TRAIN Scholar Sierra Lewis' Blog

  I can't believe it is already week six where has the time gone, it is starting to feel like weeks are hours these days. This week started back in the lab working on my project which has been a surprising relief from the stressful workload of organic chemistry. I collected my first few samples of E. Coli which was way simpler than what I had in my mind but it was still exciting somewhat because I am doing something new.  I applied great advice that  Evelyn kindly gave to me.. to make sure not to press down too hard on the plates so I could get a good amount of bacteria to collect and the results went well I think. Well, we will see in a week or so how it all went truly but at least I feel good about what is happening so far. 

I have not been focused on TRAIN and my project like I should be. I have been catching up on my other work from my organic chemistry class which is by far the most rigorous course I have ever experienced in my lifetime. I also have lab plus other classes which have been keeping me very much on my toes.  I have plans to get back on track with TRAIN next week starting to collect my samples and data. I have high hopes for my project and getting each bacteria to show some sort of glow effect. I am a tad bit concerned about the time frame since I feel the semester is coming to a close quickly. 

 I have made the executive decision to explore bacterial transformation this year for my project. I am looking forward to seeing what I will experience during this whole experiment because this will be a completely new area of study for me, so it should be fun!  I want to look at more than one bacteria but I do not know how that will go I first need to see if Josh will even let me explore this as an option but for now it is a part of my plans for this project and getting everything sorted out.  Now it is time to start getting into collecting my samples of each bacteria or it may just be E. Coli( hopefully more than just E. coli). Also taking down my observations because the sooner the better I think because time is not on my side this semester for some reason I just feel like the weeks are passing me by so quickly. 

 The last week or so has not been in my favor whatsoever. First, it started with my car breaking down then I came down with a severe cold(that won't go away for some reason). I am still trying to push through and get all my schoolwork done so I do not fall behind in any of my classes but it is a lot harder when you do not have the strength to do so. In the meantime, I have picked a topic for my project I will be transforming bacteria to make colored pigments. I am excited to see how this project will turn out since it will be my first time working with bacteria since high school. I am looking forward to seeing how much  fluorescent protein will appear in each bacteria. 

  Good day, my fellow humans. The first week is long over and I can say I already can tell this semester is going to fly right by me. I am pleased with most of all my classes however my art class just might be the death of me. On a positive note, I have a strong idea of what I want to do for my project however I am still researching exactly what I am going to focus on. I came to the conclusion that cloning bacteria or GMOs is a glow-in-the-dark version. I have not exactly figured out if that is the angle I want to commit to so I am still in the thinking process but I have a start. However, I know exactly what I am not doing: working with plants of any kind. I just feel like I need some excitement in my life and plants do not do that for me but I still love them as decorations around the home.  Here is a photo of the Venus Fly Trap babies Josh and I tried to grow last semester but ended in sadness because it takes months for this plant to grow.