The CIRM/TEAMS Experience

At the heart of the CIRM/TEAMS experience is our goal of enriching students’ understanding of science. Program trainees gain insight into the teamwork, dedication, and sense of community that enables research at City of Hope. We believe these trainees’ reflections capture the CIRM/TEAMS experience. 

“Each day taught me lessons that brought forth growth. Pipetting 96-well PCR plates? A reminder to be meticulous. Excess background in stained cells? A time to step back and assess the problem. Cell culture? A chance to be a part of something innovative and exciting.” 

“I'm leaving with the distinct feeling that being here at City of Hope was like being in a second home.” 

“The opportunity to carry out experiments on my own challenged me to view science from different vantage points. I learned so much about myself as a scientist — I began to understand my own strengths and limitations.” 

“During the first days of my internship at City of Hope, one of my mentors showed me what cancer stem cells in a spheroid culture looked like under a microscope. I was struck by... how harmless they seemed... I wanted to quickly find a way to fight them. In my head, I had jumped directly to the end game: curing cancer. Over the next few days, I came to the realization that like any problem, in order to solve it, you need to understand it.”

To learn more about CIRM/TEAMS trainees' day-to-day life, check out the Irell & Manella Graduate School’s Twitter account (@cityofhopeedu).