June 30th - Dr. Diehl's Lab

Quite a bit of work done....Need to check what I can and can't write here. Some stuff could still not be out and I am not supposed to mention those things. Top secret, if I tell you, I would need to ....... :-)

We started off the day with well blended bovine brains in buffer solution. Brains must be cleaned of protective tissue and as many blood vessels as possible (luckily Jonathan had done this already). The mixture is centrifuged and the supernatant (the liquid on top) is collected since it contains the microtubules and motor proteins. A solution is added supernatant to polymerize the microtubules (which will contain motor proteins) and placed in warm water to incubate. Afterwards, it was slowly pipetted onto a sucrose solution, due to difference in densities, the polymerized microtubules sink below the sucrose. Once set up, it is centrifuged and pellet of microtubules at bottom is collected and washed with original buffer solution along with some polymerizing agent and then incubated and centrifuged again and pellet is collected. Pellet is then suspended in buffer, ...... , and ATP solution. The ATP provides energy for the motor proteins to separate from microtubules. Solution is incubated at 37 degrees C, which is about body temperature, when motor proteins are more active. Solution is centrifuged and separated into nine, 100 microliter samples. Eight of the samples are frozen in liquid nitrogen and one is going through analysis. The sample went through some more procedures (secret stuff :-) ) and then analyzed using a certain type of microscope. (again there are some things I cannot mention, so please don't ask.....)

June 29th - Dr. Diehl's Lab

Back in the lab today. Will mention later what I worked on.......

Will be working for a few days with Jonathan, so I can learn some basics.

But first read the article from PCCP that I mentioned last time and will read some basic info on expression of recombinant proteins in E. Coli. Learning some biochemistry!

From The QIAexpressionist 06/2003

June 21st through June 26th : IBB - Milby/YES/Harmony

I will be helping with the IBB program for three schools in the Houston area. The schools are Milby, YES, and Harmony.

I will be posting their activites on the following website:

http://www.milby-yes-harmony-ibb2009.blogspot.com/

I will continue back on this blog on Monday :-)

June 19th - In the Lab

Changed number of posts showing on blog. Seemed to take too long to load, just click older posts at the bottom to go through the rest.

Worked with Jonathan today. He was going to go through a purification process. To get protein, live E. Coli is used express the given protein in an incubator. Once incubated, the bacteria is centrifuged to get a ball of bacteria. The bacteria is then placed in a container that is in Liquid nitrogen to stop any proteolytic degradation (hoping I spelled that correctly) - stoping enzymes from chewing up proteins into smaller parts - since we are trying to preserve protein. The bacteria is placed in vials and protease inhibitors and a buffer are added, again to prevent damage to protein. Lysozyme is then added to lyse the bacteria - destroys the cell membrane, so opens up the bacteria and release what's inside - to get the protein that it made. The vials are then centrifuged to separate the cell parts (solid at the bottom) and the supernatant, liquid on top (containing the proteins). The liqud will be mixed with Nickel resin, prepared by Jonathan, so it can then be separated and get the protein we are interested in. Once the protein is ready it's purity will be checked through gel electrophoresis.

Gel is composed of a stacking and separating layers. To make the gel, stacking gel goes first and allowed to polymerize and then the separating gel goes second.

June 18th - Dr. Diehl's Lab

After a week and a half of Science Academy activities, I was able to go into Dr. Diehl's lab to start my research. Great! But only for two days, I will then be helping with Milby Science Institute/YES College Preparatory School activities at IBB. :-)
I met with Dr. Diehl and we discussed what I will be working on. I will be trying to go through a procedure for protein expression. This will be interesting especially based on my bias of biology ;-) (my students know what I am referring to) I will be going through the streaking procedure to get colonies of a given DNA and then using them to express a protein that could be used in Dr. Diehl's lab. I will also be shown how to check the purity of the samples and go through purification process. Dr. Diehl also gave me two things to read over. The QIAexpressionist-handbook for expression and purification and an article from Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP) publication.

If you would like to read it, click HERE

The article is HERE

Final Evening : SAST Farewell BBQ/Poster Presentation

Here are the pictures from the BBQ/Poster Presentation. I personally need to say that the students did a Great Job and I hope their interests in science has grown :-)
Thanks to the IBB Institute and all the Sponsors of this program for giving the students this opportunity.
Have an enjoyable summer all of you.

(if you want any of the pictures, click on the Picasa symbol at lower right corner of slideshow, and click album link)

Schedule of Activities - June 17th

Final day of activities for Science Academy students:

Poster Printing - students will print posters for tonight's Poster Session
Weekly Lunch Seminar o Dr. John Olson (this is for the RET's)
Communication Workshop - Dr. Mesmer, final one, peer review and comments
Physics Demo - Dr. Barry Dunning
SAST Farewell BBQ/Poster Session and Research Symposium

Started off the day by starting a little of what I will be doing for my research. I then headed off to see what the students from Science Academy were doing before going to a Seminar by Dr. Olson, then back to SA activities. Some videos of today's activities:

The rest of the physics demo videos have been loaded and posted

Schedule of Activities - June 16th

Activities for today, another set of fun activities

Demo Robotics - Dr. Marcia O'Malley
Hands on Formulating and Testing Hypothesis
Design Demo - ......

Videos of the day's activities:

Schedule of Activities - June 15th

Activites for today, very excited about the first :-)

Hands-On Demo, Chemistry Magic Show - Dr. Mary McHale

- hoping to learn new experiments for Halloween show

Communications Workshop - Dr. David Messmer

Videos for the day:

Updated Blog a bit

Added links. Added pictures. Added videos.

And of course, I needed to buy this at the museum :-)

Schedule of Activities - June 12th

Two very interesting activities today:

Physiology demo - Dr. Renata Ramos

- Students performed two activities: ECG and Reflex

- Used program to get data and Excel to analyze data

Tour of MD Anderson Cancer Center

- Tour of MD Cancer Center by Lorianne Classen

- Tour of Transfuscion Medicine by Elizabeth Escobar

- Tour of Pheresis Center by Charlita Samaniego

Schedule of Activities - June 11th

Demo and Museum today. Going to have some fun today :-)

DNA Demo - Dr. Beth Beason

- discussed separation of DNA, Synthetic Biology, iGEM competition

Group Photo

- Science Academy students & teachers, RET's

Lunch at Museum

- a quick bite before enjoying the Museum :-)

Tour of Museum of Natural Science

- went through Main Exhibit hall and Butterfly Center (see pics)

- could not take pics of Native American section (some great history)

Click play when you are ready to see the next slideshow

Additional pics from Charles. Last one is without UV shielding, so used UV head shield.

Videos of today's activities:

Schedule of Activities - June 10th

More hands-on activities

Hands-on Demo Micropattering - Dr. John Slater

Lunch Semiar with mentors/Seminar with Dr. Amy Vollmer

- great discussion of networking/mentoring and bacteria research

Communications Workshop

Paper/T-shirt Chromatography - Dr. Amy Vollmer

Videos of today's activities :

Schedule of Activities - June 9th

Lots of Hands-on activities today

Overview of Science and Engineering - Dr. Jennifer West

-discussed NO releasing hydrogel, photothermal ablation (PPT's 1 2)

Hands-on Demo Microscopy - Dr. David Caprette

-looked at diatoms, parameciums, yeast, and bacteria

Baylor Brain Lab - Dr. Scott Basinger

-adverse effects on brain, hands-on with brains and spinal cord

Work in assigned labs with mentor

Videos of today's activities :

A Little More Info

While talking to Dr. Diehl, he described motor proteins. I had never heard of them but while he was decribing them, I remembered a video I had seen and it sort of matched what he was telling me. The original video I saw had only music but the one on the link has descriptions. Motor proteins are mentioned at around the half-way mark, its the inner life video

http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/

Dr. Diehl mentioned I would start by making a certain protein. Not sure if "making" is the correct term :-) It will be through a denaturing process, streaking plates, using centrifuge, splitting bacteria open to get proteins, electrophoresis, and.....

Really looking forward to this ........ :-)

Today's Schedule of Activities - June 8th

Its a full day of learning and preparation :-)

Communications Workshop-Dr. David Messmer

How to Prepare a Scientific Poster-Dr. Stacey Kalovidouris

Greenhouse Tour-Dr. Rudgers, Loren Albert

Lunch with Dr. Robin Forman, Dean of Undergrads

Admissions Info Session-Laura Villafranca

Walking Tour of Rice

Safety Training

The last thing for the day the mentors met with interns to escort them to lab and discuss the research they would be working on.

I met Dr. Diehl and "bombarded" (in a good way) with large amounts of info on the research I will be working on during the next several weeks. I am going to have to look up lots of biology material :-) http://bioe.rice.edu/FacultyDetail.cfm?RiceID=89213

SAST Welcoming Dinner

Students were welcomed to the program. During dinner, students visited with their mentors and discussed the research being done. Dr. Jennifer West gave some info on the Institute (IBB) and what the students would be doing. We met the staff of IBB http://ibb.rice.edu/about.cfm