Hi! My name is Eric Lee and I’m from Denver, Colorado. Currently, I am a pre-health student thinking about concentrating in biology or psychology, and I’ll be living in Forbes this upcoming year. On campus, I’m mainly involved in the Daily Prince and the Forbes College Council, but I am definitely looking to join more clubs as a sophomore. In my free time, I like to ski, play spikeball, watch sports and movies, try new foods, and travel.
This summer, I have been working as a student researcher at National Jewish Health, a hospital specializing in respiratory care. Typically, I come into the lab at around 9 AM and begin by checking my email. Then, the rest of my schedule varies from day to day. When I first started out, I was mostly shadowing other researchers. Through doing this, I learned how to work safely in the lab and became proficient in various experimental techniques. In the first few weeks, I was also reading lots of articles on topics that I would be exploring and researching over the summer. Recently, I have been performing more independent work, running my own experiments and collecting data that the lab will hopefully be able to use in the future. The main things that I have been tasked with doing are western blotting and immunofluorescence related to the research of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and lung injury. While it has been confusing and difficult at times, everyone has been super helpful and welcoming. Overall, the flexibility I possess and the diversity in my day to day routine has made this experience really enjoyable thus far.
By the end of the summer, I hope to have provided some data that will help the lab progress forward in its research. The work that they are doing with regards to lung injury and repair is extremely important and valuable, so it would be amazing if I could contribute to benefitting and improving the lives of patients down the line. Also, I hope that I am able to bring a positive energy to the lab and make people smile while I am here. I am really looking forward to finishing out the rest of my summer at National Jewish Health.
