Thrown into 2nd Year

It’s been forever since I last wrote. And I would like to blame that on the craziness of being a 2^nd year in graduate school! I don’t even know where the summer went and the next thing I know I am being thrown into the deep-end of 2^nd year.

I think of all the years 2^nd year will be the hardest. Lucky for me, my qualifying exam is not until next semester. So, you would think I can take this semester to think about my quals and getting off with my research project. Unfortunately, it seems like the exact opposite! I did however get to make and present my first poster ever last Friday!

Somehow, I have found myself really involved on campus, off campus, and in lab! Although I would not have it any other way. My best advice for this time of the year… Get organized, get working, don’t forget to relax when possible!

~Cell-ebraTez

Comments

Operation Mouse

Part of working at such a great research institution is working with mice. While my first experience as I had mentioned earlier in the blog was sacrificing these animals, my experience now is much more exciting and productive towards the scientific community. I have learned to inject mice and collect mouse tissue for further studies. Around Thanksgiving, someone asked me, "don't you feel bad 'torturing' the animals?" While at first I did not know how respond, but then I think about it and I realize that I had to go through so much training and clearances just to be able to set a foot in the animal facilities. Ever step of the way, humane acts are enforced while dealing with animals. Animal models are essential especially for research that is being translated into therapies for various diseases or for research that is used to better understand various diseases. The best thing I can say is, if not animals then would you prefer s...

Acknowledging Our Humanity

Last month, I went to an event on UTSW’s campus called Acknowledging our Humanity. The event was a compilation of stories submitted by faculty, graduate, health professions and medical students about their personal experiences with mental health challenges. I never realized how so many people struggle with mental health illness, yet it is still such a “dirty” topic to be discussed. Did you know: 1:6 US adults lives with a mental illness (44.7 million in 2016) An estimated 16.2 million adults in the US have had at least one major depressive episode Major depressive episodes are more prevalent in females (8.5%) than in males (4.8%) Young adults, aged 18-25 are most susceptible to major depressive episodes (10.9%) An average of 31.1% of US adults experience anxiety disorder at some point in their lives Anxiety disorders are higher for females (23.4%) than for males (14.3%) In 2015, suicide was amongst the top 10 leading causes of death, claiming more tha...

Symmetry Biosciences

I went back to Symmetry to say my last goodbyes today since I didn't get a chance to last Tuesday. It was bitter sweet! I am excited for my next journey but will definitely miss the people I have worked with and come to call my friends. Where should I begin about my experience at Symmetry Biosciences. It has been amazing! Day 1 was scary! The thought of doing a column purification, doing my own reactions or anything chemistry related made me nervous. The only word that seemed familiar to me was TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography). Of which I didn't even know the correct technique but just remembered a technique called TLC from Organic Lab in 2010. I had so much to learn and such little time to perfect it all. Everyone at Symmetry Biosciences has been so helpful and so patient. There have been plenty of times when the scientists were probably tired of my silly questions or couldn't believe I asked a certain question! The first couple of days were the hardest. After that, I ...

CELLebraTEZ

Search This Blog