University of Silesia in Katowice

Accounts from a research internship in the United States

In 2019, I spent three and a half months working at the Solomon Laboratories of Experimental Psychology of the University of Pennsylvania. It is one of the five most prestigious universities in the United States and has an outstanding research laboratory.

This trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I saw how high-level research work looks like.

This trip has completely changed my approach to research, and even though I came back to the same world that I left, I decided to work hard to improve it. First of all, I started to prioritise projects that were methodologically valid and well executed. I also realised how long the process of developing good science is, starting from simple discussions in the corridors, through regular scientific meetings, and ending with testing various hypotheses, many of which don’t get confirmed – which is natural. I also decided to do more international projects and those that involve laboratory or field work.

Now I know that I am going in the right direction. I successfully published texts as a member of large international teams in the best journals in the world. I have also become a leader of several international teams, whose results will sooner or later see the light of day. I have applied for a research grant to the National Science Centre and in the meantime I received funding from the National Agency for Academic Exchange. But what’s even more important is that nowadays I’m doing research that I once didn’t even dare to dream about. I also made sure that being a scientist is not just a job, but my passion.

Of course, the trip was a huge organisational challenge and turned my family life upside down. My husband took an unpaid leave of absence to look after our sons, who were taught remotely (not so popular then as it is in 2020). We had to get visas, international driving licences, pay for my husband and children’s stay, including very expensive health insurance. However, considering the ongoing pandemic, I don’t regret the time spent there and financial investment one bit. I am very grateful that I was able to do this internship. It has not only added to my academic experience, but also to my life experience – although from the outside it may appear that I have crossed only physical borders, but I have first and foremost broken through some of my mental barriers. Both me and my whole family!