A brief review of your research activities for the week:

As this is my first time working in a lab, I spend a lot of time shadowing other lab members and watching them do experiments. I took notes on these experiments and asked a lot of questions so I could better understand what was going on. Occasionally, I worked side by side with other lab members, performing experiments under their supervision. Some of the experiments I observed/helped conduct include: the preparation of LB broth (which serves as food for growing bacteria), RNA purification, overnights/transformations/midipreps (which serves to isolate plasmid DNA), and imaging cells. I learned how to use the autoclave (which is a machine that disinfects/sterilizes lab equipment), and how to image cells using a microscope located in the med center.  I also met with my faculty mentor every Friday @ 1 pm. During these meetings, we discussed what I was doing in the lab, what I would be doing during the following week, and if I had any questions/concerns. 

Anticipated plans for the following week:

This upcoming week, I plan to observe another set of transformations/overnight culture/midiprep experiments and a set of RNA purification experiments being run by other lab members. Additionally, I hope to get started on my own experiment by purifying DNA (with the guidance of other lab members). To do this, I will perform my own set of transformations, overnights, and midiprep experiments. Since these are all things I’ve already observed, I’m pretty sure I should be able to do them without difficulty. There is also a group meeting for the entire lab on Tuesday, and I have a meeting with my faculty mentor on Friday. 

What tasks or goals did you accomplish? What do you still plan to accomplish?

I definitely gained a lot more confidence in a laboratory setting. I know a lot more about the experiments that are run in the lab, the purpose of these experiments, and the tools that are used to conduct these experiments. I also have a better understanding of the research being conducted by the lab. In the following weeks, I hope to start my own experiment, as well as observe more experiments that other lab members are conducting. I would like to feel confident enough to run experiments on my own, without the guidance of other lab members. 

What challenges, if any, did you face this week and what steps did you take to overcome those challenges?

Since most of my day is not scheduled, I have to plan out what I am going to do that day myself. Initially, it was hard to create and stick to my own schedule, since I’m used to following a schedule set by school/classes. I had a lot of things to do, and it was kind of stressful at first. After creating a realistic schedule with a few major tasks that I needed to accomplish that day, I felt a lot more organized and productive. I also felt more relaxed, since I knew I had the time to finish everything I needed to complete. I also started keeping a daily log of what I had accomplished over the course of the day. Doing so helped me feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.