Day 31- DISCLAIMER: written the night before our final report was due. May contain dry sarcasm. (Biochemistry Purdue II)
Yesterday was our last field trip of the program. Indiana Dunes was a fever dream, the calm before the storm. But we made the most of it playing volleyball and swimming for hours. After a long, tiring Wednesday, getting up this morning was, to say the least, arduous.
Too late to head to the dining hall, I quickly completed my morning routine and grabbed a muffin for breakfast.
I listened to music on the way to CHAS with my roommate (ANNA B) whose energy I wish I could reciprocate this morning. Arriving at CHAS, my lab group began working on our paper (it’s due tomorrow!). But after getting our IC50 value checked over, it was determined we would need to redo the entire procedure for the I1 inhibitor (redoing procedures is a frequent occurrence here at SSP. But that’s how we learn!). My skirt would not work for wet lab, so I raced back to the dorms for long pants. When I returned my team re-ran the procedure and achieved a somewhat adequate dose-response curve!
For lunch, I went to Starbucks, which would be vital to get me through the four remaining lectures for the day. My friends and I also explored the farmers market that is on Purdue campus on Thursdays. There is international cuisine, baked goods, flowers, and jewelry available. I enjoyed viewing these objects before being quickly sucked back into the harsh reality of MOE.
We then moved on to lectures which were special today because it was our first time hearing from our TAs! Lauren discussed ketamine as a treatment option for OCD that could be tested in mice. Then we (mostly unsuccessfully) attempted to make mice (out of mini sheets of paper).
Our guest speaker following that was a biochemistry researcher from Indiana University. After his engaging lecture about RNA’s significance to the origin of life, we asked questions and enjoyed snacks at the reception.
We had our usual formal dinner at Ford today and, with Dr. Avard at my table, had engaging conversations about the impending doom our society faces as AI grows more powerful. We decided, for our own safety, that using “please” and “thank you” would be necessary when interacting with ChatGPT.
As we get closer to the end of the program, we’ve become busier, and so this evening was not free time. After dinner, we headed back to the dorms to change and then back to the great hall (the Harry Potter room) for two more lectures till 10 pm. In the drug mechanisms lecture, Dr. Avard informed us of yet another impending doom: a super bacteria resistant to all antibiotics that would emerge in the coming decades. The second lecture of the night would be about the publication process. We would be humbly surprised to find that researchers pay to publish their work rather than getting paid to do it. Our unrestrained– and often silly– questions, along with the distraction of a plane that incessantly flew above our area, pushed the lecture 20 minutes over. But it was okay since we were outside and the night air made it almost possible to forget I had a paper due in mere hours.
Somehow, in the midst of this day, I tried to find the time to finish the final report, due at 8 am tomorrow. I worked throughout the day (between lectures and lab and during or before meals) but I knew it would still be a long night trying to finish! Or so I thought! Luckily, my group members had the same idea in mind. By all working on it throughout the day, we were nearly finished. We completed our abstract in 20 minutes and well before curfew.
Although the day was cumbersome, it ended in triumph.
– Yohanna