Planning my internship to fit Prof. Toyama’s schedule and the academic calendar in Singapore was quite rough. Coordinating the visa application, travel arrangements, and institutional paperwork required multiple rounds of communication, and the uncertainty around timelines made it a little stressful. Nevertheless, with the guidance of Prof. Toyama and support from the host institution, everything came together for me to begin the internship.

Despite the rough preparations, I was fortunate to start my internship in Singapore mid-year. There were quite a number of ongoing festivals and national events, including the Singapore National Day, and Qixi (七夕, basically Tanabata). As I grew up in a neighboring country (Indonesia) in a Chinese-origin family, these events and the culture are somehow both familiar yet new, with a stronger feeling of community. Lots of public live shows and stages are scattered near every corner of the city. Of course, as the biggest event, it was thrilling to attend the military parade and fireworks to celebrate Singapore’s national day in person. Experiencing these celebrations gave me a deeper sense of the united, yet multicultural foundation of Singapore, and I was able to make friends with people outside of the lab as well.

Day-to-day life during the internship was both challenging and rewarding. I had to quickly adapt to a new research environment, lab culture, and technical systems that were slightly different from what I was used to. In particular, the open lab environment felt completely different compared to the common laboratories in Japan. Multiple research groups share working spaces and facilities, promoting a naturally collaborative approach in research.

My colleagues in Prof. Toyama’s group were very supportive, often taking the time to explain not only experimental protocols but also the reasoning behind them. This made the experience more than just hands-on training—it helped me understand the broader context of the research.

Through the internship, I gained technical skills in mammalian cell culture and direct mechanical manipulation of cell properties, such as cell stretching and compaction. I was also able to contribute to ongoing projects. I helped investigating the effects of mechanical forces in regulating cellular and nuclear robustness, focusing on the cells with nuclear abnormalities, mimicking the Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a fatal disease caused by nuclear protein mutations, leading to accelerated cellular aging and death. My experiences here allowed me to see how my own work in studying the regulation of cell death fit into larger research goals, involving not only molecular and chemical signals, but also the physical forces which act upon the cells. Beyond technical outcomes, the training helped me improve my scientific communication skills, especially when discussing ideas in group meetings and presenting preliminary results.

Overall, the internship was an invaluable experience. It not only broadened my scientific expertise but also gave me cultural exposure and professional networks that I hope to maintain in the future. Looking back, even though the preparation phase was rough, the experience itself exceeded my expectations and has influenced the way I think about the themes and approaches in my own research career.