Goals

Learning and mastering a variety of lab skills will be very beneficial, not only for my internship, but also for my long-term goals since many of the techniques I want to learn are transferrable skills in this field.

The tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal are:

1. Learn how to complete CRISPR independently from start to finish

2. Learn how to do immunoblots

3. Learn how to do reproductive assays

So far I have successfully completed the CRISPR/Cas9 process from start to finish for one worm mutant somewhat independently. Once I gain more confidence doing microinjections, I should be able to do it independently. I also have plans to learn immunoblots and reproductive assays by the end of the semester.

As the semester comes to a close, I was able to learn how to do an immunoblot, and have successfully completed one on my own. I've also done a control run for the fertility assay procedure, and plan to do a full experiment in the near future.

Learning and understanding the theory and mechanisms behind the procedures I'm doing in lab is very important for engaging with the project, problem solving through issues, interpreting results, and determining the next steps in a research project

The tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal are:

1. Discuss biological process at different steps in lab procedure

2. Attend research journal club when possible

3. Read research papers related to project.

So far, I have a much better understanding of the biology behind my experiments since I've had to re-design primers multiple times. I've also arranged my spring semester schedule to be able to attend more journal clubs and read more research papers in the future.

I have been able to do much more in depth research into the biology behind the project through my work to write a project proposal to continue my research through UROP funding. I've also learned a few new lab procedures and gone through whats going on from a scientific perspective as I've been learning it.

Since beginning my internship, I've gained more insight into the field of research and the opportunities it provides in my pursuit of becoming a doctor. Delving deeper into research as a potential part of my career will allow me to determine whether these opportunities are ones I want to pursue.

The tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal are:

1. Attend different research events with the lab when they arise

2. Work towards being able to do projects independently.

3. Do research into career possibilities.

So far, I have been semi-regularly attending Gene Regulation Meetings within my lab's department to gain more exposure to research in other labs. I've also been working towards doing projects more independently as a whole.

Approaching the end of the year, I've been able to do significantly more research independently. I've also continued to attend various research related meetings as my schedule has allowed. Over the summer and into the next school year I hope to have the opportunity to attend more research events with the new experience I have gained this year.