I'm Kinda Like a Big Deal
Over these past few weeks at the Sherwood Lab, I have gone from lost and confused assistant to a more inquisitive member of the research team. I am working on my own research project and gathering my own data. I have been doing research outside of lab and now am much more familiar with the work being done in my lab. When I walk into lab in the mornings, I don’t sit around waiting to be told what to do. I now take initiative by learning more about my specific project, reading up on research done by the other members of my lab, and trying to obtain results for my own research assignment.
Running a PCR, doing electrolysis, flipping flies, squishing flies, and virgining, were all foreign terms to me four weeks ago. Now I hear these words and begin working without my co-workers’ assistance. I can easily remember how to make squishing buffer and know how to find the PCR machine and analyze the results. In the last month, I have gained a great deal of confidence within the lab and learned that it is good to ask questions. My lab has taught me that research is not always getting the right answer but it is questioning the old methodology and trying a hundred new ways to reach the correct answer. So, though I may not yet be “A Big Deal” in the science world, I am making my own contribution in my own lab, and it feels good.
