April, 24, 2020
By Alexus Bunnam and Taylor Grossen
Our circumstance has changed so much since our last blog post. Due to COVID-19 we have been housebound for about a month now. Being driven apart and having low motivation, the transition to online school has been difficult. In this entry we will talk about where we left off in the lab, how we are picking it back up, and our feelings about being in quarantine.
Prior to spring break, we decided to perform a PCR clean up, so when we came back we would have results to analyze. For our PCR cleanup it consisted of several rounds of washing and centrifugation of primer 3. After that process we used a nano-drop to test the purity of the DNA and then sent our primer to be sequenced. Little did we know that we would not be able to return to campus after break.
Two weeks after spring break was supposed to end, we finally regrouped and talked about what was to come. The rest of the school year was set to be online. Therefore, we would now have online weekly meetings for RISEbio. Unfortunately, we would not be able to do lab work, so all activities had to change. We focused on practicing analyzing scientific papers and writing protocols for when we get back into the lab. On a happier note, we did get to analyze the results of our DNA sequencing that was sent out during spring break. Our results turned out well; it was shown that our primer bound to the gene that we wanted. Although, there were some technical difficulties with downloading the sequencing software. Not having the ability to work together in person to solve the issue, we had to analyze the results over zoom. Since I (Taylor) was having the issues I (Alexus) shared the results over zoom and email which was a surprisingly complicated process, but we figured it all out in the end. Since online classes started, both of us have been meeting on zoom for a minimum of five hours a week to work on our homework, lab work, and to express our feelings.
Now to express our feelings to you guys. We both have zero motivation for anything. We both have expressed to each other that we don’t even know what day of the week it is. I (Taylor) have struggled with procrastination and waiting until the last minute to do homework assignments, which only causes stress for myself. While I (Alexus) stare at my homework for hours on end until I gather the motivation to start it. Future plans for Alexus consist of an ophthalmologist appointment after looking at a screen for more than half the day, every day. The highlight of the day for both of us is taking our dogs on walks. Being able to work together on homework assignments has increased our motivation. We encourage each other to get our stuff done and stay positive. We hope the same for you guys!
