Blog #1: 6_18_12.
Today was my first day in Genentech Hall at the
Mission Bay campus. The campus is actually tiny but, it’s growing with two
medical centers under construction. The weather here is just right. Mission Bay
doesn’t get the fog that the rest of San Francisco gets in the morning. I’m
told that the average temperature is about 60 o and that the
overcast is just right; keeping the day bright. The building itself looks very
modern and professional on the outside and first floor. I was pleasantly
surprised to find a different environment in higher level floors. I saw
everything from ping pong tables to an arcade machine. I was scheduled to meet
with my PI, Dr. Morgan, and graduate student mentors, Juliet and Vanessa. The
whole day was spent giving me a break down of the lab’s research and what my
specific project would be. It was rushed because my PI is leaving the country
tomorrow but, he explained everything very well. Everyone in the lab and
neighboring labs was very welcoming and were very happy to talk to me about
their research. I am very excited to go back and start tomorrow.
Blog #2: 7_02_12.
Today was a very long day in the lab. A couple of
days ago I finished my radioactivity training and I received my ring monitor
which keeps track of how much radiation I am exposed to. Most of today
consisted of an enzyme assay where I needed to use the isoptope 32P
to visualize my protein on a gel. I am studying a protein called securin and
how it binds to an enzyme called the Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC). The goal
of this project is to understand how phosphorylation of securin regulates its
ubiquitination by the APC. This summer event is my first time working in a
biochemistry lab and it was very interesting to see how much care and
precaution goes into working with radioactivity. When it came time for me to do
the pipetting, I think I actually broke a sweat. It was definitely a learning
experience and I look forward to redoing the assay with more confidence next
time.
Blog #3: 7_23_12.
Today I came back from the Amgen symposium at UCLA.
I had no idea how much I missed my home campus until I arrived this Saturday. I
quickly realized what the difference was between UCLA and UCSF; the fact that
there are no undergraduates at UCSF. Personally, I enjoy the atmosphere at UCSF
where the environment is much more casual and the entire school is based on the
health sciences.
The entire two-day symposium was filled with
networking opportunities. We had round
table discussions where I was able to connect with PI’s from UCLA, including
Dr. Quinlan who works in the department of Biochemistry at UCLA and did her post-doctoral
work at UCSF. Dr. Quinlan worked next to and collaborated with the lab that I
am doing my summer research in. My roommate for the summer program is also a
MARC student and we both ended up meeting plenty of additional MARC students at
this event.
Blog #4: 8_02_12.
So all of my experiments are complete, I presented
an oral presentation to my lab and fellow SRTP students, as well as present my
very first poster. The stress was gone now and I knew that I couldn’t leave San
Francisco without catching a Giants game. HHMI bought tickets for some of the
labs with a $25 dollar food credit! The Giants were going up against the Mets
and it’s the first time I got to see either teams play live. During the summer
I met plenty of people just walking around Genentech Hall and I was able to
recognize a lot of those familiar faces at the game. Although the Giants didn’t
do so well this game, the game was free, the food was free, it was a beautiful
day, and I got the chance to hang out everyone outside of the lab environment
(although I overheard plenty of conversations centered around research throughout).
UCSF is such a casual academic environment and I didn’t see a difference
outside of the lab (this is a really good thing!). I’m going to miss everything
from the weekly beer hours (sometimes hot wings included!) to the custom made
coffee mugs featuring pictures of PI’s with their faces plastered over the
scanner of a copy machine.
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