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UAlbany C/STEP Students Attend Camp at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Summer 2013, Brookhaven National Laboratory

UAlbany C/STEP students attended a Summer Camp at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Here are some of their reflections on their experiences over the summer:

STEP Student - Manuel A. Santiago: My mom told me of an opportunity that the Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) at SUNY Albany had. It was a camp, through STEP, at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) at Stony Brook University and I got very excited. When she asked if I wanted to go, I told her definitely. Now that I look back on the experience I had, I know it wasn’t a mistake. It provided me with hands on experience in the STEM field and provided me with my first opportunity of College life.

The first day I was welcomed very nicely by a lady and at that point I knew it was going to be a great week. She then brought me to Whitman College. This is where we would be sleeping. The first day was more of an introduction to Stony Brook and the program. The counselors gave us a tour of the University, it is big.

The second day was the first day of hands on activities. They took us to BNL for our activities. In the morning we used e-coli and the GFP gene and did a DNA change. We gave e-coli the GFP gene and a couple of days later, when you put a UV ray on it, it would go green. We also took a tour of the BNL garden; they do many experiments with plants. We then took a tour of the green house at Stony Brook.

The third day we did some DNA extraction and a LED experiment where we wired a light. When we extracted the DNA it looked like mucus that comes out of your nose but it was so cool. When we built the light we wired it so it could work only when it was dark. When you put light on it, it would turn off. Later that night we went star gazing. This was fun but we didn’t find any consolations.

The fourth and last day we had a nice ceremony. I was sad that we had to leave because I realized my interest in the STEM field had grown and I just wanted to continue learning and experimenting. I hope to be invited back to BNL.

CSTEP Student - Rich Houanche: My summer experience at Brookhaven national Laboratory was incredible. It was the second National Laboratory that I have been toand I was even more impressed with Brookhaven's facilities. It is amazing how many interns are brought onto site to do research, and brought together in organized and creative events. I did research on a topic that I had no background in but my overseer, Rick Wilke, was able to explain everything to me as well as websites, and papers that I could read for background information. I was able to see firsthand how a group of over 100 scientist and interns can perform a study as a team. I was also able to establish networking connections with scientists within my field, which was great because I could see myself working there in the future or doing graduate research. Research experiences where students are brought together from all over the nation is also something that I appreciate because they help you to see things from different perspectives and you create friendships that last forever. I really cannot express how grateful I am to have been at Brookhaven over this past summer, I know that I would have not been anywhere near as happy if I were some place else.

Source: UAlbany C/STEP