New space, same science
We have unpacked our last box, organized our fridges, and extracted DNA from some samples!
We are all moved in to our new, temporary space in the modular labs--our new home as the Science Center undergoes renovations. This new space has required some getting used to--like learning to use portable bunsen burners and hiking to instruments back in the main building--but we are running the same experiments and delving deeper into the same projects!
Join us on a virtual tour of our lab...
You enter and are greeted by the purring of the -80°C freezer and a friendly "Hello!" from Alyssa, who is likely reading up on PCR primers and Bifidobacterium, as she waits for her gel to be ready. You may be startled because she is slightly hidden behind the shelf holding all of our sterile pipette tips and colorful array of lab-tape. To your left, you will find our iconic PCR hood, our shiny new PowerLyzer (it breaks up cells super fast), and the mighty QIAcube (this robot does half of the DNA extraction process for us!).
Move further into the lab and you’ll see our gel-making station to your right and to your left, a row of desks designated for non-wet lab work. Slide past the fridge and freezer and you get to peek out our little window to see the view of our patch of parking lot (picnic area coming soon) and our neighbors across the way. The natural sunlight from this window is perfect for when you’re coding and the movement-sensitive lights automatically shut off and you’re too deep in concentration to roll back, waving your hands frantically in the air to turn them back on.
And that's it! We are so grateful for our new space, and are adjusting well as we patiently wait to return to our renovated lab back in the L-wing of the Science Center.
Stay tuned for more lab updates, project progress, reflections on microbiology research in the world, and more!