Being a part of DIY Diagnostics has definitely made my time here at UT more enjoyable. I remember being a little intimidated going through the stream sort process because I didn’t really know what to expect, but after visiting DIY at the open house, I immediately felt that I found a place where I belonged. I was still interested in some of the other streams, but none of them really compared to what you get to be a part of when you join DIY. It’s so much for than science; it’s science with a purpose.
One of the things I really appreciate is that we get to work in areas that are relevant to what’s currently going on in the world. For instance, we get to work with the Zika virus and attempt to create a diagnostic that accurately detects Zika in mosquitoes. However; once you get past the first semester of learning how to utilize the equipment and performing cookie-cutter experiments to gain knowledge of the lab, you essentially get to choose what you want to work on for your project.
DIY is probably one of the more laid-back labs. While there are, of course, required assignments and lab hours, Dr. Riedel gives you plenty of time to get your work done under as little stress as possible. As long as you work diligently, due dates for labs are flexible. In DIY, you gain hands-on experience with research and learn many valuable skills that you can carry on in your academic career regardless of whether you plan on continuing with research. One of the most important things that DIY will help you develop is time management skills; especially with a rigorous course load, learning how to balance that with 6 hours of lab a week may seem difficult at first, but eventually it becomes second-nature. Also, while lab notebook write-ups can be frustrating, they prepare you for future labs, such as chemistry or biology, that you have to take later on at UT.
All-in-all, being a part of the Freshman Research Initiative is a great accomplishment in itself. It’s an experience that not many people have the opportunity to be a part of. That being said, DIY is definitely the stream to join! What starts here changes the world, so why not start in the best possible stream you can?