a click of the tongue, a glimpse of the horizon

Only about three months ago, I stayed awake on a trip I'd normally fall asleep, only to come back to a home I'd known for less than 2 months, to a home that I'd only know sometimes up to only 12 hours of the day, arguably half of my summer.

On my last day home of the summer of 2013, I thought I'd do a quick reflection post.

my internship at Genzyme

My last week at Genzyme is next week, and I'm taking Monday off for a doctor's appointment. Since my time there is coming to an end, I thought I'd write a little about my experiences so far.

First thing's first, I really enjoyed my time there. Of course, it would have been a better and less tiring experience if the site at which I worked was 15 mins away rather than a one-hour shuttle journey each way, but it was clearly worth the commuting time.

Secondly, I think I'll talk briefly of what I worked on.

I basically helped a R&D group, specifically the Biological Mass Spectrometry group, work on developing an assay to measure enzymatic activity for a certain disease, an assay for Niemann-Pick that could potentially become one of the screenings required for newborns.

Yea, sounds quite cool, right? And I'm proud to say that, in the least, we have obtained promising data during my last 2-3 weeks of my internship. I mean, better than leaving without good progress, right?

This entire summer, while extremely exhausting and draining, was very productively and rewarding. I learned so much at Genzyme, undoubtedly in the science aspect, as well as professionally and interpersonally. The people I met were incredibly helpful and patient; they mentored and guided me every step of the way that I only have positive things to say about them.

My time at Genzyme had definitely exceeded my expectations of an internship alone, and I am beyond lucky and grateful for University Relations to have given me this incredible opportunity to work with them.

If time allows, I will not hesitate to go back.