Ideas for dayzzzz

After finishing the Mod2 report, I was drained. Completely. Though I had learned a lot and felt that I understood how to piece together a report (which was rewarding), I was kind of done. Thus, going into Mod3, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Would it be similar to Mod2 or extremely different? I'm glad to be able to say it was different and a completely different experience - one that was fun, creative, and rewarding.

The research proposal for Mod3 was a challenge in terms of narrowing down what to do. There's so much in science and bioengineering that my lab partner and I want to eventually tackle, so picking one topic was hard. We had actually settled on studying HIV pretty quickly, but going from there and picking a particular target was the real challenge. Did we want to go computational? Or for drug discovery? How do we be novel?

HIV is a topic that I've been passionate about for quite a while, and the trip I took over IAP only served to continue to peak my interest. Seeing the effects first hand made me realize how large of an issue HIV is abroad, and that I wanted to make a difference in this field. My interest in global health paired with the research proposal gave me an opportunity to think more about ways to combat HIV. Once we decided we wanted to pursue ALCAM, we then had to decide what exactly we wanted to do. This was a learning experience in talking with faculty about ideas. I was introduced to a professor at MGH, who was able to help guide us. Getting the chance to speak with faculty who have amazing ideas and extensive experience in the field was fantastic, as both someone to seek advice from and someone to sound opinions off of. Being able to just go crazy with something that I'm truly passionate about was really awesome, and a fun way to close out the class.

The experimentation in Mod3 was also a lot of fun - I never thought I'd ever make batteries out of viruses. Who would? Additionally, it was great to really be able to enjoy this module, since we don't really have to write a large report at the end. It was something that we could just have fun with and enjoy, though being sick during it did put a damper on things :(

Overall, I think that 20.109 was an interesting experience. It definitely was different from my previous experiences in labs and UROPs, but taught me new things about science, writing, communication, and myself. I do however think I need a break from the workload now....T-12 days until summer break! Until the next lab class...

-Sharon

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