Event Title
Biostatistics Internship at Van Andel Research Institute
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Having an internship is a requirement for the PSM Biostatistics degree, but the experience of working alongside other biostatisticians and researchers in the professional health research setting at VARI allowed me to gain real-world statistical experience and develop my R programming skills. CHALLENGE: Manipulating messy real-world data in manageable formats for statistical analysis, running statistical tests with very small samples, and determining the best statistical analysis to conduct given various sets of data were a few of the challenges that had to be addressed. EXPERIENCE: The opportunity to run various data analyses, from McNemars test to ANOVA to linear mixed model regression provided me valuable experience in creating reports that included scientists’ summaries of test results. Repetitive testing also provided ample opportunity to learn about automating processes. OUTCOME: One of the more significant outcomes for me was to create scripts for a VARI lab to automate their data manipulation process, saving them time and error. Scientists were provided with analysis results and taught why adequate sample sizes are vital for finding significance. Also, an Introduction to Statistics using R webpage was created for researchers to reference and use. Working alongside both statisticians and researchers developed and improved my communication skills as well. IMPACT: My internship was a very important step in preparing me for a career in the field of biostatistics. It enabled me to apply my classroom learning while also gaining skills that cannot be obtained in the classroom.
Biostatistics Internship at Van Andel Research Institute
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Having an internship is a requirement for the PSM Biostatistics degree, but the experience of working alongside other biostatisticians and researchers in the professional health research setting at VARI allowed me to gain real-world statistical experience and develop my R programming skills. CHALLENGE: Manipulating messy real-world data in manageable formats for statistical analysis, running statistical tests with very small samples, and determining the best statistical analysis to conduct given various sets of data were a few of the challenges that had to be addressed. EXPERIENCE: The opportunity to run various data analyses, from McNemars test to ANOVA to linear mixed model regression provided me valuable experience in creating reports that included scientists’ summaries of test results. Repetitive testing also provided ample opportunity to learn about automating processes. OUTCOME: One of the more significant outcomes for me was to create scripts for a VARI lab to automate their data manipulation process, saving them time and error. Scientists were provided with analysis results and taught why adequate sample sizes are vital for finding significance. Also, an Introduction to Statistics using R webpage was created for researchers to reference and use. Working alongside both statisticians and researchers developed and improved my communication skills as well. IMPACT: My internship was a very important step in preparing me for a career in the field of biostatistics. It enabled me to apply my classroom learning while also gaining skills that cannot be obtained in the classroom.