Grant Flindt
My name is Grant Flindt and I completed an internship in Slovakia in the Biochemistry Department of the Comenius School of Medicine in Bratislava. While I was there, we prepared a publication detailing the effect of polyphenols on thromboxane levels in children with Crohn’s disease. We additionally studied the effects of antioxidants on various diseases.
During my internship, I worked as a research assistant in the biochemistry lab. I ran various experiments that would later be used in the publication. I also learned new biochemical analysis techniques, such as western blotting. Additionally, I helped to translate an academic article from Slovak to English.
On the internship, I was taught how to run a successful ‘western blot,’ which is a technique used in biochemistry to identify proteins. I was also able to improve my Slovak while doing my internship. I really focused on understanding scientific terminology in Slovak, something that I hadn’t been able to work on as a missionary. By the end of my internship, I was able to help translate an academic paper from Slovak into English.
I had many great memories with my coworkers at the Medical Facility, including frequent trips to a delicious nearby restaurant. But my favorite memory from my time abroad didn’t occur at work. I was invited to a traditional Czech Wedding in the countryside near Prague. I traveled to Prague on Wednesday and spent Thursday and Friday helping with the wedding preparations. We made over 300 Czech Kolache and other various desserts. Additionally, we set up decorations. My friend getting married is a devout catholic and had her wedding in a beautiful Prague cathedral. I was asked to read a verse from Jerimiah and got to go up in the cathedral and read in Slovak. It was an unforgettable experience!
I am in love with everything about Slovakia. Slovaks are very proud of their culture and have many festivals to celebrate their heritage. I loved traveling to various festivals and just soaking in the atmosphere. My favorite part of these festivals had to be the delicious food that was always being made fresh at the markets.
I really enjoyed my time in the research lab and the experience helped me get into a lab here at BYU. As a biochemistry major, I have also used quite a few of the experiments that I learned while in Slovakia. For example, for one class I had to design my own experiment, so I modified a procedure we used in Slovakia to measure the antioxidant capacity of various foods. This internship has been extremely beneficial to me and my education.
Central Europe—Slovakia, Summer 2019
