Aaaaand, we’re back!

After a summer of fun and sun that seemed endless, we are full swing into the academic year here on campus. Working in Larissa’s lab is much the same, breeding the zebrafish and microinjecting their embryos with morpholinos to see how they alter the expression of certain genes, except now we have to juggle classes and other extracurriculars along with it. And it’s INSANE!

Between Organic Chemistry, Physics, a cappella, and thesis lab, it seems that I never have a moment to slow down. I have never felt busier in my life, but I have never had more fun than I am in my final year at Bates. It is tough to balance going to thesis lab with everything else that invariably goes on around campus, especially because for the most part it is self-motivated, but having spent so much time and investing so much effort into my research, I look forward to the hours I spend in Carnegie science. As thesis students we are allowed the freedom and leeway to design much of what we work towards, and that builds a real sense of ownership and responsibility for our work. I am truly excited to continue to hash out what I hope to be an important relationship between the transcription factor I am researching, Nfe2, and the developmental Hedgehog pathway. It is (extremely) slow-going, but incredibly rewarding to focus on such an awesome and important topic.

But before I get there though the real world of being a full-time undergraduate student butts in. Whether it’s studying for my Physics and Orgo exams in a few short days, preparing to give a poster session on Friday, or rehearsing to sing in the Parent’s Weekend a cappella concert at the end of the week, it seems like the pace won’t soon let up.

Cheers to staying busy,
-Dan