John+Sutherland

=Observing and Working at Perkin Elmer= Learning about five possible careers related to Biology toc Background on Perkin Elmer: =Goals:= My main goal for the project was to learn about possible careers, related to biology that could be pursued by a person passionate about the subject after college. I wanted to look at what a normal day in their life is and what their role is at this company. Another goal of mine was to learn about different machines and instruments and gain lab experience by working with professional scientists. I expected to learn about the five different professions, how they impact the scientific community and how they work together and how they are connected in this company.
 * Company that sells lab and medical supplies and instruments
 * Combination of many small companies
 * Originally founded in 1937
 * Became involved with Life Sciences in 1999
 * Global company in over 150 countries

=Discoveries:= I spent five days working at Perkin Elmer with six people who work in five different fields. Day 1: I learned about product management with Dr. Rebecca LaRose. Her job is to oversee products, drive revenue, plan sales, invest and she does research to interact with the scientists that Perkin Elmer sells to. She also creates prices and strategies. She specializes in studying HIV and her division of Perkin Elmer makes products that scientists can use discover things and do experiments. She works in the branch called Diagnostics, which specializes in selling to scientists that use research to diagnose patients. She also taught me about the process that a product undergoes before it can enter the market. She needs to know about biology to do all of this because the people that she is working with work in some kind of biological related field.

Day 2: I learned about Mass Spectrometry with Dr. Jonathan Wilson. Mass spectrometry is a procedure used to find the mass to charge ratio of charged particles. Dr. Wilson is an analytical chemist, meaning that he takes quantitative measurements and figures out how much a substance is in something. The basic function of a Mass Spectrometer is that you can put a mixture into it and figure out what is inside that mixture. Many different fields use Mass Spectrometry for many different things. It is used to test blood samples taken from newborn babies and it is used to test urine samples of athletes who are tested for performance enhancing drugs.

Mass Spectrometer

. How the Mass Spectrometer Works

Day 3: I learned about Specialty Diagnostics with Drs. Karl Adler and Steve Hurt. Specialty Diagnostics is basically just Genetic Screening. They specialize in analyzing DNA and Dr. Adler specializes in looking for Aneuploidies or problems with the number of chromosomes. While working with Dr. Adler, I looked at chromosomes and DNA and used the spectrometer. While working with Dr. Walker, we extracted DNA, ran a gel and measured pH and buffers.

Chromsomes under a Microscope

Day 4: I worked with Dr. Steve Hurt and learned about Multi label Detection and Liquid Handling. His job is to take the products that Perkin Elmer sells and use them to run experiments and show customers how they work. He also generates literature for the people in the marketing group to give to the customers about their products. He primarily focuses on assays used by people doing academic biological research adn pharmaceutical companies working on developing new drugs. He helps prove to the customers that Perkin Elmer's products can be used to do their research and that Perkin Elmer's products are better than those of their competitors. While working with him we ran a Western Blot Gel to test some of Perkin Elmer's materials. Here was where I got to do a hands on experiment and improved my lab skills.

Day 5: I learned about Inside Sales with Ms. Meara Jones. She specializes in selling radioactive chemicals and instruments to pharmaceutical companies and college laboratories. She talks to customers over the phone and through email in order to try and fulfill their needs. The main people that she sells to are those who are conducting medical research. As well as vials of radioactive chemicals, she also sells cocktails that are used to detect radiochemicals. She taught me various techniques that she uses to sell to customers. Biology is very important to her job because many of the people that she sells to are doing biological or biochemistry related research and she needs to know how to relate to them.

While doing this I learned a lot about these various professions as well as how to use many different machines. I was surprised about how many different fields are open to someone interested in biology that do not involve working in a lab full time. I was also surprised about how much fun I had while I was there. I thought that it would be sort of boring but it was not at all. I will come away from this experience with a new set of skills in note taking, asking questions and the knowledge that none of these fields are something that I would want to be involved with after college. However it was a very informative experience and had a lasting impact on me and I am glad that I did it.

=Challenges:= One of the biggest challenges that I encountered while doing this project was understanding some of the things that I was learning about. Some of it was incredibly complicated and a lot for me to handle. For example, Dr. Wilson studied mass spectrometry for nine years to become an expert on it and I had to learn about it in three hours. Another challenge was taking notes on everything that was said by the people I shadowed because we were constantly moving around and doing new things. Another challenge was getting pictures for my photographic journal because I was not allowed to take pictures of any of the machines.

=Solutions:= I was able to understand the trickier things through asking questions and studying my notes about each subject after I finished taking them. I was able to take notes effectively by constantly writing every time the person I was shadowing talked. Also by asking them to repeat things if I missed anything. To get photos for my photographic journal, I found pictures on the internet similar to what I used while at Perkin Elmer.

=Looking Back:= If I were to do this project again, I would try to spend more time in the lab at Perkin Elmer and I would try to start writing the journal earlier than a week before it was due.

=5 Tips for doing the Bio Project:=
 * 1) If you are shadowing someone, constantly ask questions and take notes on everything to make sure that you fully understand everything.
 * 2) Make sure to write good questions that relate to the central "theme" of your project when you shadow someone.
 * 3) Make sure to act professional and interested when shadowing and make a good impression because the person you are shadowing will be more likely to share information with you if you are interested and engaged.
 * 4) Summarize your notes and organize them after you finish your work or shadowing.
 * 5) Do not wait until the last minute to write and put together your project.