Francis Bu reports on his experiences attending the RISE Internship Practicum at Boston University.
“Planes, trains, cars… and more trains! I am happy to report that I have had a great first week at Boston University. Throughout the week, I met over a hundred people from across the country—or at least that’s what I thought at first. I would say that almost 40% of the students here are from some part of California! While everyone was a little awkward at first, as expected, we quickly opened up to one another and started making connections. During the first week, most group activities were organized by PA groups and residence hall floors, so I got to know the people on my floor especially well. At the same time, there have been plenty of opportunities to meet students from the other floors and dorms as well,” Francis says.
“One thing I have learned about myself through my experiences with the GFF is that I really enjoy having a routine. After the first day’s hectic orientation and social events, I quickly settled into one. Most nights, I go to bed around midnight and wake up around 8:00 a.m. After breakfast, I head to my morning lecture from 9:30 to 11:30, followed by lunch at Marciano Commons before making my way to the lab for the afternoon. After the lab, I usually grab a quick snack for some pre-workout carbs and head over to BU FitRec to lift,” Francis adds.
Francis says that he really appreciates how “walkable” everything is at Boston University, with many restaurants, cafés, stores within walking distance, and a lively downtown that he had not experienced before.
“My favorite memory from this week was attending a watch party for the United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina FIFA World Cup match, during which the U.S. earned a major victory and advanced to the Round of 16. The cheers, the groans, the countless calls for the referee to “open his eyes,” and the electric atmosphere created an experience I will never forget. It gave me a taste of the vibrant urban life that I do not often have the opportunity to experience back home in Carbondale. A close second was the Fourth of July fireworks and drone show, which I had the opportunity to watch from the banks of the Charles River. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, especially because I experienced it along Boston Harbor on America’s 250th anniversary,” Francis reports.
“This week, the lectures primarily covered the fundamentals of neuroscience for students with little or no prior experience in the subject. Fortunately, I was well-prepared and already familiar with much of the material from the neuroscience course I took at WashU during the summer of 2025. Aside from the sheep brain dissection on the first day, our lab sessions focused mainly on crickets. We measured action potentials in response to various stimuli applied to isolated cricket legs and whole crickets, allowing us to gain a hands-on, real-world understanding of the concepts we had learned during the morning lectures. I firmly believe that seeing tangible evidence of textbook concepts makes them far more memorable and leads to a deeper understanding of the underlying neuroscience,” Francis says.
“In the coming weeks, I am excited to dive into the more computational side of our work, which is where I have the least experience. While the labs we have completed so far have not been directly related to the research project we will present at the end of the program, they have provided valuable insight into neuronal circuits and laid the foundation for the computational techniques we will be using later. Using Python, we have begun analyzing audio recordings and other forms of data to draw meaningful scientific conclusions, and I am excited to continue applying programming to better understand neural systems as the program progresses. Beyond the academics, I am also looking forward to exploring more of Boston and continuing to build friendships with everyone in the program,” Francis adds.
“Overall, my first week at BU has been an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to see what the next five weeks have in store for me,” Francis exclaims!
We are happy to hear that you are settling in and having an wonderful experience so far. We can’t wait to hear more!
