CHRISTOPHER BLUM

ABOUT THE RESEARCHER:

1.     Who are you doing research with this summer and what kind of research project are you doing?

This summer I am working with Dr. Baird and graduate student Mary Mwangi. We are working on adding molecules to RNA strands that will allow us to better understand how strands of RNA fold on themselves. This will allow a more complete understanding of  how different RNAs function in the future.

2. What do you find fascinating in the research you’re doing?

I find the small complexities of the RNA we work on specifically interesting to me. Due to the small size of the polymers, I have had to learn new ways to observe how my experiments are going. In some labs you can tell an experiment has gone wrong if the white powder you are trying to make is instead a yellow liquid. Instead, I can see that my experiment has either worked or failed by the number and shape of bands on a gel experiment or from the absorption spectra of a tube of clear liquid.

3. What skills are you learning through the USURF experience?

Through this summer I have been able to further improve my lab technique. These skills range from technical skills of performing experiments correctly, to the more strategic skills required in a lab. The strategic skills I have been learning are mostly planning skills, how to arrange my day in a way that I can work on an experiment while I am waiting for another reaction to finish while at the same time not causing more than one experiment to require my attention at the same time.

4. What are the challenges you’re encountering in your research?

Due to the small size of RNA it is difficult to always know what the root cause of a problem is the first time you see the problem. For example, at the beginning of the summer the lab was having trouble making and purifying a specific RNA, it took a few weeks of troubleshooting to find the exact step that was causing the loss of produced RNA.

5. How is your USURF experience impacting the way you view your field?

USURF is allowing me to obtain a more complete view of what it is like being a scientist. While the research opportunities during the school year are very interesting and engaging, having 6-8 hours every day to work on science gives a much different experience compared to 3-6 hours a week. Due to the longer times I am able to work I feel that my understanding of the theory behind the experiments I am working on has increased dramatically as I am not rushing to just finish an experiment before my next class.

6. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Ever since I took French classes in high school my phone has gotten confused when I would type out French homework and now likes to put accented letters randomly in senténces I type.