This summer, recent high school graduate Shannoy Fraser is spending two months at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland participating in a competitive internship researching pancreatic cancer tumors.
Special thanks to Hall supporter Jeff Winter and Dr. Jonathan Brody, Ph.D. Professor & Vice Chair, Research, Dept. of Surgery, Associate Director, Translational Research, BCCPC at the STEMPrep-OHSU Internship Program at Oregon Health & Science University for sharing this amazing opportunity and working with Hall to get Shannoy into this exciting program.
Throughout the summer, Shannoy is sharing thoughts about her experiences both in and out of the lab on Hall’s blog and social media channels. Follow along as she shares her stories and reflections—including these thoughts on her first week in Oregon!
The night before the first day in the lab —
I’m very excited about going to Oregon Health and Science University, and I’m most interested in completing the lab. I’ve done lab work before, but I haven’t done really professional lab work, so that’s something new that I’m thinking about.
This opportunity is definitely a big deal for me, especially because I want to go to medical school, and I feel like this opportunity will shape my undergraduate years that are upcoming. Aside from that, throughout this summer, I want to learn more about the lab that I’m working with. I know that I’m supposed to be working with, um, the pancreatic cells of rats, so that’s definitely gonna be interesting. And I am afraid of rats, so I am gonna be out of my comfort zone! But overall, I feel like everything will work out in the end.
I feel like everyone that I’ve met so far has been very kind and welcoming, so I’m not stressing about anything. I’m just ready to jump into all that I have to do!
Internship Day 2 —
A small win that I had today: I took the tram by myself for the first time, and I also went to the grocery store! I felt really good about it because I’ve never really done a lot of traveling by myself. And then I felt great because I actually followed my GPS, and I reached my destination safe and sound. I also took a walk around Portland State University, and I liked the scenery. I liked how green everything was. Overall, it feels great doing stuff by myself. It makes me feel like, I guess, a real adult. Everything’s going great so far.
Internship Day 3 —
Today is day 5 in Oregon, and it’s also day 3 of my internship. I’ve been outlining what I’m working on, and I’m going to be working with pancreatic cells from mice. I haven’t conducted the lab yet; so far, I’m just outlining what I have to do.
Today I saw one especially cool thing. We were working with the mice, and I saw them getting injected with the tumor cells. I found that very interesting. They were kind of cute, and I felt bad, but you have to do what you have to do. And it was a very quick process.
We knocked out the mice with anesthesia and shaved the areas where the injection would be administered. Today, about 20 mice were injected with the tumor cells.
Next, we’ll observe the tumor as it grows, and eventually, the tumor will be harvested from under the skin. Tomorrow, we’ll learn how to inject the cells directly into the pancreas using an ultrasound—I’m looking forward to observing that. It’s all very interesting so far, and I’m looking forward to actually being able to contribute something to the lab.
Internship Day 8 —
I got to see orthotopic injections in the mice, where the tumor was directly injected into their pancreas using ultrasound.
Outside of the lab, our group went on a cruise, and it was very fun to see Portland and get to know a bit more about the other interns. This was our first trip and we hadn’t all interacted with one another yet. I also went to the mall because I’m trying to explore Portland more instead of staying home.
Overall, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve been working on my project. I also just learned how to stain the tumor cells, so that’s something that I’ll continue to work with.
Follow along with her journey on our Instagram and website this summer as she takes the next steps toward a future in medicine and research.