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Deirdre McAteer's blog

Week Seven - (August 2 - August 6, 2010) - Now It's Getting Really Fun! (with only two weeks left...)

8/2/10:  The DyNAzyme didn’t come today, so instead I made some changes in my PowerPoint presentation that I used for the parent night event.  I also did some reading in the microbiology text book I have checked out from OHSU and did more research on primer design for PCRs.  While I was not able to do any lab work, my reading on primers and PCRs was very informative.  I was also told that the DyNAzyme will be coming tomorrow, so this is something to anticipate.

Week Six: (July 26 - July 30, 2010) - The Joys Of Waiting (For an Order...)

Hi again!  This week was filled with preparation for the ASE Family Night, as well as frustration due to bizarre lab results and delay of receiving an enzyme used in my PCRs.

Week Five: (July 19 - July 23, 2010) - The Art of Scientific Writing and Data Interpretation

Hello!  This week was more of a book and writing research week than lab work.  I am doing a lot of online and textbook research to really solidify the concepts of my lab work, as well as starting an outline and write-up for the ASE Symposium on August 20th.

Week Four: (July 12 - July 16, 2010) - Final Extractions (For Now....)

7/12/10:  Today was filled with six extractions, a PCR, and several gels.  In the morning I extracted four samples all together and finished in about four hours (I’m getting a lot better at this now!)  I also ran the gel for the duplex PCR that I did on Thursday, but the signals on the gel were too good, meaning I either had to much of the sample or I needed to dilute the PCR products.  I re-ran the gel with less of the sample, but I still had a very strong signal, so Dr. Zuber had me re-run the PCR (18S and NITS).

Week Three: (July 6 - July 8, 2010): Extraction-o-rama!

This week was very short, only three days, because of the holiday on Monday and the ASE Midsummer Conference on Friday.

Week Two: (June 28 - July 2, 2010) Computers and DNA

Hello again!  I have learned a lot this week and I feel like my research is really getting underway here at CMOP.

6/28/10: I ran a PCR and gel by myself for the first time and obtained accurate results.  Afterwards, Dr. Herfort told me I will be learning how to clone samples sometime next week.  In light of this, she had me label petri dishes and pour agar into them with Sheedra.  Once we finished we went over what I would be doing the next day and starting packing supplies for the Oceanography Camp boating trip.

Week One: (June 21 - June 25, 2010) Diving Into Research

Hello, my name is Deirdre, one of the ASE interns at CMOP this summer.  I’m working with Dr. Lydie Herfort, my frontline mentor, and her supervisor, Dr. Peter Zuber, studying genetic diversity of the marine ciliate Myrionecta rubra.

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