Are you interested in the Freshman Research Initiative? If so, I highly suggest joining the Do It Yourself stream! Whether you have a yearning passion for scientific research or are trying it out for the first time, DIY is a fun stream that allows you to learn about different methods of research from hands on experiments to even coding an app! The reason I chose DIY was because of what I heard about it from past students. I heard that it was a very fun lab and that the people who got out of stream left simply because research was not something they were interested in pursuing. I am mostly excited about the diagnosing with LAMP. LAMP is a tool that is used to amplify certain DNA strands and diagnose, for example, a creek positive with a certain bacterium.
If I were to explain what I do to someone who hasn’t heard of FRI I’d say that I am doing an abundance of scientific research that ranges from identify pathogens, bacteria, feces, etc. in everyday life to creating apps that can help keep track of diet and exercise. One of my favorite labs I’ve done was a field assignment at Waller Creek. We were advised to go to the creek in groups to collect a water sample. We gathered the water sample and went back to the lab to analyze the DNA that contaminated the creek. The entire lab allowed me to interact with new people and make some new friends. Because of assignments like this, I do consider myself a scientist/researcher. We have to follow the scientific method and write down all of our work in a lab notebook just like any famous scientists you may have heard of. Also, in the assignment I just described and all the others I’ve done in DIY, all my results are completely new to the scientific community which in time could possibly contribute to a major scientific discovery in the future.
Believe it or not, a lot of the research I’ve done has coincided with the classes I was taking. I remember I was learning about pH in my chemistry class and I wasn’t really understanding the whole concept. It turned out that our lab assignment that same week involved us understanding the concept of measuring pH and how to alter a substance’s pH value. I’m more of a hands on learner so after completing this lab assignment I felt a lot more confident in my chemistry class.
It turns out a big “aha!” moment I had was when coding for mobile apps. The assignment was to add a picture to your mobile app and I was spending more time than I should have trying to figure it out. I was looking up different websites on how to add a picture with the right dimensions. It took a while but when I finally figured out I felt so accomplished! I literally exclaimed “Aha!” in my dorm at 11pm. Designing apps isn’t my forte but completing the app assignments is very satisfying!
The funniest thing that has happened to me in this stream was during the Waller Creek assignment. There is a small, muddy hill where Waller Creek is located and I just so happened to wear shoes with virtually no grip to them on the day my group went to get our samples. Walking down the hill I told myself “I’m fine. Just watch your step and you’ll be okay!”. We finally got down the hill and I was still in one piece. We retrieved our samples, which was really fun, and headed back up the hill to the lab. I was carrying a small ice chest with the samples. I know I wouldn’t have slipped if I wasn’t carrying the kind of heavy ice chest. I was almost up the hill when I felt my foot lose its grip. My initial reaction was “So this is how it ends”. It wasn’t that bad of a fall but I gave another person in my group the ice chest and walked back to the lab half embarrassed half laughing. All in all it was a fun experience and helped me connect with the people around which I think is something different about DIY than other research streams. I have a friend who is in another FRI stream. She likes it at her stream but she told me that its more individual work than collaboration. Collaboration is very important in labs for various reasons such as questions, conserving materials, and making new friends!
Collecting samples from Waller Creek