Atene Jonauskyte, a BSc Neuroscience student shares her summer research project to explore the connections of the brain region called entorhinal cortex to other cortical regions. Atene Jonauskyte presents her summer research project. Can you introduce yourself and your summer research project?Hi, I'm Atene and I do the Neuroscience program in the University of Edinburgh. The project I have done explores the connections of the brain region called entorhinal cortex to other cortical regions. My role in the project involved image and data analysis.How did you receive the funding for your research project?My funding for the project came from the School of Biomedical Sciences. However, that was for my personal funding while my supervisor was responsible for covering the project costs. I found the opportunity details on my school page. What was the most rewarding part of your summer research?I think the most rewarding part the project for me was getting a glimpse of how life of an academic might look like. I got the chance to attend lab meetings, journal clubs, and that tremendously broadened my knowledge.Why should students get involved in a summer research project?There are multiple good reasons to do a summer project. It's a great way to try out if you enjoy academic work and how you feel about different parts of it (e.g. wet lab work, data analysis, presenting you findings etc.). Also, it definitely looks good on your CV, you get a chance to network and meet people you might want to continue working with in the future. And that's to name a few reasons but there are lots of benefits of summer projects.How has this research experience influenced your future study and career paths?Doing work related to the project and being involved in lab culture solidified my goal to stay in academia as a researcher and pursue further studies.What advice would you give future students applying for summer research scholarships?Applying to scholarships requires a lot of work and extra reading. Ask your supervisor about parts of the project you feel unsure about. Be ambitious but realistic: a few weeks is not a lot of time for a scientific project. You will be rejected a lot and it can be hard not to take it personally. But it's part of the process! View Atene Jonauskyte's poster for more information: Document Atene Jonauskyte - Summer Research Project Poster 2024 (2.82 MB / PDF) This article was published on 2024-10-29
