A Day of Thrill and Lots of Learning

Strangely, Thursday morning I woke up shivering with cold air blowing through the window and by my fan. I was also coiled up in a ball as my blanket failed to give me sufficient warmth. After lying in this funny condition for ten minutes, I decided to get ready for class. A hot shower returned my body to its normal condition and I was ready for another exciting day at Brown.

Particularly I was excited for today's lab. Today I was going to run a gel electrophoresis experiment, which allows for the separation and analysis of DNA fragments. Although I had studied this process several times in varying detail, today I was going to perform it and visualize everything in reality. Some parts of the experiment were very nerve wrecking, yet thrilling, to do. As I completed the experiment, I started understanding that critically thinking and working fast, yet efficiently, is very important while performing experiments. 

My class  working in the laboratory.

My gel electrophoresis experiment's set up. The gel  is inside the plastic box. The blue-yellow line before the circle is the starting line of the DNA fragments. After eelectrophoresis, the fragments will move ahead.

The results of my experiment under ultra violet rays. The farthest DNA fragments from the wells are smaller than the closer DNA fragments. 

One of the most significant differences between high school and college is that college professors want students to start critically thinking and discover things on their own. In my class, while given a few instructions from my professor, I learned this difference. Although this concept was frustrating in the beginning, I have started to grasp it now.

These days, I have enjoyed going to a library after having lunch. After having a delicious meal of macaroni and cheese and french fries and window shopping in stores along Thayer Street, I went to the Sciences Library, also known as Sci Li, to work on my homework. Did you know that the Sci Li is that it has been voted the ugliest building of Rhode Island for the past couple of years? I was surprised when I found out, too. 

Sci Li

After spending a couple of hours at the Sci Li, I went a workshop called Getting a Handle on the ACT and SAT by the very reputable Karen Berlin Ishii, I learned a lot about the new SAT and I got useful tips, tricks, and guidance to do well on different standardized tests. I am very thankful to Karen Berlin Ishii for sharing her experience.

Later I had dinner, finished my homework, and hung out with my friends before retiring for the day.