{"id":16159,"date":"2017-09-13T22:54:48","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T17:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/?p=16159"},"modified":"2017-09-13T22:54:48","modified_gmt":"2017-09-13T17:24:48","slug":"internship-at-national-centre-for-biological-sciences-turning-dreams-into-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/internship-at-national-centre-for-biological-sciences-turning-dreams-into-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Internship at National Centre for Biological Sciences – Turning dreams into reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Internship-at-National-Centre-for-Biological-Sciences-Turning-dreams-into-reality\"<\/p>\n

About the Author: <\/strong>Nivya Sharma, a student of BITS Pilani, \u00a0proved that nothing is impossible.\u00a0She talks about the efforts she put in to bag her dream internship. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Being a biology student, I always had an inclination towards research. What aroused a zeal for invention in me was a visit to the pharma labs in my college! The extensive research work that was being carried out there left me amazed, and I decided to intern at a research institute to get an exposure of the practical aspects of my course. I had heard a lot about National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS),<\/strong> and I began my quest to score an internship there. I started taking relevant courses, gaining insights into the research works of various professors, and learning to operate different instruments in the labs. I would enter any lab and inquire about the research going on there and read standard operating procedures of the lab equipment. I made a project on High Throughput Biosensor using Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles<\/em> for an international competition called Biomod<\/em>. I worked on processes and techniques like Gel Electrophoresis, Zeta sizing, Stober\u2019s process, LaMer and Dinegar model, Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopies (SEM and TEM), etc. I led a team to present a project named Bioengineered Water Purifier<\/em> which emphasized on nanofiltration. I also did a project on Liposomal Drug Delivery System for Colorectal Cancer Treatment<\/em> and Nanoscale Drug Delivery Area<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was a winter morning when one of my classmates informed me of the NCBS fellowship program in Neuroscience<\/strong> which was to be taken by professors from Harvard University. Harvard and NCBS in one program – a complete privilege for anyone who\u2019d be a part of it. I enquired about it and asked him to email all the details to me. I received the email after waiting for an hour with my Gmail account open in front of me. I had goosebumps as I read that email; this was what I had been preparing for with all my might. <\/span><\/p>\n

To apply for the program, I needed a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, Statement of Purpose (SOP) which included my impetus for being a part of the internship and the research work I had done so far, and my resume. I had an attractive resume owing to all the projects I had undertaken but preparing a concise and precise SOP made me anxious. I went to my HOD seeking help and he agreed to proofread it. After several rectifications, I sent my application and waited for a revert with mixed feelings of anxiety and confidence. Finally, one afternoon, I received my selection letter. My hard work had born a fruitful result, and I was overwhelmed to be one of the twenty students selected for the internship. <\/span><\/p>\n

After carrying out all the formalities, I reached the NCBS housing complex on December 29 – a day I\u2019d been waiting for too long. I was introduced to the professors and my fellow interns with whom I involved myself in discussions from the very first day. We visited all the labs, learnt about various brain neuronal movement recording techniques and hi-tech equipment like fluorescent microscopes, and were given hands-on sessions on them. The professors walked us through the basic concepts of all the research that was going on in the field of neuroscience. Apart from acquiring a profound conceptual knowledge of neuroscience, I performed experiments like the Backyard Brain Spiker Box<\/em> experiment using two kits – one for measuring EMG amplitude to study the movement of human bicep muscle and another for measuring muscle movement in a broken circuit\u2019s leg. I also performed a dissection of sheep\u2019s eye and an optogenetics study in Drosophila (fruit fly) to analyse the effect of light on its movement. I got an opportunity to attend research talks by several professors. I cherished some fun moments like catching crickets and holding sheep brain. I also inculcated in me the skills of teamwork, time management, leadership, and communication.\u00a0<\/span>Interning at NCBS was a life changing moment and enriched me with an ocean of learning.\u00a0I hope to work in one of those highly equipped labs some day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Waiting for your dreams to come true? Check out these latest biology internships<\/a> and set out to chase them.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 If you also have an interesting story to share, you can now participate in\u00a0Your Internship Story Contest 2017<\/a>\u00a0and win cash prizes and goodies worth INR 1 Lac!<\/em><\/p>\n