ee er Summer jobs for college students usually consisted of life guarding, serving as a camp counselor, or working at a local fast-food joint, but not for junior Daniel Meeker. Meeker, a biochemistry-molecular biology major, conducted cancer research as an intern at the University of Kansas Medical School during the summerof2010. "At first, Iwas looking for an internship because it is a good thing to have on a resume," Meeker said. "K.U. Med. is where I want to go to medical school. The professor who is in charge of the lab at K. U. Med. started talking to me one day while I was doing some work for them, and he found out I was interested and encouraged me to apply for their internship." That conversation was the starting point for Meeker's 10-week-long internship with the cancer research lab at K.U. Medical School. "I wanted to work on something that I felt had direct application instead of taking a bunch of data that means nothing to me," Meeker said. The interns and doctors at the lab ran experiments in which they grew human cancer cells and injecting them into mice. Once the cancer formed a tumor, doctors cut out the tumor and tried to treat it. "It was a really good experience," Meeker said. "I thought it was going to be so boring, but I ended up getting to work with people and actually experience what it would be like to be a doctor." Meeker said the experience was not what many people Imagine when they think of scientific research. "I think most people have a view of research scientists who never interact with other human beings and are constantly looking through microscopes, but that wasn't my experience at all," Meeker said. "There are a lot of great opportunities to collaborate with other people in the field of research." Junior Carmen Lynn gotto visit Meeker while he was working and see what his normal day was like. "The K.U. Med. facilities were really nice and up-to-date," Lynn said. "It was awesome to see Daniel get to work like that, and besides it being a great learning experience, he felt like he was actually helping people and getting results that would eventually help people down the road." It would come as no surprise that after Harding, Dan1el hoped to get into K.U. Medical Schooh:md eventually become a doctor. ~ "I don't think I would like to do research b}' itself anymore," Meeker said. "I want to work wit,b •• patients, so maybe a mixture of research and also' helping patients. Surgery and oncology also realfY intrigue me." For Meeker, the important thing was not just getting into medical school; it was his experience at the research lab that inspired him to get closer to patients. "For me, the more direct contact I have with patients, the more I see the benef1ts of the things I am doing," Meeker said. "If I have the opportunity to see a patient get better instead of committing to doing research in a lab, I have more motivation to make a difference." Caitlin Coldwell f ve the opportunity to see o patient get better instead of committing to doing research in o lob, I hove more motivation to make o differ juniors 87 ::X
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