Day 2

Day 2- Quantifying Quantification

Today’s work was rather time intensive. Despite working through lunch, and every other available hour, not a lot of things were actually finished, which I suppose showed me that lab work is something that requires patience. From the time that I arrived to the time that I left, Porsha and I worked on creating a protein quantification assay- a thorough process that ends up isolating the protein- AMPK in this case- in order to determine the concentration of each sample.

Dr. Rob also taught me how to pipette first thing in the morning, so I was much more involved today than I was yesterday, helping Porsha in measuring and diluting the 36 wells that we prepared.

After preparing the wells with a reworking agent (the blue-green liquid above), the tray was incubated at 37 degrees celcius in order to isolate the protein, the concentration of which is shown by the shade of violet (look at the last two rows of wells). Unfortunately, I forgot to put the reworking agent in two of the rows before the first incubation, so our process was somewhat extended because of that, but as Porsha told me “It’s lab- everyone makes mistakes, even after their first time around”.

What a day! Today I started off my morning getting to know the inter workings of the shop. I was given a run down on the process of custom orders and how all of the inventory works. I got to see how everything is kept organized and prepared before it goes on the shelf. Today I had an awesome time talking with “Z” who runs the whole back area of the shop. He showed me how order forms worked, what he does when they get new clothes, and many more logistics of the business. After that we talked for a really long time about the retail world and what is good/bad for business and even ways that their own business could improve. I learned about what they call “dum-dum proof” items. Apparently a store should be 80% dum dum proof clothes, or clothes that anyone would wear. So in the case of Liles, black/navy suits, white/light blue shirts, and neutral colored pants. Sure these items can have variety, but if 80% of the clientele are looking for a versatile piece, then that’s how many of your pieces should be versatile. The other 20% can be anything that is more adventurous or stand-out in nature. Z says that in the case of custom suits, typically the people who wan’t a suit that is more of a statement will buy it custom, and not off the rack. Therefore if they have too many “different” items on the racks, there will be lots left over after the season which translates to lost money. Anyways that was today, tomorrow I was told we will be messing around with custom fabrics and showing me everything that goes on when making a custom suit. Also here’s a table of ties for viewing pleasure:

Day 2- IT

Today I shadowed the IT department at SAS. The format of my experience today was much different than yesterday’s. Today I switched mentors every hour so i was able to get a very well rounded view of the IT department. One of the most memorable parts of my day was when i first arrived this morning. Ms. Elena was my one person welcome committee and we spent our time walking around the lake beside the Umstead Hotel. I really appreciated this break from the office time that I had become accustomed to. Ms. Elena told me about what she does as a project manager in the IT department along with describing her personal experience at SAS. Walking around the lake felt much more natural than if I was sitting across a desk from my mentor. It was a great way to start off the day. Another great experience from today was lunch. Not only were the food and facilities beautiful, but also I was able to have another beneficial conversation with Mr. Michael. In the morning I shadowed the business side of the IT department and in the afternoon I shadowed the hardware side. Mr. Michael, who worked on the hardware side, took time to explain to me the differences of the many facets of the IT department and cleared up my confusions from that morning. One of the biggest lesson I learned from my experience in the IT department today is that it really is okay that i currently am not sure what I want to major in. In a project manager meeting that I attended with my second mentor, Janine, all of those attending the meeting had started their college careers in a major that didn’t apply to what they are doing now. Shadowing the IT department was a great experience. I was able to see the behind the scenes hardware that is necessary to running SAS’s complex technological infastructure. I was also able to experience the business side with Janine and Elena. The IT department did a great job introducing me to the many different sides their work.

Umstead Hotel lake

Hotel-esque cafeteria

Checking out the server

Dr. Goodnight’s conference room

Day 2

Okay so yesterday I said I was getting tired of doing banners, and today I did so many more. I didn’t even take pictures of them this time. It’s really fun doing them for an hour or so because it makes me feel artsy, but there are so many restrictions and the banners themselves are extemely repetitive. Luckily after lunch the person I’m working with gave me an actual project she’s having trouble with to work on. The job was a tshirt design for the dragon boat festival. I’ve never been much of a tshirt designer, but it was cool getting to try something new with graphics. There are some restrictions about logo placement and wording, and the tshirt isn’t put together yet, but here’s a boat I drew:

It’s not good right now but I’m hoping to scan it onto the computer and then add more detail, coloring, and overall make it a quality graphic I can put on a tshirt. Again this project isn’t really my thing, but I’m learning a lot so it’s great!

Day 2

As I arrived at FHI 360 for our second day of work, I was considerably more tired than I had been Tuesday morning – but as we had the chance to delve into our projects, I quickly found myself engaged and awake during another exciting day.

After our morning meeting, and during some of our free time, the four of us worked on our first project. Our goal was this: how can surveys on contraception be both accessible and fun for a younger generation? We were encouraged to implement social media platforms into our pitch, and we came up with a “Tinder-style” survey on contraceptives that matches the user with their best fit, but also collects data for the CTI researchers. A decision-tree format that allows the user to rank how they feel about certain side effects and tailor their contraception to them, and it can also provide information to the CTI team about which side effects and contraceptive methods are most important to women worldwide. I think we’ve made a great start on our pitch, and it was very cool to work on a very unique project that I hadn’t been expecting at a nonprofit like FHI 360.

Before lunch, Maddie and I met with Stevie Daniels to look at their photo database for the upcoming CTI social media exchange. Because of a very minimal budget for photography, all photos used by FHI 360 are either taken from creative-commons databases like Flickr, pulled from specialized photo libraries that only allow one-time use, or are taken by FHI 360 employees at their sites. It was cool to see all the beautiful photos taken by staff around the world, but the process of collecting those photos into one location and getting permission to use some was quite complicated.

The four of us went to lunch on the American Tobacco campus today as well. The FHI 360 offices are in a very convenient location: not only is it a 2 minute walk from cafes and Durham restaurants, it also overlooks the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. In the afternoon, we spent more time in meetings talking over new projects we will work on this week. One requires us to go through a few very long spreadsheets of contacts and categorize them based on their professional fields – we’ll be doing quite a bit of professional stalking through linkedin and their company websites. Our last big project will be a video that summarizes the work CTI has done.

Today was a great day at FHI 360, and I’m excited for tomorrow!

-Hope

DAY 2: Acronyms Are Cool!! + first day at the lab!

I stepped onto UNC’s campus early this morning, ready for the work experience I had been waiting for, ready to finally begin my time at the Sheikh lab. Contrary to my initial belief, I was actually far from ready to jump into the complex realm of gastrointestinal immunology and genetic research that the lab specializes in. You see, I had spent some time on Day 1 struggling through a scientific review paper that I had been instructed to read, as a means of familiarizing myself with the current research available on the topic of inflammatory bowel disease. However, “struggling through” was not an understatement; the task of reading a scientific paper requires far more than a pen and a comfy place to sit. With my colorful highlighters in one hand, post-it flags in the other, and Dictionary.com at my side, I began to slowly work my way through the extremely technical language and concepts that the paper discussed. As I embarked on my treacherous literary journey, all I could think of was how tiny the font was and how unhelpful the complicated scientific diagrams were. But as I persevered, scary phrases like “nucleotide-binding oligomerization domaincontaining 2” were shortened to simply “NOD2”, and I recognized that with a little patience and courage, I began to actually understand what I was reading, and it turned out to be really interesting!

The paper discussed the pathogenesis, or development in regards to disease, of inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Inflammatory bowel disease is particularly elusive in the medical world because the exact cause is still unknown. We know that there are significant genetic linkages, but environmental, microbial and immunological factors still play an important role in patient susceptibility. Upwards of 160 susceptibility genes have already been identified and scientists are working on piecing together the connections between those genes and the responses they cause and the responses in IBD patients.

Throughout the morning I continued my preliminary research by supplementing the initial paper I read with another one that went deeper into researching the cause of IBD in patients. When Shruti, the lab technician and my mentor for the internship, arrived, we had a short conversation about the lab’s current ongoing projects which led to a discussion on PCR techniques. Later this afternoon, Shruti took me down to the Lineberger building, which is equipped with a special machine able to conduct and monitor digital PCR. She walked me through how the machines were used to further explore gene expression of a certain genetic target through testing the fluorescence of individual droplets. If a single droplet contained the target particle, it would glow and the machine would measure it and store it next to the data for the thousands of other droplets tested. The process was complicated and tedious, but being able to visualize the ratio of positive droplets (with the target particle) to negative ones using the computer program assisted with my understanding.

This is the droplet reader that carries out digital PCR. A needle on the inside of the green hood sucks up individual droplets that are made with a mixture of oils and primer. Some of the droplets contain the rare target particle, and some only contain the more common DNA particle. The droplets with the rare target particle exhibit a special glow, which the machine measures and uses to create groups of positives and negatives. Complicated statistics and programs can be used to backtrack from the data collected; essentially, you can figure out what the starting distribution of the target particle must have been in order to have gotten to the current distribution. The numbers you get tell you how many copies of the target particle were present in any random sample.

This is the automated droplet generator, which creates the tiny droplets used in digital PCR. Some of the droplets encase regular DNA particles, while some hold the special target particle. Sometimes, multiple target particles could be found in one single droplet, but that’s okay because the amount of glow measured by the other machine accounts for that possibility.

We passed by this cool collection of a BUNCH of different kinds of buffers, which I learned about in AP Chem this year with Mr. Rushin. Buffers regulate the pH of a certain solution so that reaction can take place in the right environment. It was cool to see a connection to something that I had learned at school at the lab!

Day 2

On Day 2 of my work experience at Linton Architects, I was able to go to two different locations and help Mr. Linton and other architects at the firm with local projects. In the morning, we drove all the way to Chapel Hill and visited the construction site for an upcoming house Mr. Linton is working on. We spent an hour going over the construction plan and layout changes for the large house. After lunch, everyone in the firm visited a new project site, a daycare center in Durham. Before designing and renovating is done to a building, a survey is taken place. A survey is basically when you take/find all the information on that specific building. We had to get the measurements of every corner of the building and take pictures of every single detail inside and out. I was able to help draw the rooms of the building and write down the the building measurements. It was very strenuous especially with little kids around. After, we went back to the office and I was able to sit in a meeting with a current client. From this meeting, I learned about the rules and regulations that go into reconstructing a home on historic land.

Day 2- Sales

Today, Thuc and I learned all about sales. We learned how SAS goes through their process with selling to different companies, and strategies that go along with it. My favorite part about the day was the tour of the campus, for Thuc and I got to hold a meteorite, one part of the many that Dr. Goodnight has. Our host Kristen was only 23 and was already doing very well in SAS, so we got a young perspective on SAS, and how great the company is for their employees. Today was very informing and there was not one boring part! Cannot wait for tomorrow!

Day 2: Cupcakes and Questions

Teacher: *picks up clump of hair from the floor* “do you have scissors in your pocket?”

Kid 1: “No!”

T: “Are you cutting your hair at home?”

1: “I’m not cutting it!”

T: “Then why does it keep falling out?”

Kid 2: “Maybe it’s tired!”

This morning’s craziness began in Mrs. Bacchus’ classroom as Mrs. Cohen had another regular volunteer come in. Students hadn’t even arrived yet, and I already felt overwhelmed by the immensity of the tasks of the day. The tasks included the usual aiding of tasks, soothing their scared souls when they see a beetle (although, to be fair, I was and still am terrified of bugs too), and making copies of papers on the machine (which I fixed yesterday when it jammed), but I faced two new challenges today: birthdays and story-time.

Many teachers, particularly those who work with young students, will agree that birthdays, while fun, are stressful because when there’s a birthday, you’re sure to find kids hyped up on sugar-filled, brightly-colored, annoyingly massive cupcakes. One student was one bite into his chocolate cupcake when he suddenly remembered that he hates chocolate. Another knocked his cupcake to the floor and cried when it came back lacking in icing while the hot pink glob sat staining the tile floor. Another was prepared to wipe her sticky, blue fingers all down her white shirt had I not stepped in. Many of them got more cupcake on their faces and fingers than in their mouths. To every teacher that had to deal with me bringing in cupcakes, I am so sorry.

Story-time taught me one of the most valuable teaching lessons: don’t ask kids rhetorical questions. I learned this while reading Officer Buckle and Gloria to them. As it was the end of the day, many of the kids sat fidgeting and began making a scene. Silly me mistakenly asked them, “do you want me to keep reading or no?” While many of the kids responded with an enthusiastic “YES!”, one of the students bluntly said “no.” Mrs. Cohen was less impressed, but I sat there laughing my butt off before continuing the story.

Overall, today was just as exhausting and exciting as yesterday, and I am still thrilled to be returning tomorrow. They haven’t scared me off… yet.

Note about photos: since I am working with children, there is an issue regarding parental consent; therefore, the photos I am able to publish will most likely not include any of the students to avoid any liability issues. This also means some of my posts may not include photos if it’s not possible to get any without the kids.

SAS Work Experience Day 2 – Web Development

To start off Day 2, I went to building U where I was greeted by Gray Heffner. Gray Heffner is the manager of the web design for SAS, and she told me all about the different branches of the marketing department and how the different divisions all come together. For example, she told me about how when creating a page you have to take into account the coding behind it, the template, the design, the writing/copy, and user interaction. She really opened my eyes to how many different job possibilities there are in the marketing industry, and I was also able to see all of these different jobs interacting in a meeting that morning. During the meeting Gray Heffner set up, the whole design team met in a conference room, and told me about their individual jobs and backgrounds. It was really interesting to hear how people’s career paths changed along the way, and how many different experiences each person had. The staff also kindly answered all of my questions, and gave me lots of beneficial advice for both my academic and career future!