How Research Shaped My Career Goals

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Jackson Powell ('24), a Biochemistry and Biology double major, conducted research on neural repair and regeneration under the mentorship of Dr. Yuanquan Song (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine). This research was supported by the College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant.

The amazing thing about getting support for research as an undergraduate is that it allows me to start my career while I am still a student. Being able to learn and explore in the lab affords me the unparalleled ability to pick up skills and passions I can’t attain elsewhere. Irrespective of where life takes me, I’ll always carry with me this “research toolbox” that I’ve built up from my undergraduate years.

I recall the excitement I felt in high school, wondering about the first chance I’d get to work in a neuroscience lab. When I came to Penn, I got that chance through the Song Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia---and I’ve stayed working here ever since.

One of the greatest benefits of working at the Song Lab has been the chance to freely test anything that comes to mind. Both because the bulk of the work is done in a fruit fly model, making experiments both cheap and efficient, and because Dr. Song gives his students endless liberties, I’ve been able to truly address questions I have. I often wonder if I’d still have this same passion for research if I weren’t given this great mentorship and these opportunities. It inspires me to want to do the same for all of the students who may work with me in the years to come.

These past few months, in particular, have allowed me to hone in on what I want to pursue in the future. I’d always known I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, and that I wanted to do research in some capacity---but a specialty has evaded me. Neuroscience is so broad, and narrowing it down felt impossible. Working in this lab has helped me understand both my surgical and research aspirations. Because our lab focuses on neuron regeneration, I feel certain I want to continue researching neural repair. Similarly, as spinal cord injury is a primary topic of discussion in our lab, I realized how limited surgical intervention is for spinal cord injury and most forms of neurotrauma. This inspired my interest in performing only minimally invasive surgeries that utilize the most advanced technologies.

It is in the Song Lab that I feel I can synthesize all the information I’ve learned from my courses and reading. Unquestionably, it has helped me understand the limitations and the promising routes of advancement in the medical field. I couldn’t be more excited for a future in neurosurgery, and I’m certain I’ll be a more informed and prepared physician because of research. - Jackson Powell

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