A bit different summer

Since I am focusing on chemistry in my final year and since I knew that would be my direction even before the start of this term, I wanted to have a research experience in chemical lab. In addition, I was interested in finding the difference between the research in a company and the research in a research institution. So in the end I found myself two internships, one in a pharmaceutical company and the other one in the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Science.

I started my summer by commuting for three weeks to TEVA, a pharmaceutical company in Opava. This was an experience definitely worth trying as it gave me a good insight into what such companies prioritise. In addition, I could also try some new techniques that I did not come across before and, most of all, I got to work on a real project and was part of the team for that short time.

However, the three weeks flew by and then I had a week for a swift transfer to Prague, where I spent eight weeks in the medicinal chemistry lab of professor Hocek. There I also became a part of the team and contributed to one of the projects they were working on. What is more, not only did I practise some of the techniques I learnt in the practical lessons at the university, but I also learnt some new techniques, which I am using in the synthetic exercises this term. So overall, when it comes to practical experience, I gained a lot. Moreover, this also applies to the academic research experience as I got the idea of what a proper research is about. For example, that not every experiment is so flawless as they are in the practical lessons.

The internships took eleven out of the fourteen weeks of the vacation I had and I wanted to enjoy myself as well since that is what vacation is for, isn’t it? So at the beginning of summer when I was planning it, in a weak moment when I felt I needed some adventure, I took advantage of the offer I had been given by my friend and visited him in the USA. So for nearly two weeks I travelled across a bit of eastern coast of the USA and visited Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C. and a few more smaller cities.

So what should be the conclusion of this story? First of all, I would encourage everyone to do an internship even if they do not have to as it can provide them with valuable experience. Second, when it comes to all aspiring scientists, one must not get discouraged if the experiments do not work well as this is exactly what science is about: trial and error. Third, one should listen to their adventurous self from time to time. And finally, what might seem like a summer full of work does not mean that you will not relax.