Finished being a first year! And our trip to Maryland
I know some people are interested in seeing pics of our new place! Sorry to disappoint, but that post is still in the works... to shorten its length, I've included other updates in this post.
Last Tuesday was my last day of class and now I'm officially out for the summer and done with my first year! (Now I'm in that awkward stage where I can't really be called a second year yet, but refuse to be called a first year). Although finishing the semester was busy with writing papers, studying for tests, and moving, I'm so glad it's done!
I also just started working in my official lab last week. I did 4 rotations this past year, and ended up choosing to stick with this one. It is a pharmacology lab that uses molecular biology techniques. I'm sure many of you have heard of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. We study another neurotransmitter, GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and it's receptor. Since it has lots to do with inhibition, we are also interested in how it influences epilepsy. Soon I'll be picking my exact project that will determine my fate for the next 4-6 years!
This summer I'll also be taking a 7-week break from that to do an internship with Pfizer pharmaceuticals to experience the industry side of pharmacology. I'm excited to do lots of lab work and get a head start before classes start up again. I am now half way done with all my classes, because we only take them for the first two years of the program. But this next year may be the hardest because I week have both lab and class to juggle.
Last Tuesday was my last day of class and now I'm officially out for the summer and done with my first year! (Now I'm in that awkward stage where I can't really be called a second year yet, but refuse to be called a first year). Although finishing the semester was busy with writing papers, studying for tests, and moving, I'm so glad it's done!
I also just started working in my official lab last week. I did 4 rotations this past year, and ended up choosing to stick with this one. It is a pharmacology lab that uses molecular biology techniques. I'm sure many of you have heard of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. We study another neurotransmitter, GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and it's receptor. Since it has lots to do with inhibition, we are also interested in how it influences epilepsy. Soon I'll be picking my exact project that will determine my fate for the next 4-6 years!
This summer I'll also be taking a 7-week break from that to do an internship with Pfizer pharmaceuticals to experience the industry side of pharmacology. I'm excited to do lots of lab work and get a head start before classes start up again. I am now half way done with all my classes, because we only take them for the first two years of the program. But this next year may be the hardest because I week have both lab and class to juggle.
Also, on the science front, I just got a manuscript I'm an author on accepted to Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. I was very blessed to be doing a rotation with Dr. Abraham at just the right time to be able to participate in some of the science on it. It isn't published yet, but I'll post the link when it is!
Other exciting news is our niece got baptized over mother's day weekend, so we were able to go to Maryland and see Nate's whole family there. It was perfect to be with the family over mother's day too! Each girl over 18 got some flowers and breakfast in bed :) it was rough to drive down and back 8 hours each way, but we are glad we did! We stopped in Philly on the way down for an authentic philly cheesesteak, which neither of us had ever had. Here is my favorite video from the trip, of course, it's of the girls, and although you might not be able to tell, Nate is under there.
Other exciting news is our niece got baptized over mother's day weekend, so we were able to go to Maryland and see Nate's whole family there. It was perfect to be with the family over mother's day too! Each girl over 18 got some flowers and breakfast in bed :) it was rough to drive down and back 8 hours each way, but we are glad we did! We stopped in Philly on the way down for an authentic philly cheesesteak, which neither of us had ever had. Here is my favorite video from the trip, of course, it's of the girls, and although you might not be able to tell, Nate is under there.
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| A REAL Philly Cheesesteak |
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| My Brother, Thomas on the live chat |
That's great! It sounds like your lab will be really interesting, especially for Sky and Savannah with their epilepsy. Discover something awesome, eh? You look as beautiful as ever!
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