What does a day in lab look like for me? It’s hard to say because every day offers something new. But here is what my day generally looks like.
~ 10:30 – 1:00
I arrive at lab and get my computer ready to go. Sometimes, I go straight to reading papers and designing my experiment. Other times, my mentor gives me a morning lecture/chalk talk on a lab technique, new therapeutic development, or genetic disorder. Other times, I find myself caught in conversations with the other graduate students, discussing their research projects or their papers that I read and wanted to ask them about.
However, most of the time, I begin my morning with benchwork. More recently, I’ve been developing slides for Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence in preparation for my project or testing PCR and Gel Electrophoresis. I’ve also been preparing and developing the tools needed to establish our knock-out mouse model.
1:00 – 2:00
If its every other Friday, I’m meeting with my PI, my mentor, and our collaborator PI to discuss updates on the project. If it’s not every other Friday though, I usually eat lunch during this time and walk to the lake to get some fresh air.
~ 2:00 – 5:00
Normally, I finish developing the slides from the morning and go with my mentor to look at the cells underneath the microscope. We practice talking through what we expect to be seeing vs. what we are seeing. Other days, I go to the mouse facility and take care of my mice–change waters, wean, genotype, etc.
~5:00
I go home, reset, and look forward for what the next day has to offer!
Cool! Good idea to walk to the lake (we call it the lake of tears lol) to get some fresh air. Sometimes it can get sleepy in the lab with the hum of all the instruments so its good to get out and refresh 🙂