Name: Chi Nguyen
Class Year: 2026
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam
Internship Organization: Drexel University
Internship Title: Research Assistant Intern
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I am working as a research intern at Dr. Myungwoon Lee's lab in the Drexel University Chemistry department. My main project involves the investigation of the membrane permeability of aSyn nuclei fibrils. These fibrils are believed to interact with membranes, causing protein aggregations that disrupt membrane integrity, which may contribute to aSyn's neurotoxicity in Parkinson's disease. I study the membrane permeability of aSyn fibrils grown under different conditions using what is called the membrane leakage assay. Outside of my main project, I assist on other ongoing projects in the lab, which usually involve doing protein expression and purification and making lipid vesicles that model brain cells.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I came upon Dr. Lee's research through her talk at the Bryn Mawr chemistry colloquium and became interested. I reached out to her a few weeks after and got the position. While Dr. Lee wasn't looking for any undergraduate students for the summer, she was happy to have me join the team when I reached out.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
Communication skills. I was surprised by the amount of communication and coordination with other labs that is required. A lot of equipment is shared, and without effective communication, it is very easy for schedules to clash and equipment to be unavailable when I need it. As the "new girl," I was hesitant at first to reach out to members of other labs to ask about their schedule, but over time, I have become more comfortable.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
Planning my experiments. I have to juggle my schedule in the lab with my other work commitments. This has been fairly challenging, not just because of schedule conflicts, but also due to burn out. On expression weeks, especially, I have to be in lab four to five days a week, nine to 10 hours each day, and I usually have to take time off from my part-time job at Bryn Mawr to be in lab. There were days where I was really exhausted after lab.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The research skills that I gained, navigating a research project independently for the first time, and the relationship I fostered with my supervisor and other lab members.
Through the Career and Civic Engagement Center Beyond Bryn Mawr Summer Internship Program, Bryn Mawr students pursue opportunities in fields such as nonprofits, government and law, health care, research, sciences, business, and the arts. Thanks to the generosity of our alumnae/i and donors, over 150 students across all academic departments are funded to pursue unpaid internships or research experiences in the U.S. and abroad each year.