Eva Buck is an Honors Studio Art and Biology student with a minor in Statistics. Her internship was at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She was a researcher/student intern in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. It was a competitive application process.

May 16, 2022. Here I was, a 20 year old with a passion for learning, alone in a new city and a researcher at one of the top 3 medical institutions in the world. I remember striding up to my quaint gray-blue Victorian house with feelings of uncertainty and exhilaration. My window had a view of all the little city lights, and when the fog lifted, you could see distant spires of a cathedral. I felt a desire to delve deep into the fog of the world around me, to discover hidden truths in the realms of science and ethics.

As a student intern, I was an avid explorer of epidemiology and read over 600 original research articles published in the top 6 scientific journals in the world. I learned about health policy, statistical methods, and medicine. I created medical illustrations in charcoal, and I wrote poetry about my experiences. I am now in the process of publishing my own original research. On the days I did not take shuttles through the colorful city to UCSF, I shadowed at a hospital, studied at libraries, worked at coffee shops, and explored.

I met an incredible doctor who is one of the most brilliant people I have met in my life. While shadowing, I learned about the history of medicine, reasons for using certain medicines, and complex health conditions. Before this summer, I did not know that ribociclib is a CDK 4/6 inhibitor that interferes with DNA replication by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest so that a cancer tumor cannot progress, but now I can recall such facts from memory almost instantly.

I also met a genius down the hall from me, and attended his “philosophy party” in which we debated philosophical concepts. He introduced me to the works of Nietzsche, Singer, and Aquinas, and I spend my days reading philosophy now because of his influence. I met other UCSF student interns, and one became a close friend who shared my passion for defending human rights. I felt a new sense of independence and anticipation for what my future would hold.

Through this internship, I expanded my mind and learned many new things in a variety of areas. Before this experience, I was lost in my search for who I was, and what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to learn, but I did not know exactly what I wanted my future to be.

The sky is more clear now than it was the first time I gazed out of my window. I have greater insight into who I am now as a person, student, and researcher. My future plan is to get a masters in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Perhaps after that, I will become an epidemiologist, and then a professor. My greatest hope is to make great contributions in the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, and medicine one day, and to continue to read and learn about the world around me.

I will always remember the charming gray-blue house on Carl St., the sound of the train rolling towards Ocean Beach outside my doorway, and the way the lights of the city shone through the mists of twilight. A reminder that through the fog, I could find hidden pieces of knowledge about myself and the world.