Immerse yourself in laboratory research: Students Summer Internship

In early July Jakub and Adrian joined our team for a two-moth summer internship. The two students will be immersed in the research experience, giving them a taste of life at the bench.

Using a project-based approach under the supervison of Agnieszka, Magda, Mateusz and Natalia, the course progresses from an overview of basic lab techniques to the application of current molecular techniques in pain pharmacology.

Jakub wrote his Bachelor Thesis under Katarzyna’s supervision and defended it on July 10, 2015 at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Jagiellonian University. Now he is just beginning his master’s degree studies in neuroscience. Jakubis doing his first lab work with western blot technique and assisting behavioural studies using kinetic weight bearing instrument. He is drawn to the pharmacological research on endocannabinoid system and its role in inflammatory events. Beyond the scientific interests, he also enjoys boardsports like skateboarding or snowboarding, spending time in nature and analog photography.

Adrian has completed the third year of his MSci Pharmacology degree at University College London during which he was carrying out a library-based project on cancer pain management under the supervision of  Prof. Anthony Dickenson. Since nociception is one of his areas of interest, he wanted to find an internship opportunity in this field which is why he contacted Dr Starowicz’s group. Adrian says he is really enjoying spending his time gaining experience among a team of experienced scientists who always share a tip or two on how to perform various experiments to make them easier to do or to obtain more accurate results. Because next year he will be carrying out a laboratory project as part of his master’s studies, he hopes the experience gained at the Institute will help him know his way around the lab and produce better experimental outcomes.

We do hope Jakub and Adrian will benefit from the opportunity of hands-on biology-related laboratory research.