Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2022 Contact magazine, and is being republished at this time to honor those participating in Dec. 16’s Fall Graduation Recognition Ceremony.聽
Spending the summer testing various bodily fluids for foreign substances would not be most people鈥檚 idea of an ideal internship. For Cortney Hanna, however, it fit right into her plans.
The KWU Biomedical Chemistry major spent eight weeks at the KBI toxicology lab in Topeka testing blood, urine and vitreous humor, mostly for drugs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good mix of consistency and surprises,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e doing the same processes every day, but it鈥檚 a different case, a different matrix, blood or urine. You never know what you鈥檙e going to find. It鈥檚 not too monotonous, but it鈥檚 not just like all over the place.鈥�
The $30,000 gas chromatography-mass spectrometry machine she ran most blood samples on 鈥渨as amazing to work with,鈥� Hanna said.
She used the GCMS almost every day, under supervision, but also worked with a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry machine.
It was a busy summer, 20-25 hours a week, 180 hours over the eight weeks, Hanna said. Besides doing the testing and gaining authorization, each of the interns had a research project.
鈥淢y project was working to determine the level of detection on the GCMS for the top 50 percent of controlled drugs of 2021,鈥� Hanna said. 鈥淚 was trying to prove how sensitive their instruments are, to prove that yes, our results are what they say they are.鈥�
She was able to prove the machines can detect as little as 1 percent of a drug in a person鈥檚 blood.
The top drugs included some opioids, depressants and anti-depressants. Results detecting meth and crack cocaine laced with fentanyl also came in, she said.
She has a better understanding of the entire forensic science process.
鈥淚 got to watch toxicologists testify in court,鈥� Hanna said. 鈥淵ou get to see a case from beginning to end.鈥�
Competition was stiff for the internship. At least 20 others applied for the unpaid internship. Hanna worked in the toxicology lab, three others worked in firearms, digital evidence, and biology DNA amplification and sexual assault.
Hanna, from Lawrence, was able to live at home.
Applicants were screened as strictly as if they had applied for a job as an agent.
鈥淭he background investigator talked to my volleyball coach, roommate, parents, former employers 鈥︹�� Hanna said.
Hanna thinks her 黑料网 Wesleyan education gave her an edge.
鈥淚 think they were really impressed with me knowing some about mass spectroscopy already, MRI already, she said. “They were really impressed I was proficient in micropipetting before I got there. It was just nice they didn鈥檛 have to take time to train me.鈥�
Hanna is graduating early, in December, and planning to go on to graduate school in Chemistry or Forensic Science next year.
Many of her fellow Biomedical Chemistry majors hope to go to med school, but Hanna knew that wasn鈥檛 for her.
鈥淚 always wanted to help people, the same as doctors, but I just can鈥檛 do surgery, can鈥檛 stick people with needles. That鈥檚 just not my cup of tea,鈥� she said.
Hanna realized that it was her lab classes she enjoyed.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my favorite part of the day, doing hands-on stuff,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would say, if you don鈥檛 know if you want to go to med school, do something where you鈥檙e in the lab. It will open up doors. You don鈥檛 have to go to med school to be successful in health science and chemistry. There are other options.鈥�
Story by Jean Kozubowski, photo provided
