Emily Friedrich

Emily Friedrich completed an internship at the ANZAC Research Institute in New South Wales, Australia, for eight weeks through the organization of The Education Abroad Network. She worked for the Neurobiology Department researching Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) Disease. She was assigned a project at the beginning of the internship which allowed her to gain insight into the workings of a professional neurobiology laboratory. Emily learned many new techniques and protocols that allowed her to study a family suffering from CMT. She saw firsthand the importance of research and the effect that it has on patients and their families. Emily earned the respect from her supervisor and colleagues and was given a project directly associated with her supervisor’s research and presentation. She was able to run her own experiments and presented her ongoing progress at the department meetings. During her stay in Australia, she lived in the hospital accommodations with medical students, research students, nurses, and doctors from other countries. She learned about their backgrounds, differences, but also similarities. It was amazing that people of all cultures could come together every night after work and talk for hours. Her experience with the other students allowed her to learn about other countries, but also about herself; It was a trip of great self-reflection. On the weekends, Emily spent her time traveling the country with students from the hospital accommodations, along with students studying through The Education Abroad Network. She was amazed at all of the different cuisines and foods available. Emily’s trip to Australia was certainly a trip of research and adventure, and one that will always be cherished.