My summer internship with INSET this past several weeks has been a great learning experience so far. This summer I will be working with the Mechanical Engineering (ME) department at the Valentine Lab with my PI,  Megan T. Valentine and my mentor, Nick Zacchia. Working here is an exciting way to gain ME experience all the way from the meticulous planning to the manufacturing  stages. My pet project this summer will include the design and manufacturing of a device that will allow my lab to probe cellular mechanics.  Not only does this project broaden my knowledge on the Mechanical Engineering processes, but it also connects other ideas of science that are surprisingly more interconnected than I had once thought. In our lab they specifically meld Physics/Mechanics and Biology. With that, the INSET program implements a method of building our scientific presentation skills in an engaging and useful way, a skill much needed in every career. Further more, we attend several scientific talks of people who have done/are doing  big things and who’s work has significantly contributed to today’s modern world. The “GRIT TALK” speakers motivate me further to continue the path of science and engineering and these summer experiences remind me, as I pass by the glass walls in the hallways reading “Nanotechnology,”  that I’m not reading a Dan Brown novel, but I’m actually part of the scientific journey.