07/08/24 – Blessings in Disguise
Coming back from a beach vacation, I saw last Friday’s disastrous news from a different lens. Due to a “strategic pivot” for compatibility with the Jess Simple Western System, I’ll be starting from scratch. David informed me that I’ll be using the bioinformatics breakdown of mass spectrometry data to discover new potential pathways for pain sensitization in nociceptors. These targets will be validated using WB and ICC and screened for non-opiate analgesics to address pain with a lower likelihood of patients developing pharmacoresistance.
Although more involved than initially planned, the abundance of targets makes this task incredibly exciting—there’s so much to learn and experience!
I looked through the excel sheet and found hundreds of targets. This challenge is more intricate than what I was initially assigned, but it offers an incredible learning opportunity. I am excited to dive into the literature and develop a strong foundation in identifying and validating these new targets.
07/09/24 – Purpose Creation
Blasting some good Black Gospel music on my drive to work, I dedicated my day to the Lord, feeling a renewed sense of identity and purpose. I reflected on my upcoming meeting with Annica Wayman and how it could shape my understanding of translational science.
I feel like Alibaba from Magi.
Navigating to her office after a slight tour of the glamarous NCI building, Annica provided profound insights into how research and policy intersect, emphasizing the importance of bridging gaps between scientific discovery and practical implementation. Her unique perspective from her USAID AAAS fellowship helped me realize the value of integrating policy knowledge with scientific research. She also guided me on how to start a translational science initiative and the potential of using stem cells through the NC TraCS K12 mechanism for NIH funding, pointing to my cousins Titi, whom she taught in her masters, as the perfect master to help me pursue my Godly mission. By the end of our meeting, my GoodNotes page was filled to the brim with new ideas and clarity for my research ambitions.
Later, I joined Erin in shadowing Seungmi in the 3D tissue bioprinting lab, which turned out to be a thrilling experience. The lab was a treasure trove of innovative project ideas and hands-on work, featuring a unique MEA rig that took population EEG recordings while providing 3D scans, three tissue printers (with two more on the way), and various convenience-based tools. The researchers seemed more focused on practical applications, and the environment felt more like an engineering workshop than a traditional lab. This visit, coupled with the sweet iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks, enriched my day and filled me with fresh inspiration for my future research endeavors.
07/10/24 – Personal Disappointment
Three meetings today and each one was canceled – I might need to work on this communicating with intent. Finally found out why the Washington bus didn’t come: because of the NATO summit, all buses are going to the Pentagon instead this week. In a rush to find a replacement route last minute, I got to work a little later than usual but was still the first by a decent margin. As usual, I started my day doing media changes in the lab and being perplexed by all the different conditions that I had not been exposed to before and the plates. This led me to cancel my meeting with Dr. J, which ended up being a lot more detrimental than I expected after the other two flops.
I then joined Erin and Seungmi for day two of immunostaining and later went to the lab downstairs with them to see the images. While Seungmi showed Erin and I how to use the machine, I felt as though half of all the interns passed us – the first-floor bio lab is a far larger environment and gave me a bit more appreciation for the SCTL’s more intimate workspace. Waiting for the plates to process in the machine for Erin to later take pictures (ON HER OWN), I went for lunch at Moby Dick because the earlier lunch meeting was canceled.
07/11/24 – Too Much Too Soon
I’ve regained what I lost yesterday twicefold; can I help it?
Another day, another eye-opening conversation with Kody. Today’s topics surrounded poor western blot techniques, being innovative with your research methods to answer a unique question or conserve funding, and the difficulty of grant applications (he applied for one F25 to no avail). It’s funny that he may be the one who ends up impacting my future research the most, though I had to cut our lengthy but titillating conversation to join my coding class for our hardest assignment yet.
During my lunch with Roni, he explained to me that what I was doing was bioinformatics – the same work he was doing on racial diversity in cancer outcomes at NCI. Though he prefers the wet lab research he did at UNC, we agreed that learning these skills would make it far easier and more affordable to do independent research. For our meal, we hit up an Indian buffet at the Traville Plaza right by the UMBC Shady Grove campus, where my experiences with Rushil (grad party, freshman roommate, UNC Indian events) led me to feel comfortable. All their food was nice, particularly the paneer, goat curry, and carrot halwa, and we got a student discount which made it easy to tip big.
7/12/24 – Mindless Robotic Dreams
I finally tackled the mining, having been given some updated instructions from David on using the databases, which I had the entire week to do – procrastination max, game on! My day began with a half media change of all the cells, stressful as another plate fully lifted off, making it two in total. The first was not my fault, but the second combined with the 24-well MEA plate I forgot to change made my heart sink. But nonetheless, I did what I had to do without getting angry and kept my mind fully present.
Later, after some mining, all of us (Erin, Seungmi, Vukasin, Kody) went to a pho spot Seungmi recommended because of the cloudiness. Getting her favorite item on the menu, the P7 with round eye flank and tripe, filled me with some trepidation but the warm savory gold of the soup dissolved both my worries and my sinuses. We had comfortable conversations about our siblings and research interests, and I noticed myself talking more than the rest but not uncomfortably so. We came back, and I got back to mining through databases.