The Kenan Fellow/Mentor partnership offered to me by the Kenan Fellows Program offered me an opportunity unlike any other–and was part of the reason that I applied for a fellowship. To have exposure to some of the greatest academic minds, industry experts, and entrepreneurial thinkers is and was an invaluable experience!
During my laboratory internship, I was paired with Dr. Brian Strahl, of the UNC School of Medicine. Brian and I met on a regular basis to discuss my progress in the lab, as well as to provide advice and feedback regarding my curriculum product. Most of my contact, however, was with postdoctoral fellow, Erin Shanle, PhD, and a few undergraduate researchers and lab technicians. I learned a lot about myself (and why I chose to teach, instead of working in a lab), acquired invaluable laboratory skills, and was able to actually perform some of the tasks and experiments that I tell my students about–PCR, gel eletrophoresis, bacterial transformation, etc. We worked as a team to not only perform daily experiments, but also to interpret our data. I would have been lost without their skills and expertise!
My biggest “ah-ha” moment didn’t actually arrive until after my internship was over, when I was studying for a graduate-level biochemistry test. While completing my course reading, I had a synchronistic epiphany! The topic that I had just taught in AP Biology, the content knowledge from my graduate course, and the hands-on lab skills from my KFP experience all aligned! Having experienced most of the textbook’s techniques made my understanding of the content that much richer–and satisfying! I cannot imagine trying to wrangle this coursework without my Kenan experience.
I have yet to implement my Epigenetics curriculum in my classroom, but am hoping to do so at the beginning of January. When I do, I hope that I recall all of the amazing things that I learned during my internship, and that I can call on my mentor (or other members of the Strahl lab) to come to my classroom and tell them how awesome research can be!