Winsor Science Internship: Creating Opportunities For Learning Beyond Pilgrim Road

By: Yemisi Adetowubo ’26

Last summer, I interned at the Doan Lab, which was made possible through the Winsor Science Internship. During my internship, I had the opportunity to research the non-coding region of DNA within the genomes of individuals with autism. I was lucky enough to have two other Winsor students with me: Trisha and Lara. Together, we shared insights about experiments, created time-lapses of our experiments, and even shared Crumbl! I also had a mentor, Dr. Julieta Bonacina, who guided me throughout this internship. I shadowed her during experiments, observing as she skillfully performed PCR, administered ampicillin to Lysogeny broth, and meticulously pipetted samples in test tubes before centrifuging them, to name just a few. To prevent confusion in the lab (which was very bound to happen) she would share key readings essential for grasping the project or any task we were tackling. If there is one thing I took away from her many insights it is the importance of maintaining a germ-free workspace and being exceptionally precise in my work. Even when an experiment appears flawless, it’s often the small overlooked details, the inevitable lapses in human nature, that can ultimately cause it to fail. 

This experience elicited many positive feelings. For starters, an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Transitioning from a basic understanding of DNA transcription learned in freshman biology to a comprehensive grasp of the entire process, and then applying that insight to advance autism research and broaden public understanding of the condition, was not an easy feat. There were days when new material was just not clicking, or when experiments were not going to plan. There were also days when I questioned if this was the right path for me, but these doubtful thoughts always went out the window when I looked around the lab and saw a community united by a passion to make a change in the world, one discovery at a time. Realizing that I was part of that community fueled my sense of accomplishment and renewed my determination. 

One key lesson this internship taught me was the importance of independence. The fun part of being independent in the lab was setting up and performing experiments on my own, but this was after countless hours of shadowing. I would watch Dr. Bonacina perform experiments. I would stand right next to her with my notebook and calculator in hand, ready to jot down any important notes for when I would perform the procedure. After shadowing, I would perform the experiments, but I was not yet alone. She would stand beside me to make sure I was on track and doing things correctly. Anytime I made a mistake or forgot a step, she would confirm that I was still doing great, and would offer kind words of wisdom. In some moments, I was able to shadow the other Winsor interns in the lab and collaborate on experiments. After shadowing and working with my mentor and the other Winsor interns, I finally got to experiment on my own. 

This meant that I had to retrieve ice and figure out how to open the door on my own, which seemed like such a non-issue, but at the moment it was! Since we could not touch the door handles with our gloves, opening the door proved to be a real challenge. One distinct memory involves retrieving bacteria from a specialized fridge that could only be opened briefly. I raced against the clock, aware that I needed to be both swift and careful, a task I was used to leaving to Dr. Bonacina. When I successfully grabbed the bacteria, without the fridge beeping at me, it felt like a personal victory! But the glories of independence reminded me that asking for help is always going to be okay. One thing I struggled with was learning the skill of opening a tube with one hand. I always blamed my big fingers or the lid of the tube! Whenever I would experiment on my own, I tried my hardest to open the tube by myself, and sometimes it just would not budge. Luckily, Dr. Bonacina was always there to help me, and eventually, I figured out a way to open the tubes by myself. This experience has taught me that I actually can do anything I set my mind to. Whenever I heard that phrase, I’d always think to myself, that’s corny, and didn’t believe it. On my first day, the terminology of the lab seemed foreign to me, and I thought that I’d never understand it. I thought that I would never be able to experiment on my own because of the fear of looking lost. But since I kept at it, and kept a positive attitude towards the new concepts, I found myself learning and growing. I intend to take this mindset beyond Pilgrim Road!