This week has been such a great way to continue my internship; I’m learning so much and enjoying each and every day! Just a reminder, I am interning at the Ting Wu Genetics Lab at Harvard Medical under the mentorship of two post-docs, Laura and Fei (though everyone always pitches in, and I’m learning so much from everyone at the lab). We started the week off by presenting and having a conversation about some of our bioimage analysis from the previous week, and looking at some plots that could be helpful in making conclusions about our data. As this data and imaging is very new and very interesting, it was helpful to talk about it in context and understand what we can learn from it. Toward the beginning of the week as well, we prepared a BSA buffer solution for an immunofluorescence experiment. This is a common type of buffer, so getting familiar with the process, as well as learning what BSA is and its importance, was not only a fun experience for a science nerd like me, but also very helpful for the internship and all of my future lab endeavors. I wish I had a picture, but you’ll find that when it comes to lab work, I’m not so great at remembering to take a picture, sorry! That day, we also had a little celebration to commemorate a special occasion for one of our lab mates, and we had some of the best donuts ever!
As the week went on, we continued with bioimage analysis, beginning to get a handle on it and working with greater amounts of data, and putting them into context using graphs and data. On Wednesday, however, we did a mycoplasma detection test. Mycoplasma is a bacterium that can grow in environments where cells used for research live and can quickly contaminate the cells, and therefore any following experiments or research, which is simply a whole mess. To avoid this, each new cell type/strain can be tested, and with a negative result, all is well! To do this, we followed a protocol to test two new cell types, and we used a bio-safety cabinet to ensure sterility and to avoid contamination. After mixing our samples with a universal primer/PCR mix and preparing both a positive and negative control, we put all of these into a gel and allowed them to migrate down the gel before getting an image. (They were negative!) The next day was a holiday, so we weren’t in the lab. Because of this, I took a trip over to the main Harvard campus, as the Harvard Medical campus where I am is in a different area. I walked around Harvard Square, walked around the campus, talked to a few students, and tried out a super yummy pizza place. I also checked out The Coop, which is a very cool book/clothing store. I was unable to visit any museums or libraries, as many of them were closed because of the holiday, but I had a lot of fun speaking to the students and exploring the campus nonetheless!
On Friday, we took a look at the greater amount of data we’ve compiled and some of the graphs thereof. Comparing our hypotheses and reality. Along with this, we began an introduction to some coding programs that can help with scientific quantification and display of data. Though a bit daunting as I know very little about coding at the moment, this has been a great introduction so far, and I know it will be very helpful for the future. I’d also like to touch a bit on where I’m staying and what it’s like. I am staying in a very nice little apartment-style connection to a house. It is Airbnb’d for the use of others, and the family that lives in the other part of the home (A professor at BU, his lovely wife, and their two sons) is so amazing! They went as far as to print out a sheet of suggestions for where to get groceries and food, and have been so nice and helpful while also giving us space. I am living here with another Pintern interning at the same lab, our area is two floors, so we each have our own rooms and bedrooms on our floors, and we share a kitchen (which is so great we have because we both cook a lot)! There are also bookshelves everywhere, and any others who love to read will know how much I love that! It is a bit different living alone after living with my family my whole life, but it is nice to be independent, deciding my own schedule, making all of my own food, and just generally taking care of myself. It truly has been great, but I do miss my family and friends naturally. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my internship!
The living room
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