加拿大國家研究委員會( National Research Council, Canada )自1998年起，每年提供本校四名同學暑期赴該會及渥太華大學研習六週。今年(2005)由高中部張皓瑜 (Bickey Chang)、呂哲安 (Adam Lu) 同學與雙語部諸彥傑 (James Chu)、林晴立 (Erica Lin)同學自眾申請者中脫穎而出，代表參加研習。本刊特分兩期(十月及十一月)刊載四位同學之心得，以作為經驗之分享與傳承。2006 NRC暑期研習活動將於近期開放申請，請密切注意本校網站之電子佈告欄。

盛夏的感動-NRC研習見聞

高三三班 張皓瑜

那是戲劇性的開始。打從出境桃園中正機場，我們四位參加加拿大國家研究院(National Research Council，簡稱NRC)研習的同學就只有彥傑、哲安和我登上了飛機。這有如偵探小說一樣懸疑的情節，不禁令人遐想今年的活動是否能夠圓滿，但終究還是杞人憂天了-六個禮拜的研習活動讓我收穫滿滿。

我被分配到 NRC的生物科學研究所(Institute for Biological Sciences)。「上班」第一天開幕典禮之後，我的指導教授便帶我到他小小的辦公室，洋洋灑灑地敘述起我的實驗內容。稍後，簡單地介紹實驗室的同仁後，他把我交給了一位研究員。就這樣，我以兩天的蛋白電泳實驗(Western Blots，西方點漬法)揭開了六個禮拜實驗室生活的序幕。

我的指導教授，腦血管權威Dr. Wandong Zhang所帶領的實驗小組去年才獨立自設實驗室。此實驗小組主要的研究主題為阿茲海默症。這種老人痴呆症病人腦細胞中的澱粉樣?前體蛋白(amyloid precursor protein，APP)因為被特定酵素不恰當地切斷而形成β澱粉樣?(β-amyloid peptide，Aβ)。當這些β澱粉樣?在腦部積聚，就會形成神經斑(plaque)，並引發發炎反應，使腦細胞的血流量降低，最終造成腦神經退化。

我的第一項研究就是觀察β澱粉樣?如何影響人腦內皮細胞(human brain endothelial cells，簡稱HBEC)中的發炎反應。這項研究的目的是透過對受Aβ影響的炎症基因的觀察，更了解造成阿茲海默患者腦細胞退化的病理(pathology)。我的另一項實驗則是利用精密的顯微雷射捕捉技術(Laser Capture Microdissection)擷取阿茲海默症患者的人腦微血管細胞以做為未來蛋白質體學 (proteomics)等研究的實驗材料。顯微雷射捕捉技術利用聚焦的紫外光雷射光束自動掃描切割所需的樣品，它的優點是能快速並有選擇性地擷取同質細胞群，不僅是很便利的技巧，而且相當有趣：面對染成螢光綠色的螢幕，手裡握著操縱桿瞄點發射雷達，好像是在玩電動遊戲。

Dr. Zhang的實驗室的運作方式是由教授負責設計實驗，而他手下的一群研究員與技術員則實際操作實驗。當然，他們會不時地一起分析每個小實驗的結果，並提出自己的看法，評估討論實驗未來的方向。這個才不到十人的新實驗室，感覺上是一個大團隊，六個禮拜的耳濡目染，讓我受益良多。

和我一起做實驗的是一位年輕的技術員Aimee Jones。在實驗室的前幾週，她帶領我學習許多不同的實驗方法，包括細胞培養、RNA的純化和聚合酵素鏈鎖反應(polymerase chain reaction，簡稱PCR)等。雖然這只是她在NRC工作的第二年，她的實驗技巧純熟，小心謹慎的精神似乎早已經成了她的第二天性。Aimee總是一面操作，一面用淺顯的文字和比喻，不厭其煩地解釋隱含在每個實驗步驟背後的原理。當我問到她不確定的小細節，她就會千方百計地去找答案，可見她對求知的熱誠。她也會笑嘻嘻地測試我還記不記得前幾天的話題，確定我能不能融會貫通整個實驗的流程。看她做實驗，總是覺得一切都很簡單很自然，實際自己動手嘗試時才發現自己真是笨手笨腳-原來做實驗不是反射動作。每個動作都得先經過大腦，要輸入、處理，才能輸出。我想，如果是Aimee自己做的話，一定有效率多了，她卻冒著實驗可能會被搞砸的風險把嘗試的機會讓給我。她告訴我熟能生巧，所以不必太擔心，每次我完成一部分的實驗，她也會很高興地稱讚我做得很好。在Aimee身上我看到了一個研究者所應該持有的態度-做事認真負責，要比其他人更嚴謹，要求自己將實驗的原理了解透徹。

除了跟著Aimee或自己做實驗，我也四處去觀看並嘗試其他研究室正在進行的實驗。研究人員都非常和善，也很有耐心地跟我解說他們的實驗。雖然我往往只看到這些實驗大構想中的一小部份，但他們都會盡量為我有系統地建構出整個大實驗計畫的流程。他們是非常聰明的一群，也是充滿活力、熱愛工作的一群。另外，我發現科學家真的是很龜毛的生物，面對相同的步驟，有人喜歡蓋子朝上擺，有人喜歡蓋子向下放，每個人都執著於自己「習慣」(used to) 的做法。他們都有著自己對實驗的責任感和對完美主義的專業堅持，令人欽佩。 　

不過他們也不是無時無刻都想著實驗。每個月全實驗室的人會找時間聚餐慶祝那個月的重要事件；每年他們也會舉辦BBQ和各項活動，增進彼此的情誼。繁瑣的實驗過程和等待實驗結果的時候都是交換小道消息的好時刻。到了中午，就會有一群研究員一起到研究所外面去踢足球，餐廳內大家則聊起天來，從電動的裁縫機到家裡小孩的得意事蹟都是很好的題材。時而專注，時而放鬆，他們在生活與實驗中找到了最佳的平衡。

在實驗室的六個禮拜倏忽即逝，如今已化作好多好多的回憶。至於那些週末的觀光故事，公車上的美麗奇遇，鋼琴考試的緊張和在住宿家庭的一切一切......彷彿李斯特的愛之夢平靜又澎湃，動人心弦。渥太華沸水般的白日襯著靜謐的夜空-NRC，六個禮拜的感動，至今我還記得。

Tempus Fugit ..., My Days at NRC

James Chu, 12B

I know you’re expecting the time-honored tradition of the exposition on what I did. Instead of following tradition, however, I will begin with presenting what I learned.

In the competitive society of today, teenagers—myself included—are often left wondering about self-worth. We want to feel valued, special, unique, and most of all, recognized by others. Schools become microcosms for such mechanisms of society to play out. Unfortunately, many of us are left in a cold, constant, and futile struggle to become “better” without knowing why. I’m sure most, if not all, of us are acquainted with the faintly suffocating feeling that seems to loom over your chest when your parents or friends talk about some classmate who won the international badminton competition… started a new service club that has international recognition… got full marks on the SATs… was proclaimed best teenage basketball player… made his or her own CD at the age of 12… achieved national recognition for something or other at the age of 14… Something in us jars at the thought of just being “another human being.” Stars and Nobel Prize winners we forgive—we supposedly have time to reach that level of recognition.

When I arrived in Canada, I was thrown into a pool of extreme talent: scientific geniuses in the laboratory I worked, musical virtuosos at the concerts I attended, incredible street performers, sports players, astounding artists who showcased their work at the national museum… It did not take long for me to begin wondering—who is this boy here, who has barely any stake in this world? But my trip to the National Research Council of Canada taught me two of the most profound lessons of my high school life: humility and accepting myself.

In such an insular school (pardon my politically incorrect honesty), we can easily spiral into a mindset of believing we’re “better.” Few will admit it, of course, but most observers watching bilingual students interacting with the locals will often detect an air of arrogance. Few will admit it, but the way classmates treat each other seems to have correlation with grades. Meeting my share of amazing talent shocked me into humility. No, I wasn’t “better.” At most, I was equal, but usually, I felt like a useless slob. That’s when my second, just as important, lesson came in: I may not measure up to what society calls “outstanding,” but I know I am a mix of talent and personality that nobody else had and will ever have. For that reason, neither I, nor any other person in this world is “just another human being.” No, humans were not born equal: seeing many beggars in Toronto taught me that lesson. Humans are born with unequal opportunities, and some have more opportunities than others. To spend one’s life lamenting the opportunities of others, however, is foolish. With the support and love of my family, my friends, my new acquaintances in Canada, and my God, I have learned to acknowledge my worth even if I am not, as they say, “the cream of the crop.” A direct corollary of the former, I have learned also to make the most of those opportunities that are open to me.

Now that I’ve cleared that heavy subject off the table, I will continue to a little less preachy, and more interesting subjects.

The acronyms SPR and MIP probably mean nothing to the layman. Expanding the acronyms to “surface plasmon resonance” and “molecularly imprinted polymers” will elicit a response from only those elite high school geniuses. They gave me my assignment just four weeks before the trip, and—trust me—I was a layman. It took me several hours of research before I totally understood what the two phenomena were, and why they were significantly related to each other. In short, surface plasmon resonance occurs when light of a specific angle of incidence strikes a metal surface. It is dependent on the refractive index and thickness of the material above that (usually gold) surface. By coupling polymers that are imprinted (and thus selective) to specific analyte upon the surface, a scientist can monitor the changes in the surface plasmon resonance and figure out if any binding occurs. The complexities, of course, are baffling, but that basically what my research was built upon.

Outside of the laboratory, I was probably even more of a fool. Call it coincidence, but they sent a路痴to Canada to do research. I left the plane somewhat worried at the people I would meet. I should have been more worried about myself. Knowing how to cook and wash is one thing, knowing how to get around town is another. One of the most hilarious experiences I had in Canada was getting lost: not once, not twice, but almost three times. My first, and probably most absurd, experience involved jumping on the wrong bus, going to a place I had never seen, jumping on another wrong bus, and, after spending an hour stuck in the bus system like a lab rat in a maze, I finally found my way back home. Almost pathetically, I had forgotten my address in Canada, and searched futilely for where I was being hosted. Eventually, I had to knock on the door of a random person, borrow his phone, and find out where I lived. Don’t laugh too hard.

However foolish my experience in the laboratory and the city were… however amazing the weekend trips to places like Toronto, Montreal, and Niagara Falls were, I believe my trip to the National Research Council of Canada was only complete with the help of the people who made it possible. There were people who taught me how to cook, water ski, kayak; people who told me how Montreal was built, why Toronto was the way it was; people who taught me which buses to take, how to apply for passes; people who taught me why Monet’s paintings are particularly beautiful, and why the photography in the Museum of Contemporary Photography is high art as opposed to mundane mug shots. Just to mention a few, Winston and I had our first Wal-Mart experience; Yo-Yo (how we did laugh at her name!) showed me the city and took us on tours; Azumi taught me Japanese; Ms. Ye brought me to a choral performance; Raluca taught me nutrition; and Sandy mentored me on everything scientific. No, my experience in Canada would have been nothing without these people.

 As the clich? goes, there’s always more to say about a fruitful trip. Perhaps, if you find it in yourself to apply for this program, you will find your own set of personal experiences that become part of you. As for myself, I look back and sigh… tempus fugit indeed.

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