‘Exposure therapy’ for bachelor students: preparing for the reality of scientific research
Already during their bachelor’s programme, students in Pharmaceutical Sciences are presented with challenging projects. One of these is the Bachelor Research Assignment (BOO in Dutch), which is often their first real experience with scientific research. This means a lot of responsibility and failures, but also great successes.
This year, seven students worked under the guidance of Professor Micha Drukker at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research on a zebrafish model for the rare Bohring-Opitz Syndrome. Part of their results was even presented at an international symposium in the United States.
‘The project was incredibly intensive, both for the students and for us,’ says PhD candidate Rafaella Buzatu. In addition to laboratory work, there was also a focus on computational techniques, where the students learned to work with advanced tools such as AlphaFold3, ChimeraX, and Haddock. These tools have become indispensable in modern biological research. Buzatu adds, ‘This requires a lot of hands-on guidance but provides students with crucial skills.’
Independent, but with enough support
Professor of Stem Cell Technology Micha Drukker emphasizes that providing meaningful challenges is essential for student development. ‘We encourage them to think critically, ask questions, and plan their experiments. They do this in collaboration with our PhD candidates and support staff, but with lots of autonomy. This allows students to engage in meaningful research and discover and develop their scientific interests.’
‘Nothing went as hoped, but I learned a lot from that.’
Thriving through setbacks
This makes the period very valuable for students. ‘The biggest challenge was finding the balance between freedom and expectations,’ says student Grady Slagman. ‘But I learned to be independent as a researcher and to collaborate in a group.’ Tamara van der Steen adds, ‘None of the experiments went as hoped. That was sometimes frustrating, but I learned a lot about optimising techniques and solving problems.’
Alumni assist the new batch of students
For the supervisors as well, the project is a meaningful and educational experience. The new cohort received help from three alumni. One of them is Noëlle Ros, who participated in the project last year and is now pursuing a master’s in Science Communication and Society. ‘I enjoyed it last year, so I offered to help. I’ve discovered this year that I gain a lot of energy from working with students. I now know that I want to incorporate teaching into my career.’
Zebrafish neural crest
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Watch the video on the original website orTo show the formation of the nervous system and the development of nerve cells in zebrafish embryos, time-lapse videos were made with a special microscope that captures images layer by layer.
‘Challenges foster growth’
Setbacks are common, and often valuable learning moments in science. ‘That’s why we try not to protect our students too much from the realities and stressors of real research,’ says PhD candidate Joey Zuijdervelt. ‘Instead of doing that, we chose a different approach: we set high expectations and give students more responsibility for their projects. Think of it as a kind of “exposure therapy.” These challenges allow students to grow and take charge of their own progress.’
And this approach pays off, both in terms of scientific skills and personal growth. ‘I’ve learned to think critically and creatively to solve my problems,’ says student Shania Thijssen. Grady even found the project so exciting that she is now certain she wants to pursue this field further.
Ready for the next step
Although the journey was challenging, or perhaps precisely because of that, the moments of success were celebrated enthusiastically together. Through this experience, the students have gotten to know each other better and have expanded their networks as young scientists. Several students have already shown interest in a follow-up internship with the Drukker group during their master's studies. Zuijdervelt states, ‘During these 9 months of internships, they will continue to grow and contribute to biomedical research. We look forward to seeing what they will achieve.’