Going into lab this summer I had little idea what research was; my only experiences were labs in classes that I now know are nothing like actual research. In my labs in class everything would go according to plan as long as it was well planned and there was no human error in the experiment. If only real lab was like this.
One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered is that even if everything is planned and executed perfectly, results aren’t always guaranteed. The first time I encountered this was a huge shock to me. I had successfully completed the PCR, purified the product, digested the product, ligated the product into the backbone, and transformed it into the cells. However, not one cell grew. I couldn’t fathom how this had happened and it turns out there is a lot more troubleshooting and revising in research than I thought there was.
One of the best parts of research is coupled with the problems that I have been encountering. Though things don’t always go right, the incredible feeling when something does go right and a piece of the experiment was successful greatly outweighs the negative feelings associated with the earlier problems. The first time I saw one of my cells glowing I couldn’t help smiling because I finally had results!
Hopefully as my experiments rap up this week I see more glowing cells and more results!
