Yarrr, I reckon that it is time for yet another blog post. By know, yee may be asking how my voyage on the Pluteus went, and I would say that it was an eventful Saturday morning that I will remember for years to come. We all had layered up thick and sat around for a hearty breakfast before we set sail into the Northeast Pacific by the wee hours of 8 AM. The ocean waves were relentless and kept pushing hard against our vessel and left more than half our crew with seasickness. I was one of the fortunate ones that managed keep their sea legs on throughout the entire trek. Nevertheless, once we had gone out deep enough, we would try to release our trawl to catch critters dwelling at the bottom of the ocean. Unfortunately, we kept ending up empty-handed until our boom had broken down along with our will to stay out in the ocean any longer. On the way back, the few of us left standing were able to awe at the passing coastal scenery. Although it may not had been the most fruitful venture, it provided me with a tangible reminder that voyages, including scientific ones, don’t always go according to plan—even with the most thorough planning. You always hope for the best, but plan for the worst. The following week, my lab mate and I were able to carry out much of our standard operating procedures that were taught to us from the earlier week. We would extract DNA from the samples collected in Panama by Dr. Maslakova and her colleagues; soon afterwards we would run these samples through PCR in order to amplify the gene of interest; troubleshoot the samples that had a weak/absent amplification; then have the sample ready for sequencing if there were no longer problems; and then begin to learn how to analyze sequences we received them back. At first it was very intimidating having so much independence and having to deal with such sensitive samples (i.e., there was only a limited supply and could easily be contaminated). However, it was comforting knowing that I was given enough credibility to carry out these procedures without direct supervision and be able to mature at my own pace. Admittedly I did fumble around at first and I made a lot of clumsy mistake, but I was able to realize the mistakes that I did make at each step and always did my best to correct rising issues. As I kept repeating the same procedure ad infinitum, I began to relax more and more and fall into a smoother routine. Before I knew it, a procedure that took me an entire day, only took me a morning. Words can not even begin to describe how gratifying it has been to see myself having grown so much in my time here. At first, I felt overwhelmed by all the procedures, but I have learned to appreciate each and every step. I wholeheartedly appreciate patience of my stand-in mentor Christina, and my lab mate Megan for making this a safe and welcoming environment for me to thrive in. There have also been so much cool things look at around here! Check out this sea urchin!
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AuthorI’m a first-generation college student. I like enjoying the outdoors and finding new hiking trails. Archives
August 2019
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