the first kind of realization that I had. So I would say just having the feeling of “I did something here, and I learned it.” Like, it's actually up here and I completely understand it. So yeah, that was fun.

AA: Definitely communicating with our lab tech experts. That was very funny but it could be hard to understand it. They grew up in a different generation, too; they were maybe middle aged. Also the roads, they do have different traffic laws so definitely be careful on the roads. They have A roads and B roads. A roads are sort of main roads and B roads [are] just side streets. So, if you were a car on an A-road turning to a B road, you have the right of way. They don't do “pedestrians always have the right of way” as they do in the U.S. So when crossing a road you would have to stop for a car and you definitely gotta be careful, because it's a busy area, and there have been several instances that I've gotten close. Yeah! We're so used to being like, alright, I'm on this road, you better [stop]. But other than that, it's a very safe country. I felt safe walking anywhere at night. I mean, of course, I was usually with friends, but we lived in a pretty nice area, so you shouldn't have to worry about anything much other than cars.

JK: There was not a lot of communication that had happened before I arrived. I was told when I was originally applying in the fall semester of last year that we would have to do a lit review, so I was prepared for that and whatnot But then as time kind of was coming up close to the program, I still hadn't received any information, and so I would have loved at that point to have gotten a more specific breakdown of whether or not a lit review's gonna be expected of us, the kind of the content of it needed, or what the goal with the paper itself would be. 

In terms of the structure of the program, I feel like every person really had a different day, so it's really hard to make generalizations about what any person's schedule will look like, as for me, for example, I went into the lab at 9.30 every day, and the latest I was able to stay was 4.30, but generally I was out till around 1 to 2 p.m, but everybody else had a different kind of a lab schedule, for sure. Some people didn't have to go in every day and some people were there the full 9 to 5. I kind of wish I knew a bit more just about the project that I was going to be working on in general and gotten a more detailed description for it, but that really just worked itself out once I got there.

DY: I wish I'd known beforehand that we would not get access to the dining halls that they had at the university, actually I don't even know if they have dining halls. Before going I've never cooked before, I didn't know how to cook. When I got to Scotland I went out grocery shopping with my roommates, and then from there on, it was a lot of trial and error in the kitchen. I think it was pretty satisfying to cook and eat it for my own. But it was kind of a little bit boring, because when I was shopping, I sort of shopped for things that I found would be easy to cook. And then after I learned how to cook using those ingredients, I kind of stuck with them. I'd say the worst part was that for me growing up at home I always liked to eat rice. So I wanted to eat some rice when I got there, but we didn't have a rice cooker.

AA: I did apply for financial aid for the summer term. So I got a nice grant through that. And initially, I applied to a few scholarships, both through LSA and one through the biology department. I got two scholarships through that, so essentially my whole trip was paid for. So for me out-of-pocket cost was probably less than a thousand or two. And Biology did have smaller scholarships available, but I did not know about those until after the deadline. There were some academic ones and I think there's a few related to background and demographic. I just wish there was a little more direction about the scholarships, too, because I did manage to get a lot of money, but it never hurts to apply [for] more.

JM: Mine did end up being fully funded with scholarships and grants. It took a lot of pressure off your shoulders. I did get a lot of aid. I got scholarships both through U-M and Arcadia, such as the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship.