From the left: Miriam Paz Montoya, Martyna Borkowska, Matthew Pérez, Chung-Yao Wei and Sofía García. / CNIO.
Five students from Taiwan, Poland, the United States, and Spain took part in the 14th edition of the CNIO Summer Internship Program.
Over the course of eight weeks, the students learned about the center's work and conducted their own experiments.
A record number of over 3,000 applications were received
Training the next generation of scientists is one of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center’s (CNIO) commitments to society. The sooner these students are exposed to the reality of research, the better. One of the resources available to promote this is the Summer Internship Program, which is aimed at students in their final year of a degree related to biomedical sciences. The program has just completed its 14th edition.
Five students from Taiwan, the United States, Poland, and Spain were selected from among 378 eligible candidates, who were chosen from a pool of over 3,000 applicants from around the world—a record number for this program. They just spent eight weeks at the center, each assigned to a group of their choice. During that time, they learned about their groups’ projects and completed an individual scientific task.
Additionally, “the program includes talks and it is designed to help participants discover what the CNIO is, what its units do, and why we are in the top ten”, says Marisol Soengas, the center’s Dean of Academic Affairs. Soengas emphasizes that “the high level of training and unique perspective that these students, chosen through a very competitive process, bring to the table also enriches those of us who work with them.”
Learning with support and independence
Miriam Paz Montoya (Spain) stayed in the Metabolic Interactions Group, led by Guadalupe Sabio, along with Martyna Borkowska (Poland), who chose it “to continue her liver studies at a previous laboratory.”
Sofía García Romero (Spain) noted that in the Flow Cytometry Unit, led by Lola Martínez, “I have always received help whenever needed, but I have also been able to design my own experiment and work independently. This has allowed me to feel more confident in my skills and my ability to adapt.”
Matthew Pérez (United States) had completed internships at hospitals where he was closely involved with patients and clinical treatments. Now, he wanted to gain experience on the other side: the research environment to detect and prevent diseases. He sought this experience at the Proteomics Unit, led by Marta Isasa. “She worked with me constantly to help me acquire laboratory skills for the first time,” he says.
Comparing experiences and forging relationships
Chung-Yao Wei (Taiwan) became interested in DNA breaks while working at her university. “I wanted to learn more about the techniques used, so I compared all the laboratories here and decided on the Topology and DNA Breaks Group, led by Felipe Cortés.” Wei appreciates the simplicity with which the principal investigators from other groups explained unfamiliar concepts during the Tuesday seminars, as well as the opportunity to learn about other people’s career paths and the decisions they have made along the way.
Everyone agrees that they enjoyed the good atmosphere and interaction between the different groups and departments for work, “but also at times, such as breakfast, when you can enjoy conversations about science or other topics, and get to know others and build relationships,” says Pérez, adding, “it’s something I’m sure I’ll miss when I go home.”
Wei agrees and and tells that her colleagues in the laboratory “are all very nice and kind, and I love them,” adding with a naughty smile, “They told me they were going to read this.”