Ninth-Grade Summer Internship @ UPenn(宾大高一暑假见习)-儿歌荟萃-万维博客-万维读者网（电脑版）

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		Ninth-Grade Summer Internship @ UPenn(宾大高一暑假见习)	2020-07-10 06:19:05

2018-07-06

【Aiden in English】

So recently, against my will, I was sent off to the University of Pennsylvania for an 'internship' in a lab. This was most likely to push me in the direction of a science career. While it may have seemed like a good opportunity, the effort for me to reach the campus was unreasonable. UPenn is located within the city of Philadelphia, while the lab, located in the dental school, is not near the train station. Essentially, my daily transportation would go as such: Mom drops me off at the train station close to her workplace, and I board the 8:30 am SEPTA train to the central city. After getting off at the 30^th station, I take Lucy Circular Bus to the dental school. In total, this takes a good hour and a half to two hours. In addition, the bus I take is specifically made for UPenn. The college is enormous, a town within Philadelphia. It's mostly filled with a park and different stores and such, so walking through the place was quite enjoyable.

The dental school itself seemed to be very modern, a greenhouse included. I later learned most of the buildings I worked in didn't have much to do with teeth. The team, made up of 4-5 members (I'm not sure because one was never there), I was assigned to work on the herpes virus, which obviously concerned me. Logically, we used only a portion of the virus, the RTA, so it was harmless. The RTA controls the genes that will be activated to produce the virus. Even more specifically, the team tried to find the genes in human cells herpes control that lead to cancer. Certain genes like p53 that go berserk in tumors are what the team searches for, well, at least the dude I'm working with. Another member is working with proteins, while the third kind of tag-along my guide is just there for papers and books. I, on the other hand, follow my assigned partner like a lab dog. What he does, I question and probably annoy the heck out of him.

Eventually, he left me to do some work on my own, like mini-preps of DNA for PCRs or Excel spreadsheets. I, to be honest, would not have enjoyed this if it weren't for my partner. He was an extremely chill person to talk to and ask questions about. He shared similar interests, like Rick and Morty as well as the World Cup. After a few days, I did feel at home. While this taste of an actual lab is very specifically oriented to school labs with messy benches and unorthodox conditions, it is the first time I've experienced actual science. Even though choosing my profession is years away, it is time to begin thinking, and after this 9^th year of school, I've eliminated some obvious careers. This is still my first taste of an actual, advanced profession, so it does put some perspective on effort, time, and social life. The guy I stayed with often worked long past sunset, some days past midnight. I'm not sure if that is for me. He seemed extremely dedicated to his work, enjoying it thoroughly. Although I don't like losing sleep, I hope one day I can find a job like his, where working after hours is not a burden.

【红霞译文】

近来，我被赶鸭子上架，居然跑到宾州大学实验室“见习”，照这样下去没准儿真能促成自己朝着科研方向发展，甭管怎么着机缘难逢，只是一路来回倒车牵扯不少精力，要知道宾大位于费城市区，而牙学院的实验室距离火车站八杆子打不着，基本上我每天必走的路线是：妈妈送我去她工作单位附近的车站乘坐早晨八点半那班宾州东南地区交通局通勤火车，等进城到了卅街站后再转露西环线公交汽车至牙学院，前后铆钉铆一个半至俩钟头。这是一条宾大专线，校园本身极大，犹如费城城中城，里面公园及大小商店一应俱全，因此走街串巷甚感惬意。

牙学院看上去相当气派，甚至拥有花房式大厅，后来我才知道自己所在的大楼很多部门跟牙科毫无关系。教研室由四五人组成（我不太清楚具体人数，因为有一位从未露面），我分在单状疱疹组，挺让人提心吊胆，其实我们只用病毒反转录激活因子，没多少害处，该基因掌控病毒复制，确切来讲，科研人员试图在宿主体内找出疱疹病毒整合的致癌基因，像肿瘤细胞中失控的人体抑癌基因便是他们主攻课题，说的没错，至少和我一起工作的小伙子侧重这个方面，另一位搞蛋白研究，挂衔的导师忙于著书立说，而我尽量跟在指定的那位师兄屁股后面打杂，他着手干我动嘴问，简直把他折腾得够呛。

最终他让我独立操作简单程序，要么小量提取脱氧核糖核酸并用来做聚合酶链式反应，要么处理软件数据。说心里话，如果不是看在师徒合作份上，我并不喜欢干这种琐事。他处世相当稳重，既好胡吹乱侃又爱问东问西，跟我情趣相投，彼此都热衷电视科幻动画片《瑞克和莫蒂》及世界杯足球赛，因此用不了几天工夫我便有宾至如归的感觉。亲身体尝的实验室充满大学特色，桌面上堆满了杂七杂八的学问，工作环境中没有清规戒律羁绊，这是我平生头一回见识真正的科学研究。虽然再过个把年头我才会敲定专业，但眼下当该到了考虑的时候，何况高一年度结束我已经把某些行当排除在外。通过首次与高精尖领域零距离接触，我总算对做事态度、投入时间和社交生活有所了解，带我见习的哥们常常工作到天黑，有时甚至延至半夜过后，我不知道自己能否吃得消；他好像酷爱科研，完全忘乎所以陶醉其中，虽说我不愿牺牲睡眠时光，但希望有早一日像他那样找到自己喜欢的工作，即便加班加点也在所不计。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2017: Upper Danube—Passau to Linz(多瑙河上游—三河市至通灵市)

2017: Danube—Jochenstein Lock, Germany(德国多瑙河—神造石水闸)

2017: Passau the God's Ballroom, DEU(德国三河市—天宫圣境)

2017: Passau the City of Three Rivers, DEU(德国帕绍—三河之城)

2017: Passau Organ Concert, Germany(德国三河市—管风琴音乐会)

2016: Frederiksborg the Danish Versailles, DK(丹麦耕地—水晶宫)

2016: Frederiksberg Palace & N Zealand, DNK(丹麦王堡宫和北西兰)

2016: Kronborg Hamlet Castle, Denmark(丹麦皇冠宫小家城堡)

2013: Drama Camp-2(戏剧夏令营之二)