I spent lab time this week running gels on my primers to see if my initial dilutions had degraded and therefore affected my PCR results. The gels showed clear presence of nucleotide primers in my initial dilution of dry primers with TE buffer; however, results were negative for the new dilution I had made with sterile molecular-grade biology water. This result is a good indication of where I need to proceed from here, so next week will see me making new primer dilutions and doing another PCR.
The remainder of my time this week was spent attending a presentation at ASU West. We were introduced to the NCUIRE program, which allows undergrads to gain lab internship experience while receiving one-on-one mentoring (and a stipend, I might add). We were also graciously treated to a tour of the research labs, and we had the opportunity to meet with faculty researchers and question them about the parameters of their research projects.
It was an incredibly exciting experience for this uber-nerd. I am looking forward to pursuing an opportunity with the program, as this is my last semester with PC S-STEM.
Until next week, then. Happy Science! And please enjoy this brief article about mitochondrial DNA analysis that was conducted using a tissue extract from a ritually-sacrificed Incan child, circa 14,300 years ago. Click the link here.
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