making a list...checking it twice...
Posted by Nancy Wang on 2009-07-17
3 Comments
this week we're supposed to blog about the 'joys and woes' of research. Since i'm the type of person who always saves the best for last, let's start out with the "woes".
things that can go wrong in a mouse lab:
- the fire alarm goes off...and the mice have to sit through the entire thing making them unsuitable for experiments for a couple hours to an entire day (this has happened 3 times already)
- running out of control substances that are necessary to create the pharmacological model of schizophrenia
- the light going out in the open field room making the conditions unsuitable for open field testing
- doors not fitting for the CAR test and the company refusing to give us a new doors so we can start the test when planned
- getting bit by a mouse, but i guess i'll always remember my stay in the mouse lab
- mouse pee/poop
- the autoclave steam coming out, setting off the fire alarms, and releasing a smell of fried poop. the smell was the worst part.
- mice who are unidentifiable via their ear marks or the much more diffcult toe marks.
- dead mice =( although...it's a natural process i guess
- reading tons of papers and getting increasingly more confused with each one
things that can go amazing in a mouse lab:
- the feeling of being involved in something big...like the NIH grant
- meeting important people in the field like marc caron and then seeing them referenced in the papers you read
- munching on m&ms from the vending machine and observing /experiencing the dynamic of a core facility
- learning about and watching the many different things other people in the lab do such as microdialysis and SPLC
- "handling" fat, friendly mice
- reading papers and understanding them
- getting LEGIT data that show the antipsychotics are restoring PPI
- talking to mice... in a non-schizophrenic way of course =)
- running PPI all by ourselves...and getting LEGIT data
- talking to Dr. Wetsel and hearing about how essential behavioral science is to the medical field
although the OCD in me chose to make the two lists even, i must say the magnitude of the JOYS far outshines any of the woes.
toodles. HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!
