Name: Zhoe Rub
Class Year: 2018
Major: Biology
Hometown: Astoria, Ore.

Internship Placement: Oregon Health and Science University Biomedical Engineering Department
Job Title: Experiential Volunteer
Location: Oregon Health and Science University Center for Health and Healing, Portland, Ore.

What’s happening at your internship?

I am interning in a biomedical engineering lab. Over the past few weeks, I have learned how to prepare platelets from human blood for research experiments. Recently, I have been testing inhibitors on platelets to prevent platelet activation and looking at my results under a microscope. I have learned how to stain platelets for actin and myosin, which are both components of cells. I am currently preparing for an informal presentation of my research that I will present to my fellow interns. I have met a lot of amazing people through my internship. I really enjoy working with the researchers in the lab and working with my fellow interns.

Platelets stained for actin.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I want to be a doctor and I was interested in gaining research experience. A friend of mine did her PhD work in the biomedical engineering lab that I applied to and she suggested the internship to me. I am honored to be able to work in the lab that I am interning in and I am very thankful for this opportunity.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of my internship has been preparing platelets for microscopy. Which is just a fancy way of saying that I prepare human platelets and put them on microscope slides to view. I then determine if the inhibitors that I am testing are working based on what I see under the microscope. I have also loved meeting and getting to know my fellow interns and the researchers in the lab. I really enjoy working with my coworkers and they have made my internship really great.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

I have been living in Portland, Oregon. It has been a really interesting experience for me because I have never lived in a city before and Portland is about two hours away from my hometown. I am living with a really nice family on the edge of the city and I have had to figure out how to get to and from work using the bus and the Portland streetcar. At first, taking public transportation and shopping for myself was stressful, but now that I am used to everything I feel like this experience has made me a much more confident person.