I interned at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute because of the incredible resources available and my own fascination with biomedical research. I was really excited to find Texas Biomed because it gave me an opportunity to do an internship that combined anthropology and microbiology.
The Genetics Department is the site of my internship and also boasts an extremely unique resource: the world’s largest colony of baboons for use in biomedical research. Texas Biomed is home to about 3,000 nonhuman primates, around 2,000 of which are baboons. Among the baboons nearly 1,200 of them are pedigreed, scientists have kept their genetics and family histories for seven generations. I work in the lab of a biological anthropologist who is using baboon skeletal remains to examine issues pertaining to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Her main goal for all of her research is to identify factors (both genetic and environmental) that contribute to bone health in an attempt to find ways to target those vulnerable to bone deterioration early on and possibly find some preventative measures.
Processing skulls was one of my main projects. My supervisor has received baboon skulls from necropsies throughout the years that are not being used for projects or experiments. Freezer space was needed so one of my tasks was to process the skulls for storage in the lab. I was absolutely thrilled. In my free time, I went to the freezer and pulled out a skull to work on. I could usually tell by feel if the head was male or female based off of the morphology of the skull. The males were easier to process because generally their skulls were broader and did not have as many tight nooks and crannies (especially under the cheekbones) that were hard to clean out.
I also worked on a pathology report project. For every sample stored in the freezer, a pathology report is collected. My job was to create an Excel database that listed the animal ID number, date of birth, date of death, cause of death, gross medical conditions, and microscopic medical conditions. The purpose of this is so when samples are being picked for use in projects, the researcher can search for the animal ID number to make sure that the animal did not suffer from any medical conditions that would interfere with the study. It took me about a month to transcribe all of the past reports and then every few weeks after that I would update the project with the new pathology reports. I really enjoyed this project as well because I learned a lot about different medical conditions. It was interesting to see that when an animal had a certain condition that also meant it had three or four other related conditions.
Once inventory had been completed, my daily routine varied greatly. After getting tested for tuberculosis, I was able to observe necropsies. This was basically one giant gross anatomy lesson. I had never studied baboon anatomy before so this was a great learning opportunity. I also made reagents on a regular basis: 85% saline solution, 70% ethanol, and 10% ammonia solution. This was definitely where my chemistry lab skills came in handy.
If you are considering an internship at Texas Biomed, I highly encourage it. However, I strongly recommend that you have a good grasp of lab techniques (biology and chemistry), as well as a foundation in osteology. One of the most important parts of the internship is also the ability to show up on time. Some projects are time sensitive or there could be people waiting on you to start working or go somewhere. You also need to have a strong stomach because you will observe some graphic things since you are dealing with remains containing soft tissue and may be observing necropsies. This internship really illustrated what my anthropology professors are always trying to nail home: anthropology is a multi-disciplinary subject and requires constant learning and a good camaraderie with others in the field in order to be successful.