The SC-ACE program was genuinely one of the best academic experiences I’ve had so far. From the very beginning, the program felt intentional and well thought out. Instead of being thrown straight into complicated experiments, the structure slowly built up my skills. Early weeks focused on learning how a lab actually functions, and each week added new techniques that built on what I already knew.
Being placed in the Alachkar Lab made the experience even better. The lab environment was supportive and patient, which made it much easier to learn. Questions were encouraged, mistakes were treated as part of the process, and learning was always the priority. My mentor, Jeremy, played a huge role in that. He walked me through new protocols step by step, explained what was happening instead of just what to do, and gradually gave me more independence as I improved. By the end of the program, I was running many experiments largely on my own, which felt incredibly rewarding.
Throughout the program, I learned a wide range of lab techniques that are actually used in real biomedical research. I worked with bacterial cultures from start to finish, including picking colonies, growing cultures in shakers, and expanding them for larger DNA preps. I learned how to perform minipreps and midipreps to extract plasmid DNA from bacteria and how to properly purify that DNA so it could be used in later experiments. I also learned gel electrophoresis, including how to prepare gels, load samples, run them correctly, and interpret what the bands meant.
In addition, I gained hands-on experience with PCR, including setting up reactions, calculating concentrations, and troubleshooting when things went wrong. I learned how restriction enzymes work and how to choose the correct ones for a cloning project, followed by performing restriction enzyme digestion and ligation reactions to insert DNA into plasmids. Gel extraction and plasmid DNA cleanup were also major parts of my work.
I learned how to write a scientific abstract, how to design a clear and effective research poster, and how to create professional figures using BioRender. Preparing for the poster presentation pushed me to fully understand my project so I could confidently talk about it to people outside the lab.
At the start, many of these techniques were completely new to me. By the end, they felt familiar and manageable. The combination of strong program structure, a supportive lab environment, and great mentorship made a huge difference. The Alachkar Lab gave me the opportunity to experience real research, and Jeremy’s guidance helped turn that experience into genuine learning.
Overall, SC-ACE was an amazing program that I truly enjoyed. I learned an incredible amount, gained confidence in the lab, and walked away with skills that I know will be useful moving forward. I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone interested in research.