Seeing How Hands-On Lab Training Can Change A Career Path

Micro-credentials sound small until they change what you can do with your hands and what you believe you can do in a real lab. We sit down with Hannah, a Northeastern bioengineering student with a strong interest in neuroscience, to unpack how early, hands-on synthetic biology training helped her move from “no lab experience” to doing serious research work with confidence.

Hannah walks us through her neuroradiology internship and the practical skills behind the title: maintaining a brain cancer cell line, using histological staining and immunofluorescence, working with microscopy, and analyzing images in Fiji/ImageJ to quantify results. We also talk about the realities of research training, including why getting certified matters, how mistakes happen (and what you learn from them), and what it looks like to step into more responsibility over time.

We then rewind to her BioBuilder Apprenticeship Program experience, where wet lab skills like micropipetting, serial dilutions, PCR, and gel electrophoresis become measurable micro-credentials. Hannah explains how those certifications didn’t just help her land opportunities, they helped her feel steady in the room once she got there.

The conversation ends with the bigger mission: She Does STEM, Hannah’s outreach initiative focused on mentorship, resources, and community for first-generation, low-income, and female students navigating an uneven system. If you care about STEM education, women in STEM, mentorship, or how to get research experience early, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a student who needs a boost, and leave a review with the skill you wish you’d learned sooner.

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Transcript

Welcome And Hannah’s Story

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hello and welcome to Life Changing Science the Bibuilder Podcast. I'm your host Z Sean, and my guest today is Hannah. Hannah is a bioengineering student at Northeastern, but before that she came up through Biobuilder's Apprenticeship Program and has also come back to Biobuilder as a teaching assistant. She's been a student ambassador with Young Women in Bio. She's also founded her own science outreach program called She Does STEM to encourage girls into science. In this episode, we talk about the hands-on synthetic biology she's doing, getting certified in real wet lab skills, and why building a supportive network can change the whole trajectory of a young scientist's career. So let's dive right into this episode.

Curiosity That Leads To Neuroscience

SPEAKER_02 0:42

What's the earliest memory you have of being curious about how something living worked? You know, was there a specific moment? Was there a TV show? Was there a book?

SPEAKER_00 0:52

I really wish I had like a more interesting story for this, but honestly, I would go with like the quote unquote creeping up on you option because I feel like it really did creep up on me. I can't remember a specific moment where I was curious. I feel like I I don't know, for as long as I can remember, I've just been interested in STEM. And especially now that I'm kind of observing people working with mice and like brain tissue, brain cancer, I'm like even more curious as to how these specific things were.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

You're you're heading into bioengineering with a with a strong pull towards neuroscience, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Nice. Where did that specific uh uh interest sort of come from? Because of course, within the life sciences, within bioengineering, there there's a lot of different areas that you can go into. Uh was neuroscience something that um was this a recent interest of yours, or was this something you were sort of always, you know, interested in?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

So I've always been interested in medicine, and I I chose bioengineering as my major with the intent in mind that I possibly want to try going the med school route. Um, I mean, like when you're young, you're super like naive to the different occupations that are out there. And for me, that kind of broad occupation that I've always been interested in was becoming a doctor. Um and my primary physician, I've been seeing her for ages. And even though like my strong pull towards neuroscience doesn't come from her, I've definitely found inspiration in becoming a physician coming or from her because she's such a lovely and wonderful woman and obviously an incredible inspiration. Um, I honestly don't know where my interest for the brain specifically comes into pre-play, but I feel like it just grew even stronger with my internship at the hospital because I'm a neuroradiology intern, so I'm learning stuff about the brain literally every day.

What A Neuroradiology Intern Does

SPEAKER_02 3:11

That's okay, there's so many questions there as well. So I want to get into the neurology. Um what did you say? Which intern? Neuroradiology intern?

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Okay, what is that?

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Okay, so I'm technically a neuroradiology intern with Dr. John Chen's laboratory. Some of the work um I've done so far is like I've maintained the CT2A cell line through like just routine cell splitting, which is a brain cancer cell line. Um, I perform sort of like advanced histological staining techniques, and I've done a lot with IF, so like immunofluorescence. Um, I've done a bit with microscopy and iron staining. I think the radiology part of it is I've utilized Fiji, or I think some people know it better as Image J software for digital image analysis, where I would quantify cellular data and then also process high-resolution microscopic imagery. And then beyond that, a little bit about the mice. So I've been with this specific lab for two years now. However, I wasn't 18 last year, so I was actually unable to work with the mice hands-on. But last year I did just keep essential mouse records for the lab. This year I'm working to get certified so that I'm actually able to work with the mice, now that I'm 18, but that I hope that just gives a little bit of like what I do.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Yeah, yeah, it does. Thank you for sort of taking the time to explain that. And are you sure you're not doing a PhD?

unknown 5:08

No.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

I don't know. It sounds like that. Um that's that's really fantastic. Okay. Of course, there are so many more questions. There's so much interesting science going on there. Um this can I'm not gonna dig deeper into it just yet, because this will be a two-hour episode then. Um let's let's pull it back. Let's let's get sort of um so okay, this is where you are now.

First Steps Into BioBuilder

SPEAKER_02 5:36

You're doing some amazing work, some amazing research. Um let's let's go back in time to your first experiences uh with Biobuilder. You know, really interested in was you know, was the Biobuilder program offered at your school already, or um curious how you came came into contact with the lovely people at Biobuilder?

SPEAKER_00 5:58

So this was two years ago, but I'm pretty positive that I was introduced to Biobuilder through the Young Woman in Bio Ambassador program. I was in I was a ambassador for the Young Woman in Bio program, and I believe I was introduced to this opportunity through them. And what made me want to apply was just the appeal behind doing actual hands-on work. Um at our school, we how it works is that we only do bio and take bio classes starting junior year. So I prior to this, I had never had any sort of like hands-on lab work experience and just I didn't know much about biology at all, if I'm being honest.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

Cool. So, all right, so that's sort of you know how you came across Biobuilder. Um, and and you said you hadn't really explored like synthetic biology or bibuilder, etc., uh, before. Um, but what was were you part of like a biobuilder club or the apprenticeship program? Um, how how was that sort of first involvement? And I'm keen to hear about some of the projects you worked on.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Yes, so I yeah, I was not familiar with synthetic biology at all, and that is why I'm just incredibly always grateful for BioBuilder because it got me into and introduced me into that actual kind of hands-on lab work. And I know some schools they they have this kind of built-in to the to the curriculum, but honestly, like we didn't, especially because of course we don't do any sort of bio until our junior year of high school. But for example, like any of the wet lab skills and anything I got certified in through Biobuilder, like micropipetting, etc., I did not have any of that before. And I would honestly go so far as to say that it helped me, Biobuilder specifically, these different certifications that I have. It helped me get my position at the lab as an intern. So I'm always incredibly grateful for BioBuilder for initially introducing me to kind of this work.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

Yeah, yeah, awesome.

Micro-Credentials For Wet Lab Skills

SPEAKER_02 8:29

And these sort of like micro uh credential certificate, what do you say? Micro-certificate credential?

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Yeah, yeah, like micro-credentials.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Micro-credential. So these micro-credentials were I I'm curious to learn a bit more about it. Was were these sort of workshops, like skill building workshops, um, just yeah, walk me through how you know someone in high school would would go about getting these credentials.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

So me personally, I did BioBuilder through the apprenticeship program two years ago. And they had this as part of the curriculum. So I believe um the company we did it through was BCSI, but I didn't have to take any extra steps or anything like that to get certified. It was literally just built into the curriculum. There were lovely people there to kind of test us essentially on our skills, and it happened towards the end of the program. And yeah, it was it was just built into the curriculum. So I really didn't have to do anything much outside of that. We learned everything we would need to complete the certifications and earn the certifications through the program, and it was very like it was just such an easy process. I actually didn't even know you could get certified in these like um like wet lab skills like micropipetting. I I think I had one for um numeracy, so like just di like dilating concentrations or diluting concentrations. So I I had no idea you could even get certified in these things, but yeah, yeah, fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

And yeah, oh the serial dilutions. I really we so I wasn't taught that until I think first first year of college. Um, so it's it's fantastic that you're sort of getting this w would you say like sort of industry ready?

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Um absolutely because I do this all the time now that I'm working in the lab. Like the dilution stuff alone I have to do tons and tons of times doing the stainings that I do for the lab. Just even just micropipetting, I I do that every day, multiple times a day. These credentials help me so so much. Um, not just with you know, getting the job per se, but like um building my confidence, I I guess, because I I just feel like um when we were first learning how to per like properly perform certain procedures and and whatnot, you know, there were definitely times when all of us, and I'm referring to the apprenticeship program, of course, there were definitely times when all of us just completely like let the tip of the micropipette touch the table, or we accidentally like contaminated something, etc. But what I really like I really appreciated was how it wasn't too much of a big deal almost. I want to say like if you made a mistake, it was okay. And I guess that's pretty textbook and that's the kind of environment you want to be in. But just starting off in that environment with the BioBuilder Apprenticeship Program really built my confidence. And it's I I hope, of course, but it's just converted and went straight into how I carry myself in the lab today.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

I I'm just so curious about some of the techniques you learned because you know I keep comparing it to like my has my high school year and um uh what what I did in first year, uni, which was really not that long

Learning PCR And Gel Electrophoresis

SPEAKER_02 12:21

ago. But um but I'm I'm interested in the ex some of the exact techniques you learned. Of course you had some of the micro credentials, but like PCR, gel electrophoresis, like all of that.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Okay. I think what you were saying about the PCR, the gel electrophoresis, those were I want to say the main two things we did. Um what was really interesting is that I actually came back to it almost um taking AP bio my senior year. We did very similar um labs when I was taking AP bio, but I just remember like we would be given a procedure and we would just follow it, and it was very straightforward. I think we did the PCR, gel electrophoresis. Um I wanna say I remember us splitting cells as well. I remember we we learned about like the four quadrant thing and like spreading out the cells and whatnot. I think it was just E. coli, but yeah. Yeah, like microbiology techniques, yeah. Yeah, all the techniques and whatnot.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Fantastic. And were you also sort of assigned like a specific project? It was there like some brainstorming, or did you work on a few different types of projects uh during the apprenticeship program?

SPEAKER_00 13:52

So I think it was mostly just uh what I had said about we we were just given procedures, um, we were all doing the same stuff. It was we met every Saturday, I I want to say. So we only met once a week. We did um an online sort of session, I think on Thursdays via Zoom where we would kind of like prep and be taught what would what we need to know for the following Saturday. But we were all given the same procedure and we were all taught the same things. So I didn't really do per se like my my own projects, but yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Nice, nice. No, that that makes sense. Um and was there, you know, some sort of end presentation, a poster, sort of seminar that you guys had to attend towards the end of the apprenticeship program.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

So we did not have um like an end poster. Uh, but I would say our end kind of project almost was us testing for the micro-credentials and earning those micro-credentials. Because I feel like that was almost like the biggest goal in the program was to successfully earn those credentials because everything we had done prior was just us prepping to take that test.

SPEAKER_02 15:22

Got it. Okay, okay, that makes a lot

Early Lab Failures And Lessons

SPEAKER_02 15:25

of sense. And you know, in in my time in science, um the one thing I've realized is 90% of it always fails.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

So I wanna I want to hear some stories of um it's you know, of course, when you're trying to like, you know, uh practice and study and develop skills for for uh for you know a test, it's it's a bit different maybe to working from a working on like a longer term project. I mean I might be wrong, but I'm sure, you know, as you mentioned, this was some of the first times you were doing some of these things, so you would have failed a lot, which is I'm sure, you know, fantastic. Nothing better than like, you know, you gotta you gotta get 10 experiments wrong before your things work. So curious about, you know, um can you look back, you know, at a point where you know, um there's just a this one experiment that would just not work, a certain technique you were just like, I don't know if this is happening.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

So one thing that was really good about the fact that all of us were doing the same procedure is I remember especially for when we were um working with the bacteria, some of the plates didn't grow any bacteria at all. So we just we would have um so there were I I don't remember how many groups, but we were we were paired up in partners, and we had a procedure, of course. We all followed the push procedure, we come in the uh come in the following week, we look at our um little oh what's it called? Um like the the thing container, I guess, that your your cells are on. And most yes, a petri, yes, yep, yep, yep. We looked at our petri dish, some people did not have any cells on their petri dish whatsoever. But I guess that that's the good thing about all of us, you know, being on the same procedure because we were able to kind of just share between our groups, but that's just a key memory I have because some people would open theirs up and they would have tons, some people would have none at all, but we all followed the same procedure. So in theory, hypothetically, we would all have kind of like the same results, but we didn't, so that was definitely like a memorable moment.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

Well, it was years ago, but it's like where are the sales? Where'd they go? You you know, right at the start of this podcast, you were saying that, you know, some of the skill sets that you developed and the micro credentials um helped you, you know, land sort of the job you're

Cold Emailing Into A Lab Internship

SPEAKER_02 18:17

in right now. So I'm I'm interested in in learning about that period from while, you know, okay, you finished the Bodybuilder Apprenticeship Program. What happened next? Other than like SATs and college applications.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

My this is very like not normal, but I essentially cold emailed one professor, which is the professor I'm working with now. And I was invited to do a Zoom meeting and get interviewed, and that's that is how I got my position at the lab, which is very just like not typical whatsoever, because I I've heard so much about how cold emailing doesn't work. Like if you cold email, you have to email like tons and tons of professors. But for me, I was just on Google Googling like kind of like my interests, you know. Okay, I'm into neurologin, liking the brain. Okay, mice work sounds pretty interesting. I found this lovely professor online, and then I kind of just pulled emailed and reached out to him, and I was like, Hi, I would love to just get some more experience, and then that's how I got my job initially. With Biobuilder, though, I came back in 2025 as a teaching assistant, so that's I guess another thing I was doing in that kind of time period, but I prior to Biobuilder, I did have other teaching experience because I was a teaching assistant at my um there's this like Catholic Korean school where I would teach Korean to little kids, but I just had a really great time at BioBuilder, which is what led to me asking about becoming a teaching assistant for the program. And also just because of my great experience, it was amazing to be able to come back as almost, or I guess a peer mentor because I could speak on my experience. And I think this was all around the time that I was I kind of got my internship as well. So I was able to um share that kind of experience, and also I was able to gain experience by teaching, of course. And I remember um one of the cohorts that I was a teaching assistant with, they were doing a bit of like resume building, I believe. So I was able to share my resume as kind of like an example. So yeah, it was great to come back as a teaching assistant, just purely on the pure pure mentor kind of kind of side, because BioBuilder, of course, has done amazing things for me. I don't even think I would have that lab opportunity without BioBuilder. So it was great being able to come back.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

Sometimes the best way to learn is to teach. Um, and it's it's fantastic that you it's it it's it's great, you know. A lot of my family are teachers. So I I really sort of enjoy that aspect of science as well. Um and we definitely, you know, need need more teachers, need more scientists. Um so really really glad to hear you know you're you're continuing down that path as well.

Choosing Northeastern And Co-Op Value

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Um and you as you said, you're you know uh at college, you're in the bioengineering sort of degree, and you've sort of you know pretty much declared your your majors as neuroscience. Um how what uh I'm curious sort of Thinking how you went abroad, what was your approach to you know applying to colleges? Like, how did you sort of select, okay, these are the two or three colleges I wanted to go to, this is what I want to study? Um, because I know that you know that took me like really long time to figure out. So I'm curious what what where your headspace was uh when you were doing that.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Okay. I'm not sure if my experience is too typical, but I knew I wanted to stay here in Boston, just because, you know, of course, Boston has amazing hospitals, whatnot. Um I knew I wanted to stay here in Boston, and I I'm really like a a city person, honestly. So I knew I wanted to be somewhere near the city. And I mentioned earlier in the podcast that I am a bioengineering major major, but I kind of went into that major with the plan in mind that I would eventually want to go into med school. So I I also had that in the back of my mind. I was like, okay, Boston, I just I want to go to med school, want to do some engineering as my major. And then I I kind of landed on Northeastern because of their co-op opportunities. And I would, okay, here's my advice because when I was in freshman and sophomore year of high school, I was very focused on the whole, oh my goodness, like I need to go to an Ivy League. Like you need to go to Harvard like Harvard, am I like you need to go to an Ivy League. But my advice is that there are so many schools out there that are amazing and will give you like the same opportunities. And one of the reasons why I landed on Northeastern is because they have one of the best co-op opportun or like co-op programs in the country. And so that's how I landed on Northeastern. And especially with med school in mind, I was like, okay, I feel like if I have this co-op like experience, and I'm assuming I'd have hands-on experience through the co-op, I feel like I would feel more confident, more comfortable while applying to med school. So that was kind of my like thought process throughout it. I also, of course, went on tours and stuff and kind of found like what kind of campuses I was I was more keen to and opposed to as well.

She Does STEM And Building Community

SPEAKER_02 24:37

I the the last sort of you know, for the last few minutes, I just want to ask you about, you know, you founded She Does STEM. I want to learn a bit more about that.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

Okay. So firstly, She Does STEM is an initiative supporting first-generation, low-income, and female students in pursuing opportunities in STEM. And then through She Does STEM, I'm working to expand access to mentorship, resources, and most importantly, community for students who are often underrepresented in these fields. Um I would say okay, so my parents are immigrants and they immigrated here. They they never worked within the STEM field. They don't they don't have that kind of experience. So it was so incredibly difficult for me to get advice and you know, find opportunities and learn certain things that other people are almost just taught off the bat. And it's so incredibly like frustrating to me that the reality of kind of this field is that things there are things that are unfair, and some people will just have incredible advantage over you because I know a lot of my um peers, even just at the lab and hospital alone, they've they've gotten those opportunities through parents or people like relatives, you know, people close to them. And you know, of of course, it might not be intentional, even though like it's a lot of people, um, and many people argue that the system is set up against certain people, which honestly I do agree with, but that's kind of why I found Shita STEM. And yep, it's it's been a little inactive lately just because of everything going on and how busy I've been. But I founded it with the mind of balancing that kind of equity in STEM education, because the reality of this, and I've been told this by many wonderful mentors, is that in this age, networking is everything. And I'm so incredibly grateful for for, of course, BioBuilder and and YWIB, Young Women in Bio, because they have provided me with such, such like a such supportive, um, like a such a supportive community. And I can really just feel that everyone here wants to help me succeed, even just Natalie alone reaching out to me, um, congratulating me for like my recent award and whatnot. I just, I can just feel that everyone here wants me to succeed and is just super excited to see what I can accomplish. Um, of course, not to mention this is also happening even at my internship, because there are even more wonderful people that are really pushing me to learn in certain things, giving me advice because I want to go to med school. And it's just so heartwarming to see that people want you to be able to do your best and to succeed in life, and they're gonna help you. And I just feel like for some people out there, all they've ever known is that kind of like unfair system, like, okay, what like how do I get these opportunities? Like, how do I do this? How do I do that? Especially because if you don't have a connection, you can't get an internship, etc. Like it's all just connected. So, in the future, and what my mission has always been with Sheeta STEM is that I want to bridge that gap. And I really want to connect students with people who will support them just because, or just like like everyone I have in my community, in my network that supports me. Um, because I feel like that's just the most important thing.

Confidence, Mentorship, And Closing

SPEAKER_02 28:42

Thanks once again to Hannah for joining me today. What stayed with me from this conversation is how much those biobuilder certifications did beyond just landing her the lab internship. They built her confidence to actually do the work when she was in the room. And I really love the full circle arc. Coming through the program as apprentice, drawing on her teaching experience, and returning as a TA to become the kind of peer mentor she once needed herself. And that's really the heart of what she's trying to do with Cheetah's STEM. Recognizing that access, network, and someone in your corner aren't givens for everyone. And deciding to build them for the next person, really. And I think this episode will be useful for high schoolers wondering whether hands-on science is for them and students without a STEM network or family background, for example, trying to find their way in. And honestly, anyone thinking about how micro-credentials and mentorship can open doors early. And if you'd like to learn more about anything Hannah and I discussed today, please refer to the show notes.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Join me for the next Biobuilder Podcast. See you next time.