Experiences from My Summer Internship and Suggestions for Kicking off Research Endeavors
In the realm of scientific discovery, Cecilia H. Kim, a Natural Sciences Correspondent, embarks on an enlightening journey as she delves into her remote research internship with the Global Health Internship program, under the guidance of Dr. Marjolein Bruijning from the EEB department.
The internship, while not specifying a particular program or lab, provided the unique opportunity for the intern to choose a research topic within the area of the effect of microbes on health. In this instance, the focus was on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a pediatric disease that has long puzzled the medical community.
The intern's mission was to examine how differences in vertical transmission of microbes play a role in the development of various early pediatric diseases, including NEC. To achieve this, she employed a strategic approach to literature research, utilising Google Scholar and Web of Science as her primary search engines.
To maximise the effectiveness of these tools, the intern employed several tactics. She used specific keywords related to her topic, such as "gut microbiome dysbiosis necrotizing enterocolitis". She also applied filters like recent publication years, review articles, or highly cited papers to identify influential studies.
Moreover, the intern reviewed cited and citing articles to explore the research landscape surrounding key papers, and she utilised advanced search features like Boolean operators, phrase searching, and field-specific queries (title, abstract) to refine results. She also tracked ongoing or recent clinical trials and meta-analyses for the latest evidence.
In addition to these methods, the intern discovered Mendeley, a citation manager and note-taking platform, which proved invaluable for organising her growing collection of citations.
Regular meetings with Dr. Bruijning were instrumental in addressing questions and developing the research topic. The intern kept a running record of questions that arose during reading, bringing them to meetings for answers.
This remote research internship served as a testament to the benefits of such opportunities in the field of global health. For students considering a research internship in the summer, this experience offers valuable insights and guidance. Begin with a well-defined, impactful microbiome question and use targeted, filtered searches on Google Scholar and Web of Science to gather comprehensive and relevant literature for your research.
- Independent work on scientific research can yield significant findings, as demonstrated by Cecilia H. Kim in her remote internship with the Global Health Internship program.
- Science continues to unravel mysteries in medical conditions like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a pediatric disease that has long perplexed the medical community.
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