Today at Integrated Lab Solutions, We began investigating the stability of samples at a low pH (acidic environment). A lot of time was spent trying to figure out how much formic acid solution needed to be added to a normal sample. We thought that we had calculated the right amount based on the diluted solution’s molarity and the pKa, but when we added it, the pH came out to be almost basic. We came to the conclusion that a component of the sample was reacting with the formic acid to create a buffer. To solve the issue, we continued to guess and check the amount of formic acid needed to reach a pH of 3. To check the pH of each sample, a small sample of each solution was placed into a machine called the Indiko Plus (pictured below) and a pH test was run. Finding the right concentration and amount of formic acid to be added was quite the accomplishment today, and tomorrow I look forward to seeing the results of the normal pH test that we started yesterday. 
Tag: Day 3
Day 3 – Neil Lancia and Roundtable Meeting with Igor!
Today I shadowed Neil Lancia, a product manager responsible for the Lenovo App Explorer (can you tell that app is kind of a big deal?). After introducing ourselves, answering some email, and responding to a few forum comments, we headed down to the development lab and the HTC Vive to test out a third-party virtual-reality assistant, which allows users to play their favorite legacy games in VR, even if a VR-specific version has not been made for them. For about 45 minutes, I got to play Bioshock 1 and offer my feedback on the experience so that Lenovo can better inprove their apps for the future. They wanted to get a fresh set of eyes on the game, so that they could see how an example consumer, particularly one who has a ton of gaming experience (me), liked it, and what criticism or praise I could offer it. It was a bit disorienting but they said my feedback was very useful and they appreciated the fact that I was able to offer consistent feedback, since apparently most people just get lost in the game as they play and don’t offer much feedback at all.
In the afternoon, we went to a 12-person “roundtable” meeting with Igor Bergman, and I got to listen to a Q&A session where some product managers and engineers were able to ask him questions. After one of the questions, Igor took the opportunity to casually roast engineers in general, as he pointed out that on one of their recent consumer-directed apps, some engineer had placed a CPU temperature gauge, something about which the average consumer should barely EVER care, on the very front page of the app, instead of something visually appealing to an average consumer. His point was that engineers should not be in charge of marketing and that product owners need to step up and take care of it, but it really resonated with me because I consider myself an engineer with a good understanding of the customer as well.
NOTE: I was able to visit the Industrial Design Lab at the end of the day, and saw a stack of Yoga devices that were made in colors that will never reach the market. It would have made for a very nice picture, so I asked if I could take one, and I was told very decisively “NO”, so I was unfortunately not able to get pictures of specific activities during the day. See above (or below, I’m not sure) for a cool angled picture of the main building I have been in for the last three days.
Day 3- Triangle Vet Hospital and Surgery!
Today, we headed over to Triangle Vet Hospital. The most interesting part of the day was a surgery Aesha and I got to sit in on. Standing out of the way, we watched as the vet technician prepped the dog with an anesthetic, shaving the fur off her abdomen and cleaning the area with alcohol. We then put on our caps and masks and entered the small OR, both bracing ourselves as to what was to come. Much like the beloved show Grey’s Anatomy, the surgeons scrubbed in, and prepped all the tools on a table to the side of the patient. They began the procedure, (stop reading if squeamish!) cutting open the abdomen and pulling out the intestines, stomach, spleen, and some blood to come with it. They let us peak in to see there was a mass growing in the intestine, so they cut a good sized portion of the intestine out and stitched the remaining ends together. Closing the patient up, Aesha and I turned to each other, surprised to see that neither of us had passed out but rather both of us were smiling. It was a great experience getting so upclose and personal and really understanding what it means to be a surgical veterinarian. Can’t wait to see more! 
SAS Work Experience Day 3 – Sales/Presales
Today at SAS, I was located in building C, which holds both the executive offices and the sales department. I was initially greeted by Elizabeth Dove, who works in sales and was able to tell me all about her wonderful experiences at SAS, and her career path. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to her, because we actually shared a lot of the same interests and passions. For example, when discussing colleges and school, I mentioned that I was interested in history but did not want to pursue it in the future. Coincidentally, she shared the same passion and we were able to talk about this for a while! In addition, she told me about how she pursued business in college and ended up working in retail, because of her strong interest in fashion. I as well am super intrigued by the business side of the fashion industry, and she was able to provide me with lots of advice and insight because she herself had gone into it! After meeting with her, I was able to shadow the sales account manager for the rest of the day, and learn a lot about what he does and what a day in his life looks like.
Day 3 at Raleigh Orthopaedics in Cary
Today at the office was a little slower than the previous two days. There were less patients the therapists had to see, but I still talked to a good amount of them. Once again, they were all very friendly and were interested in getting to know me. Many of them asked me why I was there, and I explained the whole concept of Work Experience. Everyone had the same reaction: I wish I had that opportunity in high school. I think based off of my limited yet enriching experience and other people’s reactions, this should definitely be continued for many years in the future.
During the times I wasn’t helping or talking to a patient, I would use the equipment they had just to try it out. Some of it is similar to the equipment in Boston’s office, but there were things such as a power plate which vibrates at the feet to loosen the body, or an ultrasound unit to improve blood circulation. I am getting a really good feel for the flow and work ethic/environment at the office, so I am enjoying each day there.
Day 3: In Pursuit of the Protein
We were unlucky today. Filtering out a relatively lightweight protein with various buffer solutions is already a tedious, time-consuming process, but knowing that you’ll likely have to do it all over again is just heartbreaking. We began the day by running mixtures of acid-base buffers (a solution known as HEPES) along with solutions of tiny carbon-nitrogen rings (imidazole) to extract as much of our precious Nb6B9 as possible. I got in a lot of good practice using micro pipettes, especially when we needed to place little volumes of protein indicators in our filtered solutions. The initial results we got from the indicators weren’t pretty – the image below shows a gradient of color from light brown to blue and back to brown. This seemingly harmless, variegated collection told Dr. Masoudi and I that only a few samples of our solution had a high concentration of protein, meaning we had lost quite a bit of Nb6B9 along the way. Our electrophoresis analysis of the results was even more disappointing. This analysis works by introducing a specific binding agent, called SDS, to each of the proteins. Proteins composed of longer amino acid chains will invariably bind with more of the agent, making the larger structures more net-negative and the smaller structures less net-negative. When a current is applied to the sieve, the protein samples travel different distances based on their relative negativity; the larger proteins have a more difficult time reaching the bottom of the cylinder compared to the smaller proteins. Through this process, we were able to identify that we had some Nb6B9 but not nearly enough. We’ll probably have to go through the entire filtration process again to increase our yield… 🙁
Regardless, there’s still hope for tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Thursday (Day 3)
Today, I did preparation for my exploits with NCFC in the coming days. I’d like to be able to have good conversations with the people at NCFC, so I have been doing research on NCFC’s MLS bid. I also contacted a former player for NCFC (they were the Railhawks then) Jordan Graye, as he used to work for my dad. I have hopefully been successfull in up setting up an interview with him next week, so that is very cool! I emailed Jordan Graye a list of questions that i would ask in an interview, including some that concerned the NCFC MLS bid, a question which came out of my research.
Day 3 at Osceola Studios
“Sometimes Things Get Boring”
This was the gentle advice that Mr. Hodgin gave the other intern and me after a three hour (or three year?) long session with a pianist. The pianist came in and recorded three songs, which were all eerie, atmospheric, soundscape kind of songs that followed classical music patterns and keys. It was the type of music you’d expect to hear in the background of a medieval role-playing video game.
Mr. Hodgin, who (like us interns), is a fan of hip hop, rock, and anything with some energy to it, revealed to us after the pianist left that he was bored out of his mind. But he sat us down and explained to us that this is part of his job. While the experience might have been dull to us, the pianist was loving it. So, as the engineer, Mr. Hodgin has to find a way to get as “into it” as the artist is. He warned us that sometimes this is a lot easier said than done, remembering how easily entertained we were by the youthful rapper from wednesday. 