Next Gen Scientists Foundation offers interns an incredible chance to pursue their passion for life science by conducting a project of their choice at their preferred laboratories. We conducted exclusive interviews with our interns and gathered insights into their unique experiences. Read below to know more about Kartik’s journey!
I believe this internship has not only taught me an immense number of new skills but also renewed a new level of interest in the field.
~Kartik Tulsian
Q. What do you study and where?
Kartik: I am currently pursuing my B.Pharmacy at the Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University.
Q. Who was your PI and what was your host institute?
Kartik: I was under the guidance of Dr. Sivapriya Kirubakaran from the Department of Chemistry, while conducting my research at IITGN as my host institute.
Q. What was your Internship project work?
Kartik: I worked on Computational drug design for cancer target STAT3 during my internship project.
Q. How was your experience attending NGS Internship Program?
Kartik: The opportunity that NGSF provides is one of its kind, as an undergraduate student to be able to work on a complete research project at some of the finest and most well-equipped labs across the country can be a life-changing moment. I believe this internship has not only taught me an immense number of new computational chemistry skills but also renewed a new level of interest in the field.
Q. What was the online internship experience like?
Kartik: So, I decided to do an online internship because the campus had been closed off temporarily due to COVID and the nature of my project allowed me to otherwise, an offline internship is always preferable.
The experience was good and I had a good time because the PhD scholars and postdocs at the lab were still very active and we had online meetings often. But communication was still difficult on many occasions.
Q. What are the challenges and advantages you faced while doing an online internship?
Kartik: One major advantage of the closed campus was the increased safety it provided. Despite the challenges of pursuing my project online, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the lab multiple times in the last 2-3 weeks. This hands-on experience was truly invaluable and made the effort worthwhile. However, in general, online internships are significantly less effective, especially for someone new to the field.
Q. How did you enjoy working on the internshipproject?
Kartik: I had a blast working on my project. The NGS foundation was extremely supportive throughout my internship period and their focus on learning rather than result was the reason why I was able to utilize my opportunity to the fullest. My PI and the students working under her were highly encouraging and allowed me to explore various routes to the overall question I wanted to answer in my research.
Q. Any advice you have for students going for an online internship?
Kartik: The most crucial advice is to be prepared to visit the lab when necessary, as you will likely need to do so. Make sure you have really good communication channels with the lab, except for just mail ids. In my experience, NGSF provided me with an incredible opportunity, and I believe I was able to maximize my time there.
Q. Would you recommend your fellow students to apply to NGS Internship Program?
Kartik: I would definitely recommend it to other students in my circles and university.
Q. Any other comments/observations/suggestions you would like to share?
Kartik: I believe if NGS could find a way to better track student progress from the viewpoint of the lab then the overall experience would be a lot more insightful and learning for the student. NGS could also maybe partner with labs across the country that share their interests and intent with NGS to achieve better student outcomes.
