If I have learned anything in the last six weeks, I have learned how short six weeks is (and eight weeks for that matter). I feel like I have learned so much, but also like I don’t have much to show for it. It’s not that I was expecting groundbreaking research to have already been accomplished, but it is unsettling how preliminary my preliminary results are.
So far, I have designed a straight alpha helix that interacts with identical helices. Together, they would sit comfortably in a membrane–however, in the process of redesigning the side chains, I no longer think the sequence would actually form a helix. I’m not that optimistic about my “results.”
Other than that, I am grateful for all the help I have received from everyone in the lab. I am especially grateful for the reassurance that having the most preliminary of preliminary results is not a failure but just a part of the long process of research. I have really enjoyed the time I have spent in the lab and having a chance to meet so many fantastic people. As things come to an end, I am feeling the time crunch to finish my poster and a write-up for my PI, but I just have to remember how lucky I am to have this opportunity in the first place.
