To be diving into the 7th week of the program is pretty shocking! It seems like only yesterday when I asked my mentor which pipettes corresponded to which pipette tips and how to set up a gel electrophoresis. But seeing how much I have learned about my specific project and about a career in research blows my mind. I never imagined I would be able to have the opportunity to work with such a fascinating model system and with such dedicated yet hilarious and caring people.
Being immersed in my lab has revealed to me many different facets of research. There are days when all my experiments succeed and nothing can bring me down from the cloud of happiness I am on. Then there are the days when not even a box of Wheaties can save. Several weeks ago, I faced an all-time low day in the lab when none of my experiments worked, my PCR products kept failing, and my gel images were hopeless. But my mentor joked that “things can only go up from here” and over and over again, I have realized the weight in that statement.
Research can be a slow and meticulous process. But it’s the tiny victories – the bacteria cultures that work, the awe of seeing fish embryos glow red, the steadily growing camaraderie between my lab mates and I – that make this process worth it. I’ve learned that you really do have to “roll with it” in research; sometimes, your time may be dictated by tiny bacteria cultures or the organisms you are working with. When I went into the lab for my first time on a weekend, I was surprised to see more than half of my lab there. But, I’ve learned that research is very proactive and is truly dependent on how willing you are to prod and probe. You just have to stop, drop, and roll with it!
