Hi! I’m Maia, and I’m working in the Baugh Lab this summer! The lab studies the roundworm C. elegans, examining its resistance to starvation and its long-term effects.
I’ve always been interested in biology. At least since middle school, I’d known that my future will in some way involve biology, likely research, but I didn’t have a clear picture of what my day-to-day would look like. Would I work in a lab? Study computational biology? Focus on science communication? Practice medicine? I thought that BSURF would be the perfect opportunity to broaden my understanding of research and get me excited about a career in science.
After only a week of BSURF, I know that I will enjoy my time at the Baugh Lab. Lab members have been extremely welcoming and open to answering questions. Furthermore, I’ve found the details of lab work to be just as valuable as my understanding of my project as a whole. While I do spend a fair amount of time reading papers and planning my experiments, most of my time in the lab has so far been spent on relatively mundane tasks: growing bacteria, seeding bacteria onto plates, and especially “passaging” the worms—moving them from one plate to another while looking through a microscope. I wasn’t expecting my lab work to involve so many small, repetitive tasks, but at the same time, I have found that I enjoy doing this work.
I’m looking forward to how much I’m going to learn and the skills I will develop this summer, from new lab techniques to experiment design, and improved confidence as a scientist. I’m excited about what this summer will bring!
