If you told me a couple of months ago how my journey with research would go I probably wouldn’t believe you. I think that most of the Laidlaw scholars can relate to my experience of being extremely excited, hopeful, and full of energy once they opened the email confirming their place as scholars. It was my case as well: waiting and expecting any news from the minute the interviews were over, being extremely nervous for the whole time yet full of hope that it might work out. All of these emotions were definitely with me until the official start of the research when the scholars arrived in St Andrews to start their projects. At this moment in time it seemed as if these 6 weeks were an almost infinite amount of time, definitely more than needed to complete the project- now when I think about my past perception of time I want to laugh, how could I be so oblivious to the fact that most of the actual research projects go on not for weeks or even months, but for entire years? The reality of this time pressure hit quite fast into the project, right after the first few days of lab work, when it turned out that preparing all the reagents (and finding the necessary ingredients) was taking way more time than expected. Using the lab equipment that was so different from what you usually use during your uni lab classes was a shock as well- you don’t want to break this fancy, expensive stuff on the first day of your internship! All of this made me realize the harder aspects of research and appreciate how much careful preparation goes into research, even before stepping foot in the lab and starting your first experiment. That was definitely a hard lesson to learn initially- and not surprisingly, the format of the usual teaching labs is drastically different, with experiments that are given out on the instruction sheets, easily completed within 3 hours slots assigned to each group.

It also turned out that mistakes and failed experiments are also the intrinsic part of the projects, maybe even the part you learn the most from. I remember the feeling of incredible frustration and hopelessness when after three days full of lab work and careful preparation, I saw none of the results I was hoping to get. It’s a hard experience, especially if you are not part of a research group you could talk to or brainstorm ideas of what could have gone wrong. Thankfully, all of this brings me to the most valuable and helpful lesson I’ve learned during these 6 weeks: the fact that the community around you is just necessary. I wouldn’t be able to go to the lab every single day, do hundreds of readings, and spend countless hours in the library if not for the people I had around me. As it turns out, sometimes you don’t need someone to cheer you up to do this one more reading, but rather quite the opposite- sometimes you need a person who would drag you out of the library to take you on the walk to the beach or the park. That’s also why I couldn’t be more grateful for the Laidlaw community that supported me so incredibly much over this period and beyond- the late evening sea dips, bonfires, and chats were making my days and the whole research much easier and more enjoyable. Connecting with so many fascinating people was incredible and I would even risk saying that I’ve learned more from them than by looking in the microscope or mixing the reagents. Research is not only for people but I also strongly believe it should be done with people- preferably the craziest lot you can find:)