Ami Wang, Queen’s University

Three years ago, when I walked into the doors of Queen’s University, I made a really good choice. I became a volunteer for Autism Partnership and worked with a student who had Asperger’s. I didn’t know very much about autism at the time, so I was really surprised to find out that many skills and reactions I take for granted might take years for others to learn. I developed a deep respect for teachers, volunteers and families who devoted enormous efforts and patience that made every little step of progress possible. This great experience prompted me to get more involved and to make myself more useful to people affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. Soon after, when I searched for summer research jobs on the online postings, the word “autism research” caught my eyes immediately and I applied to work in Dr. Holden’s autism genetic research lab. This is the beginning of a great learning experience that deepened my understanding of autism and developed important skills for my future studies and career.
In the beginning, I learned how to carry out experiments that compared the genetic difference between an autism population and a control population at a specific location on the DNA. From my life sciences studies, I had some understanding of the theories of these experiments. However, it’s so different to perform the hands-on experiments than reading about them in a textbook.  Attention and care must be focused at every step in order to make the experiments successful and to get good, reliable results. With the help of my supervisor, our lab technician and other researchers, I quickly emerged from a beginner with shaky hands to an “expert” who can efficiently run experiments and organize data. I spent the first month working on three related target genes that fight the effects of pesticides on the nervous system. It seemed genetic differences might make some people more susceptible to the harmful effect of pesticides because their bodies can’t get rid of them quickly. This might lead to adverse development of the nervous system and disorders such as autism. However, our hypothesis was not supported by the data from the experiments. Because I had high hopes, I was really disappointed at the time. But my supervisor, Dr. Liu helped me to see the value in negative results. He talked about the complexity of autism spectrum disorders and the long list of possible targets out there. I learned that even negative results have value in themselves. They help to narrow down the potential targets. And by sharing this finding with other researchers, it might help them to redirect their research focus. This was my first probe into the reality of research. I saw that hard work and logic don’t guarantee answers. To be successful, researchers have to face disappointment and failures with grace and never let detours and obstacles slow down their paces. So, to recover from this set-back, I immersed myself in more work and continued to improve my experimental techniques. I became very efficient in running experiments and organizing data. The percentage of failed experiments dropped below one percent. And some of the data I helped to obtain had significant results and are being used to write research papers. Later on, I learned to design experiments using resources online, including different genetic databases and programs. And I even had the opportunity to  pass along this knowledge to new members of our lab, teaching them theories and practical skills. By learning and teaching, I deepened my understanding of the genetic aspect of autism spectrum disorders.
Also, it was my fortune to work in this multi-disciplinary research environment. There are people who study computer programming, psychology and genetics in our group. We took turns and presented our project to each other. It was very interesting to learn about research on autism in different research fields. Because of our group members’ diverse background and different perspectives, problems were solved better and more new ideas were formed. These meetings trained me to get into a habit of asking insightful questions and to hone a curious mind. And I recognized the importance of using appropriate language to convey ideas clearly to an audience with diverse backgrounds. I can see how these communication skills will help to spread research knowledge to other researchers, to families who support us and to the general public raising the awareness for autism.  
Most importantly, I experienced the importance of teamwork by being a part of this research group. Everyone has a different role that’s vital for the success of our group. Sometimes when I’m sitting comfortably on the lab bench, working away at my experiments, I think about my teammates who made it possible for me to work. They worked hard to secure funding, set research directions, prepare DNA samples and analyze data. By carrying out our duties and helping each other, our group ran like a well-oiled machine. And the power that keeps us running is the support, confidence and interest from more than 2000 families (and the number is growing). Although I didn’t come face to face with many families, but I feel we’re really close because there is a common goal that connects us all: to understand autism and to attend to the need of people who are affected. This is teamwork on a bigger scale. This is what makes our research necessary.
I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to a part of our autism research. From this great experience, I met so many great teachers, whose devotion, knowledge and empathy shook my world. I worked hard to fulfill expectations and to develop my potential. And this experience helped me to get into the school of medicine at Queen’s University. In my future medical studies and career, I will use the skills I acquired from this experience to better serve patients and our communities.