Week 6 Blog

This week involved a lot less lessons and training than last week and involved a lot more lab work and presentations. I have gotten used to the NIH campus as it is my second week. I take a 30 minute walk to the visitor entrance and then go through their security process. If I arrive at 7 or 8, there is a super long line at the security center as that is when the majority of visitors arrive whereas if I arrive at a different time, there is no line. I then take a campus shuttle to the building where I work. This building where I work is so much closer to my house than the visitor center; a 10 minute walk as opposed to a 30 minute one. Leaving is so much easier and faster than arriving. I really hope the badge that I applied for will be ready soon because with a badge I can directly enter the building I work at that is so close to my house and skip the security process. But getting the badge takes a long time so I’ll just have to deal with this inconvenience. I am also used to having my own desk in one of the labs to work at. I have also become more familiar with where things are at the large, 8 story building I work at.

As for the actual work I’ve been doing, I’ve been helping with a lot of plasmid prep and cell culture experiments as well as joining a lot of virtual presentations. Some of these virtual presentations are very long. The longest one I’ve done was 3 hours. These presentations are very scientific and combine experimental results with already published studies to propose improvements in patient treatment. As they are very scientific, I understand very little of what is going on, but feel that participating in them is still a good experience. The labs, of course, are also a great experience and I am really enjoying using the fancy lab equipment at the NIH lab. All in all I am having a great experience working at the NIH!