This week in Santa Barbara was very busy but extremely fun! I ran my first computer simulation studying the interaction between the osmolyte urea, the amino acid alanine, and water. We chose to use alanine because it is a very simple amino acid with only a methyl group (-CH3) as it’s side chain. Alanine also has no charge so we know that charge is not a variable in this experiment. The simulation was run using a computer program called GROMACS. At first these computer programs were confusing to me, but I think I’m finally starting to get into the swing of things. After the simulation was completed, I analyzed it by looking at the radial distribution function (RDF) graph, which basically shows if the osmolyte is making the protein more or less stable.
Outside of work, I got to meet up with Mikaela (another Pinhead intern) this week for sushi, shopping, and a walk along the pier. We ate at Arigato’s, this delicious sushi restaurant with mouthwatering chocolate torte, and got smoothies from Blenders in the Grass, which I actually went to 3 times this week because it is just that amazing! I also got to hike to Inspiration point with some other interns and watch the sunset. That was beautiful. On Saturday some other interns and I went to the French festival, ate some good pasta, and went kayaking. We saw about 10 sea lions within arms reach. It was my first time and it was a fantastic experience! We went to this awesome ice cream shop called McConnell’s which I will definitely be going back to in the future. There are so many fantastic restaurants here that I will probably gain the senior 75 (just kidding!) On Sunday, my host family took me to Mass and then we went to a “pre-fiesta tea.” A huge festival called Fiesta is coming up in a couple weeks and so there was a lot of entertainment.
So far my internship experience has been a blast! I am having so much fun! I love my mentor and I am learning tons of new things. Santa Barbara is the ideal spot for research because there are so many fun things to do in the area. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks bring!
Danielle Nguyen
UCSB
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