Final Blog Post

Throughout my whole experience, I really got a strong feel for what working professionally in a laboratory is like.  It is an experience way different than the labs we do in school.  I learned the first steps to developing a good aseptic technique in the lab.  If I want to work in more research labs, this is an important technique to develop.  This is one of my goals I had hoped to accomplish at the beginning of the year.

I also found the opportunity to design my own experiments.  While in sciences classes, we have designed experiments as a class, it is not the same when it comes down to yourself and the word document.  I did have my mentors there to help me, but I was faced with numerous questions that needed answers before further steps could be taken.  Questions such as what tools were needed and what precise measurements were needed.  These details are just details, but in the end they make a big difference in your results.  

Furthermore, I learned so much about mushrooms and fungi.  I never really understood how complicated this whole kingdom is.  In my mind, they were mostly just a food group.  What I knew about mushrooms could be summed up in two or three sentences.  Now, while I don't know as much about mushrooms as my mentors do, I have a small understanding of how mushrooms are structurally and how those components can help make improvements and advancements in science and technology.  

Reading scientific papers was challenging experience.  In the beginning, I had to learn how to read the papers and understand them.  Even now, there are a bunch of papers that are harder to read.  This was because there were a lot of terms and concepts I weren't familiar with.  Measurement notation was even strange to read.  Ways a tackled this problem included using Wikipedia and a dictionary.  However, the more papers I read, the more familiar I became with many of the terms.

While learning to read papers was difficult, the end result of learning new things was the most pleasant.  Learning about mycoremediation to different mushroom species to how a mushroom can regenerate nerve ends was all rewarding, even if getting through papers was difficult.  

Suggestions:

I can't really think of any suggestions.  Knowing presentation/poster dates a little sooner would be nice. 

Some advice for next year's interns...

If you are reading a scientific paper last minute, read the introduction and then the conclusion.  

When you begin to first work in a laboratory, its ok to be paranoid about contaminating everything.  Actually, you should be paranoid about contaminating anything.  That way you'll develop good aseptic techniques.

Never hesitate to ask questions.  When you are stuck or especially when you are curious.