Week 2: Getting organized

There has been an overarching theme of getting organized during these last few days. This week I spent a lot more time trying to update my lab book to a point that someone else could pick up my book and know what I had done that day without having to ask me about it. I am also having to learn how to organize my time better. There are a number of things I know how to do now in the lab, and it has been left largely up to me to keep on task. Research involves a lot of waiting on results, but it is important to fill that “extra” time by catching up on scientific literature and doing tasks around the lab.

 

This week I made a few different kinds of media, during which I learned a couple of interesting new techniques. I have never worked with anaerobic bacteria before (and technically still haven't, as these were microaerobes) and it is a bit tricky to keep everything sterile and oxygen-free. I also learned to inoculate these cultures, and checked up on the growth of microbes on various plates or in tubes. We are working with quite a few different species, hence why it is so important to keep organized.

 

Finally, I really appreciated the speaker and her topic at this week's brown-bag lecture, and that was Dr. Tawyna Peterson talking about issues facing "men, women and families in academic positions." This is a subject I have thought a lot about, but I can't say that I recall this being specifically addressed during my undergraduate career. It was nice to hear these issues talked about honestly, and in a discussion-based setting. I like that these talks are built into this internship, as it is helpful to get a larger context for the work I am doing.