Never have I thought that I would be working on research, let alone an independent project. This was the first opportunity I have ever gotten to apply knowledge I have learned from the classroom to get real world data. FRI gives students opportunities to do independent research, but you are limited to whatever your stream specializes in. So you are stuck with bacteria, fungi, plants, coding, etc. and will only see that around you for the rest of your time in the stream. The DIY Diagnostics stream appealed to me because it is unique in that it hosts a variety of project types including electronics, web lab, and coding where in a typical lab day, you can see people working on soldering, 3D printing, coding algorithms, web apps, and PCR.
In my first semester, I was given the opportunity to learn a variety of unique skills that cover a range of topics including 3D printing, coding, and bacterial plating, and water sampling on top of basic laboratory skills. Sounds good right? Sure, but like every first experience, you have no idea what you’re doing (or maybe that’s just me). At first it was hectic as 30 or so students come in and out trying to complete the first assignment and everyone is convinced that the pH probe is broken. You don’t know anyone and sometimes think a student in another stream is in your stream (we shared labspace with another stream). The lab seems like a mess and everything is not where they should be. But as the weeks go on, you start to meet people and set up times to go into lab together so you are not the only one who is clueless. A week or two later, you are suddenly in Waller Creek collecting water samples. Next thing you know, you are 3D printing and coding web apps. At this point, you know pretty much know everyone in your stream and know your way around lab.
I was fortunate enough to receive a fellowship to work over the summer and start my project early. I decided to work on the Waller Creek project to develop an HF183 LAMP assay. It was a wonderful experience and it even opened up more opportunities for me to work in other labs. Due to the nature of my project, I was able to “explore” Austin, and by explore I mean walk in the summer heat in jeans to collect poopy water in muddy and dirty places. It may sound bad, but working on your own project makes you want to do whatever it takes to obtain data. I don’t think I have once regretted choosing Waller Creek and thought I should I have done something else. I even got the chance to go kayaking to collect data and do a 6 am to 8 pm sampling shift. LAMP ended up not working so I moved on to develop an HF183 qPCR test.
In the second semester, everyone else started their own projects. It was great to see a variety of projects from working with arduino circuit boards to swabbing credit cards. What you learn in this semester that everyone has expertise in some fields here and there. Someone working on a completely unrelated project could help you solder or help you with calculation for DNA primer resuspension. Everyone in the stream was willing to help one another because Dr. Riedel did not really have any deadlines set in stone. And since there were a variety of projects, there really wasn’t any race to completing a project. After hearing experiences from some friends in another un-named stream where people only cared about their project and had to fight for materials since all the projects were similar, I can tell you that I have made the right choice with DIY.
Not the cleanest project