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Neuroscience major Daniel Haddad ’06 (Colorado Springs, Col.) thought he would only be observing during an externship at a prestigious research university, but found himself in a lab doing experiments alongside his host.
Haddad spent a week and a half shadowing Perrin Wilson ’00, now in her fourth year of a graduate program at Rockefeller University in New York City. She’s working toward a Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology.
Haddad was among about 200 Lafayette students who gained first-hand knowledge of the professional world in January. They served externships with Lafayette alumni and other experienced professionals in business, the arts, education, healthcare, law, engineering, science, government, non-profits, and other fields. The students observed work practices, learned about careers they may consider entering after college, and developed professional networking contacts.
“The experience was incredible. I loved every second of it,” Haddad says, adding that Wilson was a great host. “She really threw me in! I thought I’d be an observer, but I got really involved. I spent a lot of time in a real lab, doing firsthand what she does.”
This included tissue culturing and analyzing DNA to identify genes of a mouse line through a technique called polymerase chain reactions. Haddad learned about enzyme analysis and dissected a mouse cerebellum.
“I learned an incredible amount about the lab and about what graduate school in neuroscience is like,” says Haddad, who plans to pursue an advanced degree and then perhaps join a pharmaceutical company.
Wilson says, “Daniel is very talented and excited about going to graduate school. I hope his experiences in this externship helped him solidify his decision. Right now he doesn’t have the pressure to make a real commitment, but he’s in a better position to say, ‘I’d like to do this or ‘No way!'”
Wilson says hosting an externship is rewarding and gratifying. Her loyalty to Lafayette reflects the close-knit quality of the college, she notes.
“Professors have a relationship with students that lasts a lifetime,” she says. “So offering to host a student for an externship is my way of giving back to Lafayette.”
Haddad is a graduate of Cheyenne Mountain High School.