Today was my second day in the lab and already I am feeling a lot more at home- I am getting to know people that I will be observing and helping the next month, and am better understanding the dynamics of the group of people working here. One thing in particular that I noticed today was the minuteness and attention to detail that is required in conducting this type of research. Although I had previously done clinical research, which also requires attention to detail (ie. making sure that you are correctly recording information from the chart), the type of detail that is required for this work is different. For example, I noticed that today, while performing microinjections of antisense DNA on rats, my mentor Kate was careful to make sure that that the pump that released the injection material was working correctly in between each of the rats that were receiving this treatment. Paying attention to detail is important in science, and doing so is essential to preventing errors and confounds in data that can be attributed to carelessness. Kate is also very diligent in recording any data that is taking during experiments, and the degree to which she does so is one that should inspire younger people who hope to have a similar career doing research. This is certainly something to keep in mind.
Coming tomorrow: Why addicts can't quit their drug, and why "willpower" is not the only factor one should consider. (If you love Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, then you probably already know part of this!)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day One
Well Dr. Pittman, and anyone else out there who happens to be reading this blog, today was my first day at work in the neuroscience lab. Since I haven't asked permission to used anyone's names in this blog, I'm going to refrain from doing so at this point. After seeing a rainy, cold mess this morning, I walked over to the MUSC Basic Sciences building to meet up with a post-doc fellow who is doing research in the lab where I am working. She was really nice, and told me more about the work that is being done in the lab. I got a tour of the lab, and got a run down on what the plan was for the rest of the day. I saw rats that had already received cannulas via surgery, and watched as their catheters were cleaned out to prevent infection and clogging. I also saw where the rats were kept when not in use during a given experiment, and saw operant boxes, where the rats spend time self-administering. Because I am still waiting to hear about my TB test, I was not allowed to do a lot of work, but I was able to help throw away rat food, give new rat food, and similar tasks. Overall, today was a good starting point, and I'm sure that as I learn more about the lab I will have a better idea of what I am going to be doing on a daily basis. More tomorrow!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
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