Each month, Look Who’s Talking features voices from across BWH answering the same question. This month, BWHers share stories of their most memorable summers. If you would like to add your voice to the conversation, please submit a comment at the bottom of the page.

 

“When I moved from my lab in the UK to the Brigham in the spring of 2013, I thought it would be nice to live by the ocean having never done this before. So I moved with my family to the South Shore, and enjoyed a superb summer of beaches, cookouts and making new friends while starting my new job. To us sun-starved Brits that summer never seemed to end. Now that we have settled into the rhythm of New England life, the summers seem to pass much quicker and the winters have become endless, but the spirit of the people here makes this a great place to live and to learn to cherish every moment we can.”

-Sean Lawler, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery

 

“My most memorable summer was when I first arrived at Boston in 2015 July. I can still remember how impressed I was with the academic mood of Cambridge. Also, running along the Charles River in the summer is one of the best ways to refresh yourself.”

-Hae Lin Jang, PhD, Department of Medicine

 

“The summer between high school and college, I couldn’t find a job. Not knowing how the world works, I had assumed that everybody wanted to hire college-bound 18 year-olds for a two-month stint and was crestfallen when Starbucks didn’t even call me back. But my mom was adamant that I had to do something, so I ended up volunteering as a set-builder for a local community theatre. My co-volunteers were all doing obligatory community service time—and, again, I had no idea what that meant. I built some crazy things, including a part-prop, part-costume boat made out of scrap wood, and a giant sphere made out of twisted hangers. It was fun.”

-David Kroll, MD, Department of Psychology, 2017 Nesson Fellow

 

“Summer in a research lab is relatively busy and often bittersweet as old trainees move on to newer opportunities and new trainees join in. My most memorable summer was right after submitting my PhD thesis. I took a break of a couple of months and traveled to many historical places in India and learned about the local culture, food and history. This uninterrupted time on the road also gave me a chance to reflect on the past few years, where I was heading to, and eventually where I wanted to be in my professional and personal life.”

-Vandana Gupta, PhD, Principal Investigator, Division of Genetics

 

“My most memorable summer was in 2016 when I got married in June and then bought a house in August! We didn’t even start looking for a house until after our wedding, so it all happened pretty quickly. It was definitely a busy summer and it flew by. I can’t believe it’s already June again and I’m coming up on my one year anniversary! “

-Adrienne Ross, MS, Fundraising Coordinator, Golf and Community Fundraising

 

“The summer after my junior year of undergrad I had an HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) fellowship that allowed me to work in a research lab full-time. While I had worked there on and off for several semesters, this was my first experience being there with no other commitments. My days consisted of western blots and DNA gels, perfectly timed so that we could go sit by the pool on our lunch breaks. Evenings were barbecues and bonfires with the graduate students and postdocs. I think this summer was the first time that I truly immersed myself in research and fell in love with it.”

-Kellie R. Machlus, PhD, Associate Biologist, Division of Hematology