Mika Wesley, Arcadia Abroad Summer 2023
Living and working in Dublin for two months allowed me to meet a lot of new people. For example, the Summer at University College Dublin program planned trips for students. I went to Phoenix Park and Killiney Hill with them. The trips were run by Irish students from University College Dublin. I found people interested to hear about my experiences both from the States and so far in Ireland. I learned a lot about Irish culture that I never would have known without talking to the Irish students. For example, on my trip to Killiney, I talked with an Irish student studying history. It was interesting not only to learn about Irish history but to see a difference in what people know about their history. I found that Irish people on average know a lot more about their specific family history than the average person in the United States does.
Outside of just meeting people from Ireland, working in a university lab meant I worked with students from many different countries. Within my lab, there were graduate students from Italy, Germany, India, and Ireland. I learned cultural differences that exist within my specific working environment. For example, in Ireland, the titles of “Dr.” and “Professor” have a hierarchy with different meanings. Only after working and lecturing for a number of years could someone earn the title of “Professor.”
I really enjoyed my work environment in Dublin. I spent two months on a research project and presented a poster at the end of the summer. I studied a protein called Rab33B. Mutants of Rab33B are linked to a type of skeletal dysplasia. I used fluorescent microscopy to look at the localization of these mutants in the cell compared to that of the wild-type or regular version of the protein. The mutants were more soluble within the cell rather than being concentrated to the Golgi Apparatus, an organelle in the cell. I loved taking pictures of the cells with the microscope. This summer solidified my future plan of study and professional goals. I plan to go to grad school and pursue a career in biomedical research. Before this summer, I had only ever worked in one lab at the University of Pittsburgh. When I started at that lab I knew very little. The experience of working in a new one not only furthered my interest in research but also made me realize how much I’ve grown and learned about research and biology in my time at the University of Pittsburgh. I now feel very confident in my ability and future career path.
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