Hughes Mentor:  Peng Chen

Department: Chemistry and Chemical Biology

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Chen Lab – Chemical Biology

Initially, over the fall semester of my junior year I was looking for a new research lab to join. I had just finished a year in a mouse behavior lab, but was interested in a more molecular approach to research. I emailed my faculty advisor, Professor McQuade, and he recommended a new Professor, Peng Chen, as someone to contact about joining a lab. After a few email exchanges I was invited to tour the lab, and the following spring semester I joined the lab as one of two undergraduate students. In the end, to find an open research lab it takes a large amount of searching and sieving, and a good amount of luck.

While in this lab, I was not required to take any courses. However, Cornell had just created a course in the field of Professor Chen’s expertise, bioinorganic chemistry, which I quickly enrolled in. It was here that I was provided with the necessary background and perspective to be successful in this laboratory. While not a requirement, taking a course in an area of study closely related to the area of research one is interested is always beneficial.

In my laboratory I work with Wilson Disease protein (WDP), a polypeptide involved in copper transport within the human body. As an undergraduate, a normal day in this lab consists mostly of running PCR reactions and analyzing their results through an agarose gel. My project this summer is to induce five mutations within the specific gene for the WDP, and this is performed by polymerase chain reaction. Running a PCR takes a few hours, so while waiting for this reaction to finish I often tie up loose ends in the lab (ordering reagents, cleaning the lab, preparing for the next day’s reactions). By the time the PCR has finished, I will run a gel on the products and image it on the computer for analysis. This usually ends a typical day in my laboratory.

Research is a rewarding but sometimes frustrating activity. Often “easy” practices turn out to be quite the opposite, and this lack of success can be discouraging. However, after weeks or months of work when a reaction or protocol finally succeeds, the rewards are well worth the frustration. I always tell any undergraduate at a research university to take advantage of this opportunity. Many of my friends at liberal arts colleges do not have the luxury to participate in research so easily, and as a result I think it’s a shame that many undergrads with this privilege don’t exercise it.

Any student that has a strong interest in biology but also a background in the physical sciences should be interested in this type of lab. Science is slowly moving into an age of integration, and as a result physics and chemistry techniques are being used to solve strictly biological problems. If this idea is intriguing, definitely look into laboratories in the chemical biology department such as Professor Chen’s.

Research during the summer is totally different from that of the academic year. There are no other pressures like exams and problem sets that cloud your conscience and this can often relieve a lot of the stress associated with doing research during the academic year. The best way to keep a strong balance between research and academics during the fall and spring terms is to remember that college courses will eventually earn you a Bachelor’s degree, and while research is important, it ultimately is not a means to achieve this goal.