What would a person normally expect from a summer research experience? Probably meeting new people, getting to know what goes on in a research lab, maybe even being part of some exciting experiments. I guess I have similar expectations. I see this research experience as an opportunity to not only learn more about research and the process while also getting to know other people, but also to better myself as a whole. A bit cliché, but only the truth. I am a pretty reserved person with some self-doubt sprinkled throughout. I’m hoping that this research experience could help me open up a bit; not be too critical about the small, trivial details and become more confident as a person and as a researcher. I’ll also take this opportunity to gauge where my interests lie. Hopefully, by the end of this, I will still want to continue on becoming a researcher. However, I don’t really know what I should expect. It might be more accurate to say, I don’t want to expect too much. Unrealistic expectations can be dangerous.
The lab I work in uses fruit flies in their experiments. My previous research experience is limited to one small research project done with my friends in high school based around plants. I’ve never done anything with living organisms. I usually swat at flies – not exactly the best thing to do in this lab. So, I’m also hoping to learn a bit about fruit flies; maybe even develop a likeness to them. Maybe I’ll even learn to understand them! (that might be a stretch).
Like mentioned before, I don’t have much experience in research; all of this is new to me, so I’ll look forward to everything that comes my way. Also, very cliché. I was told that despite what happens, I’ll learn from everything, even the mistakes. Actually, especially the mistakes. The one definite thing that I expect is to make mistakes. All in all, hoping for the best and looking forward to some tasteful mistakes.
Attempting to sort through a group of fruit flies