Category Archives: Week 1

Buzzing with Excitement: The Start of a New Adventure!

My first introduction to “laboratory work” was in the world of my uncle’s old Spider-Man comics, in which hasty human trials led to Dr. Curtis Connors becoming the infamous villain, the Lizard. Although this may disappoint potential readers, I am delighted to say that my first few weeks of lab work have not included anything of the sort. I don’t expect to fight any reptilian super villains in the near future (even if Dr. Grunwald’s snake collection would make a worthy foe). And yet, I am excited to begin my research experience this summer!

I’m currently working in the Kiehart Lab at Duke University, which examines cell sheet morphogenesis and dorsal closure in flies. The people in my lab are remarkable, and I feel incredibly lucky to work under them. I’m particularly thankful to Dr. Kiehart, Dr. Crawford, and Melissa Sican for helping me these past few weeks. I’ve learned so much, yet every new technique I learn opens up a new swarm of questions. That experience, however, is what I love the most. I love being presented with real-life challenges and working to overcome them, even if my efforts are sometimes unsuccessful. I don’t plan on making it to the cover of Nature Journal this summer; however, I look forward to learning how to solve problems in a scientific setting, approach setbacks, and collaborate with others for better success.

While my interest in biology may have started with Spider-Man, I look forward to getting a glimpse of what it means to be a scientist in this world. I hope to learn how to approach problems, learn new skills, and collaborate in a scientific setting. Many challenges await me this summer and beyond––I can’t wait to begin!

Diving into my first week of Research: Exciting but Terrifying too!

Hi  🙂 and welcome to my blog post. My name is Jackie, and I am excited to say that I am working in the Perfect Lab this summer. The Perfect Lab focuses on understanding fungal development and pathogenesis’s molecular and genetic basis. 

I will be working specifically with the pathogen known as Cryptococcus neoformans which is a type of fungus that affects different parts of the body in organisms like the lungs or the central nervous system (consisting of the brain and spinal cord). My current project for the summer will consist of analyzing in a deeper context the cell capsule of cryptococcus and seeing if the variation in capsule size contributes to the level of survival of the pathogen cell(does it benefit or weaken it to survive?). The capsule plays a big part in the overall structure of the fungal cell because it serves as a protective cover against host phagocytic cells and interferes with host immune mechanisms which can eliminate the pathogen from the body system, therefore the capsule helps the fungal cell to grow and develop further. 

The idea of conducting research right now is still surreal to me. Growing up, I’ve always had a fascination with science. Taking Biology in 9th grade opened my eyes to the many biological processes that take place in our bodies on a day-to-day basis, which wouldn’t have been discovered if it weren’t for the people who asked questions because they were curious to know what lies underneath what we can’t see. These people weren’t satisfied with understanding the basic facts like if a person gets a feeling of hungriness, it can go away by ingesting food or that when a person is ill with the flu, they will get cured soon. There’s so much that happens in our bodies that has to happen for us to get better and reach a level of homeostasis. The communication that our systems undergo and how the tiniest of organisms, our cells, contribute to that. It doesn’t happen by magic. These scientists were determined to seek the truth and the behind-the-scenes view that through research, it was made possible. They paved the way for us to learn more and even today, scientists/researchers are expanding on the knowledge already obtained to learn even more, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

 It’s surreal that I get to do research, after having just finished my first year of college. Wow 🙂 !! However, it was also a bit intimidating at first because it’s my first-ever experience doing research from being in a lab and working with different tools/chemicals, to learning about new and complex processes that I hadn’t heard or seen before. But this feeling slowly went away as I was shown around the lab and interacted more with the people working in it, who are very friendly, patient, and understanding. In this past week, I’ve learned a lot from reading about my project and learning about tasks like how to make YPD agar plates, inoculate and make strains in them (which consisted of a lot of measuring and mixing) and make strains in them, how to do microscopic imaging of cells with the help of India Ink (I got to see the capsules of a colony that had been newly grown), calibrate and make many batches of a solution known as SAB MOP with a pH of 7.3 as well as I learned different techniques to which one can pipette and more skills in the lab (like how to set up my lab journal and the area I work in the lab).

This is the place where I’ve spent a lot of time working under this week and it’s known as “The Hood”. It creates a sterile environment to prevent contamination to occur. In this picture, I’ve filled about 320 tubes with the SABS MOB liquid (covered in tinfoil to prevent light exposure) through pipetting.

There’s so much that goes into growing the colonies of cells, and it’s been a joy to get to learn about it (see how each act connects/builds up to the previous one) and have the chance to do it on my own. My mentor, Dr.Tenor, gave me a glimpse of what’s to come in the following weeks, and I’m super excited and thankful for her hard work and patience in teaching and working with me until I feel comfortable conducting a lab task. There are a lot of concepts and processes that I still don’t know in the lab and about my project, which makes me anxious, but reflecting on everything that I learned this week and how supportive and reassuring people are in my lab…I know that even if (and when) mistakes are made, I will learn from them and grow to be more comfortable with myself and my skills because it is a learning process.

Moving forward, I am excited about what’s to come in the next seven weeks (all the learning and growth that I hope to achieve), and my primary goals for my lab experience is that I hope to continue developing research skills, learn about lab procedures and new materials/solutions, gain more confidence as a scientist as well as foster deeper connections with the people in my lab and my fellow BSURF cohort who have made it a great experience so far, and I can’t wait for what lies ahead for us all. 

FFWOR – First, “First Week of Research”

Just like my FFWOC (first, “first week of classes”) back in August 2022, my FFWOR has already been filled with a lot of work as we have hit the ground running. Despite having to read seemingly endless academic papers and complete neverending laboratory training courses in just the first few days, there has been much to learn, as most of the information is already ten times more interesting than the prerequisite calculus courses. To clarify, I am working in Dr. Sharon Gerecht’s lab this summer (the PI), focusing mainly on microfluidic devices and different designs to get the best results when engineering microvessels on a chip.

I hope to learn as much as possible about the work and lives of the biomedical engineers and related professions in this lab, as that is what I hope to pursue in the future. I have always loved jigsaw puzzles and Rubik’s cubes since a young age, which nurtured my interest in problem-solving (and now I get to solve problems for a living as an engineer? let’s hope I don’t regret the Pratt life). I also had an amazing biology teacher in high school who was very influential in my life and thus spent three years with her in three different levels of biology (shoutout to Ms. Pardo!).  Consequently, I couldn’t pick between my two passions and landed on the interdisciplinary major of biomedical engineering, of which I survived the first year of undergrad!

I’m very excited to be working on my first-ever research experience through BSURF and hope to learn as much as I can from my mentor, Emily. She showed me some of the procedures they run in the lab, such as using a biosafety cabinet and cell staining & imaging. Although it was only preliminary stuff, I already feel more welcome and am growing accustomed to the lab life after just my first week.

ELPs and New Experiences for Me: BSURF’s Beginning!

Hello everyone! My name is Jarvis Savage and this summer I am working in the Chilkoti lab with a focus on elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs). ELPs undergo phase separation based on the temperature, meaning that they can form droplets in a solution or remain soluble in a controlled way. In some instances, this is reversible. The work I will be doing is more on the materials side of biology as the lab is in the biomedical engineering department.

I hope that this summer experience will give me crucial insight into science research, allow me to develop lab skills, and help me identify what my post-graduation plans should be. Being in a real lab is a wonderful opportunity as an undergraduate who is interested in biology. This is especially the case given that I have not had an opportunity to participate in research within a real lab setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While data analysis projects have given me a decent understanding of the process researchers go through and the way findings are expressed through journal articles, I have not yet had a chance to do research at a bench until now. I therefore hope to learn various skills and practice techniques I already know (such as those used in my molecular biology course). I have already started this process as I have been watching my mentor go through various steps in order to obtain and purify proteins this past week. Now that I have completed the onboarding and safety training, I am ready to begin being more hands-on.



Finding My Way

Like many people my age, I’ve recently found myself reflecting on the question, “How can I live a life that I will never regret? What kind of life will bring me the greatest sense of pride ? ” Up until last week, I only had a very vague answer that was made up of only two parts. 1. To take care of the earth and the people who inhabit it and  2. To ccontinually challenge and stimulate my mind. I’ve realized over the years that doing those two things have always made me feel the most alive.

There are many different paths that could lead me to accomplishing this lifestyle, but of course there will only be a few that I will come to love. Naturally, I’ve tried to learn about as many of these pathways as possible, and research was one of them that I found especially interesting.

And so my journey began just a couple of days ago in Dr. Karl Dimiter Bissig’s therapeutic lab researching genetic disorders. In just one week, I’ve already learned so much science! Every day brings new research projects, encounters with different graduate students, and exploration of various new lab techniques. What’s more, the people that I meet are constantly striving to innovate and enhance their current methods. To find a better technique. To find a better way. They are constantly challenging the boundaries of our knowledge. It’s exhilerating!

But what was most inspiring to me goes beyond the science itself—it is the profound impact it can have –the ground-breaking research that Dr. Bissig’s lab conducts is life-saving!

Even though it’s just the beginning of my research experience, I am already realizing that this may be the path for me. In the coming weeks, I hope to continue learning lab techniques, the science that my lab is involved in, and what  it really means to be a scientist.

 

BSURF Expectations

In the past week that I have been participating in BSURF, I have found that my expectations were surpassed. Prior to beginning BSURF, I had some background in research and was currently working in the same lab as I am now. With the help of BSURF, however, my research experience has greatly improved.

I feel I am able to better focus on what I am studying – gap junction formation and dynamics using C. elegans as a model system – without outside distraction. Sometimes I feel like I’m taking another class because of how much new information I’m learning. I feel excited to step foot in the lab and start reading reviews on gap junctions or picking up worms under a microscope or viewing PLM neurons and their gap junctions in mutant worms under a fluorescent microscope. Last Friday, I helped my lab manager set up for a talk with the neurogenetics department at the medical center. After his presentation, I got to hear incredibly insightful questions and possible future research directions from brilliant-minded researchers. It made me think of our research topic in many new different ways.

I have also been able to develop closer relationships with my lab manager and other researchers in Yan Lab through working longer hours in a more focused research direction. These researchers have helped grow my research skills and gain more lab competency. I finally feel more confident in the lab and willing to spend time out of the lab researching what I’m doing and thinking about other research directions.

Going forward with BSURF, I expect a similar experience to what I’ve already had this first week. I expect focused research with assistance from helpful faculty, greater confidence in my research skills, and a sense of community with my peers at 300 Swift. I also hope that I can continue the fascinating research I’m doing with my lab right now into the school year to complete more experiments.

Summer of Exploration – BSURF 2023, Week 1

What do you expect from your summer research experience?

Coming to college, I had an inclination to study biology. After reviewing the biology major here and what it entails, I saw that Duke offers many concentrations in different focuses within biology. Seeing this led me to search for what area of this subject I was most interested in. I knew that one way to do this was to dip my toe into research.

This summer, I am working with the Dong lab which studies plant immunology. Something that I am learning is that research doesn’t just involve thinking about problems and knowing facts (although this is quite important), but it also includes knowing lab techniques. Working here, I have acquired skills in PCR, gel electrophoresis, soil preparation, plate creation, and more. The talk during our BSURF workshops was also helpful in how to delve into reading research papers. This skill is one that I definitely needed to learn as I am going through resources now in order to aid my summer research project’s next steps.

This summer, I am expecting to gain a realistic view of the scientific process in the day to day proceedings. I am looking forward to gaining more technical skills so that I can be more adept in a lab setting. Finally, I hope I will gain knowledge on the world of biology and its scientific community so that I can have a better understanding of my options for possible future endeavors.

Butterflies in my stomach?

I’ve found that sometimes not everyone attending the same lecture is necessarily equally as passionate about the subject as you. When it comes to Biology, some are there only for the diploma, others want to go to medical school and have a stable career. Both of these are really good reasons to be in class and attend a university. I also can’t wait to have my diploma in my hands and receive my first salary! A few, though, are truly passionate about how the cellular machinery of photosynthesis work or the molecular pathways of gene regulation have evolved in eukaryotes. To me, passion is a curiosity that comes naturally and is developed through hard work and time. From what I’ve gathered this first week, everyone in BSURF already has a curiosity in Biology—otherwise, we wouldn’t be spending our summer here. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a few of my colleagues (and hopefully friends in the future!) about their research interests and was surprised about the way they talk about it. They’ve embraced their projects and already have their own niches. During these chats, I’ve realized how much I missed this sense of community where we can talk freely about Biology and have the other’s acknowledgment and equal curiosity. I hope that throughout these weeks we can develop this interest into someth11ing truly great that can then be called passion.    

Lichens with the Lutzoni Lab

Hello! I’m Arielle, and I am working in the Lutzoni Lab this summer for the BSURF program 🙂

“Research” has always felt slightly intimidating to me. Coming into college, I had no research experience and had no clue on how to get started – Who do I contact? What skills do I need? When should I start searching for a lab? However, I loved science and always was curious about working in a research lab, so I put “research” on my list of things to try during my undergraduate career. Hence, I didn’t hesitate to apply when I learned about the BSURF program through some of my bio friends.

As mentioned above, I work in the Lutzoni Lab, which studies the evolution, ecology, and genomics of symbiotic systems involving fungi and photoautotrophic organisms. My current project focuses on the mutualistic system involving Peltigera, a lichen-forming fungus, and Nostoc, their associated cyanobacterial partners, to develop a deeper understanding of environmental and genetic factors that shape their patterns of association. 

This past week has been intense but also quite productive! The graduate student I am working with, Carlos, has been a fantastic + patient mentor, teaching me how to do DNA extractions, PCR setups, and gels (I attached a photo of one below). We have been spending lots of time in the lab, and I expect the next couple of weeks to look similar (DNA extractions, PCRs, gels). I am excited for the next seven weeks, and my primary goals are to develop my research skills, learn lab techniques, and, most importantly, become more confident as a scientist. I also want to grow closer with my BSURF cohort – everyone has been welcoming so far, and I am excited to get to know everyone better this summer!

My second gel! 6/9/23

Eat more Iron!

Welcome readers to my blog and yes you read the title correctly, except just consume a healthy amount.

From introductory biology courses when we get to tertiary structures of proteins you might recall something called hemoglobin that is found in RBCs aka the Royal Bank of Canada, no it actually stands for red blood cells. You might also recall that hemoglobin is the reason red blood cells are red and that the presence of iron that comprises hemoglobin is the reason why they can transport oxygen through the body. However, have you heard of ferroptosis? (Does this sound similar to apoptosis to anyone?)

No? Well me neither before getting into BSURF and working with Dr. Chi and the Chi Lab. The Chi lab focuses on genomics to approach the signaling and adaptations to stress by cancer cells when exposed to different environments and stress conditions with a current focus on ferroptosis. This process as alluded to is similar to apoptosis as it a form of programmed cell death; however, it is distinct in that is iron-dependent.

Upon first seeing this process in an article sent to me by Dr. Chi, I was quite intimidated from not understanding all of the unfamiliar jargon used and was scared that I would be thrown face first into the deep unknown. However, this anxious feeling was quickly abated upon arriving to the lab being warmly welcomed by everyone in the lab. Furthermore, rather than the deep unknown the first week has been spent on working on a strong foundation starting with the basics and starting to learn and perform techniques, some of which I have experiences in and others not. These include: extracting DNA, using the NanoDrop (machine that calculates concentrations of DNA, RNA, etc), creating an agarose gel and running the extracted DNA through it, extracting RNA and performing qPCR. With this I have great appreciation to my mentor(s) Jerry and Ssu-Yu for leading me and answering my seemingly never ending questions patiently despite their own already busy schedule.

Thus when asked what I expect from my research experience this summer I aim to end this summer with a greater tolerance in designing and operating experiments independently and data analysis with a solid foundation of various skills and techniques. With this I also wish to have been able to contribute to further the studying of ferroptosis and/or other cancer related stress expressions.

Dreaming of Baby Trees

What do you expect from your summer research experience?

Yep, that’s right. You understood that title correctly. You see, like many of my fellow BSURF researchers, one of the main hopes I have for my summer experience is the humble desire to just have done my experiment correctly and to see results. In my particular situation results will come in the form of sprouting seedlings of a select group of trees and shrubs. Now to see these type of results will be exciting for me for several reasons. First, as I pointed out, growth will indicate that I haven’t completely failed my experiment, which would be really great. Secondly, and this is my inner plant nerd coming out here, the idea that within my many, many petri dishes of many, many seeds, life is being brought forth to await my observation is just plain exciting to me. It’s exciting in that I am just interested in plant growth in general, and for the fact that my observation of these sprouting seedlings and any patterns I see and conclusions I draw about growth in differing salinity levels can eventually play a role in a bigger picture in which I am very passionate about, and that is conserving tree life in the actual outside world, one of the goals of my ecologically-based lab.

So, in terms of expectations I would say I expect this kind of interest and passion to grow as I (hopefully) see results. Also, I do honestly expect to see some such results eventually, partly because I feel that I have followed the procedures to my experiment carefully/with understanding and partly because at the very least, I know I will be able to ask my PI, Dr. Wright, for pointers and corrections if I end up needing to. I also believe that as time passes I will become more comfortable in my lab setting as I start becoming increasingly familiar with where things are, how to operate experiment-related machines, how to set up my experiment more and more efficiently, and as I become increasingly comfortable with those working in my lab with me. For the most part, these have been kind of short term expectations, so in the long run I expect my summer experience to impact my life by perhaps becoming a longer term project that I can alter for even more detailed and helpful results down the line. Additionally, I hope that this experience will give me insight into my academic and occupational goals. For instance, I have been weighing my interests in Duke’s Environmental Science program versus Duke’s Biology (with a focus in Ecology) program, and my new connections to other students, graduates, and biology faculty have given me more information on the program differences so that I might go where my main interests are. As another example, I wanted to walk away from this summer knowing whether research is a side of science in which I am particularly interested so that I could apply that information to my plans for my future job and/or schooling decisions.

Basically, then, to answer the question about my expectations, I am looking forward to BSURF helping me get to know my interests and goals better as well as helping fuel my ever-growing fascination with plants (especially trees!). And honestly, all along this adventurous road I’m embarking upon, I will probably be daydreaming about my little seeds bursting forth with life and becoming the most adorable baby trees ever.