A Great Ending and Even Better Beginning - Thomas DiSorbo

It’s hard to believe my time in Belgium has almost come to an end! In this coming week, I will be taking the time to truly appreciate everything I had here in Belgium, and to look back and reflect on all I accomplished with imec. It will be difficult to say goodbye, but that is only a testament to the lasting memories I have made.

It is important to properly frame success when reflecting on a relatively short ten-week program. As I outlined in my recently completed final presentation to imec’s Life Sciences department, I was unable to produce a reliable method for electrical partial cell lysis. While I could consistently capture single cells using electrical pulses sent to an electrode array, I could not often follow that up with lysis of the outer cell membrane. To the members of the Life Sciences department however, this was not a failure. My project did not come with a specially designed electrode array. Over the course of the summer I tested a number of preexisting designs to see if they could be adapted for partial cell lysis. By reporting that after extensive testing a number of electrode designs would not be viable for the project’s vision, I was delivering useful information that will help guide the project in its next steps. If I could stay longer in Belgium to continue the project, I would be able to provide informed decisions about which electrodes should be tested next, given what I learned concerning electrode geometry and size. I would also be prepared to design my own electrode array, should all pre-existing designs fail.

Flags over a street in Leuven
in preparation for the festival
Het Groot Verlof.

I am happy to have made what hopefully proves to be a useful contribution to the ongoing research at imec. My time conducting research here has, as I had hoped, greatly encouraged me to double down on my plans to pursue a PhD once I complete my undergraduate studies. Spending a summer focused entirely on a single project resonated strongly with me, contrasting very well with the often more scattered, multidisciplinary objectives of my schoolwork.

At the end of the week, I will be heading back to the United States armed with a fresh perspective on research, and on its role in the international community. Though my time with imec may be ending, I hope this is not my final experience in international collaboration. This organization has taught me the value of unity and communication in the face of our never-ending quest for progress.

Views of the  Jet'd Eau in Geneva