What first drew me to the DIY Diagnostics stream was that it was brand new. When I first went up to the presentation poster at the FRI stream fair in the fall of 2013, Dr. Riedel’s excitement for the endeavor drew me in. He told us about at-home tests for HIV, pregnancy, and even at home genome kits. As a pre-med student, this connection to the health industry intrigued me. When I attended an info session for the stream, Dr. Riedel promised an interesting lab, an effort based grade, and research relevant to our community. As a returning student to Dr. Riedel’s lab, I can confirm that the stream has fulfilled all of his promises.
Before attending the University of Texas and being a part of the DIY Diagnostics stream, I never considered myself a scientist. The occasional dissection or s’mores lab in my high school sciences classes didn’t quite qualify me. With my experience in the FRI, I have learned so much. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that you have to rely on your knowledge. You cannot expect your Research Educator or a lab mentor to hold your hand through the assignments. It will be scary at first but when you learn to be confident in yourself, research is so much easier and more enjoyable. This lesson has also applied to my other classes. FRI is a great organization because it is designed for freshmen. One of the greatest things I have found about it is the class size. Streams are normally about 30-40 students, a group that is small enough to allow everyone to get to know each other. The size also really allows you to get to know your Research Educator. Dr. Riedel, a UT alum, was an excellent resource to have as a second semester freshman. He checked in with us periodically and was always patient with us as we were thrown into brand new lab experiences.
As part of the DIY Diagnostics stream, my classmates and I learned to program mobile apps. This at first seemed like a daunting task as many of us had zero experience with coding, but after a few simple assignments, coding became sort of fun. I even applied and accepted a research microfellowship over the summer to develop my own app.
One of my most interesting experiences as a member of DIY, happened during the Waller Creek project we worked on last spring. Our assignment was to collect creek water at one of three spots and test for the presence of E. Coli and enterococci. Dr. Riedel had warned us about wildlife near the creek but I never expected to see a huge brown snake slithering in the water. Thankfully my partner, Sal, kept a look out for it while I finished collecting my sample. For the record, we did not capture that picture ourselves. We stayed far, far away from the reptile.
The diagnostic idea I am most excited about is also the project I have chosen to work on this semester, the FRIome. This project uses human saliva samples to collect and record bacterial DNA. The purpose of this project is to correlate the presence of bacteria with lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, and dental hygiene, among others. I enjoyed this project the most because we first began with samples from our own classmates. As the FRIome continues, we plan to extend our sample set to other FRI students as well as students and faculty outside of FRI.
Overall I am very grateful for the opportunity I have had as a member of the DIY Diagnostics stream. As I continue in the program, I have realized that it has been a very valuable asset as both a class and an organization. The close working environment allows you to bond and learn alongside your peers while you both advance your experience and confidence in the research field.