I spent the summer in a parasite lab course on Cape Cod. It was amazing for many reasons, but some of the biggest things I took away from it were a renewed sense of interest in my PhD project (and science in general) - this is especially big since I was really starting to doubt what the hell I was doing in science, a new sense of independence, and a new sense of ownership about my project and the direction it would/should go. Previously, I and my PI (my academic mentor/advisor) had focused mostly on genetic manipulation and analysis - often with frustrating results. (I mean trying to do genetics in an organism that is not really genetically tractible is just asking to bang your head against the wall). Over the summer I decided that biochemistry was really the way to go. I told my PI this when I came back and she made some polite noises, but didn't really get it. Now, after going to a meeting in Mexico, she is convinced that we need to ditch the genetics and pursue the biochemistry. All I can say is ... thank goodness! I don't know why she couldn't have seen this in August, but I am glad that she has finally seen the light! (I do hope she recognized that it was my idea to begin with, hmmm...). So hopefully, this new path will lead the way to exciting data and to graduation (well in 2 years anyway).
Woo-hoo!
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