Downtown Manhattan skyline taken from
“The Edge,” a building in uptown Manhattan
The SOT Graduate Intern Fellowship in Toxicology (GIFT) Award provided me with an exceptional training opportunity and helped me take steps forward in my scientific career.
During May and June 2024, I completed an internship with Dr. Michael Aschner’s lab at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. Dr. Ashner’s group trained me to use Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model for hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] neurotoxicity. During my training, I gained hands on experience with an incredibly useful model while taking strides toward completing my degree and becoming an independent researcher. With the support of the GIFT Award, I learned to maintain C. elegans strains, perform a host of behavioral assays, assess neurodegeneration in living worms, and generate new C. elegans strains. This training helped me generate a significant amount of data as we attempt to identify which cells Cr(VI) targets in the brain and elucidate a mechanism of neurotoxicity. Outside of the lab, this internship allowed me to explore one of the world’s great cultural capitals and take in everything New York City has to offer.
Last day celebration with some members
ofDr. Aschner’s lab. From left to right:
Bea Santana, Pablo Scharf, Romina Deza
Ponzio, and Samuel Vielee
I am beyond grateful to Dr. Ascher and his lab members (Pan Chen, Romina Deza Ponzio, Bea Santana, Airton da Cunha Martins Jr., Gustavo Oliveira de Paula, and Pablo Scharf) for their efforts in training me and helping me succeed during this internship! I would also like to express my appreciation to SOT for providing me with the GIFT Award and helping me to continue developing as a scientist. This opportunity was invaluable and has only brought me closer to realizing my dream of becoming an independent neurotoxicologist!
The GIFT Award is supported by the James Bond-Michele Medinsky Graduate Student Development Endowment Fund. The award enables graduate students to obtain experience not normally included in graduate training. Immersion in internships provides students unique appreciation of the day-to-day activities of toxicologists and paths for success in industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. Such opportunities can help students establish their professional network, build confidence in career choices, and ultimately better prepare for transitioning into these sectors upon graduation.
An updated description and application for the 2024–2025 GIFT award will be available August 1, 2024, via SOT Apply.
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