This week in the lab has been quite the rollercoaster. Although it’s been an okay week overall, I’ve encountered a series of challenges and made numerous mistakes that have taught me valuable lessons.

Last week, I crafted a new set of particles, dropcasted them onto chips, and then scanned them. Unfortunately, I discovered that they were contaminated, rendering all that data unusable. I set out to remake the particles on Wednesday, only to run into a host of problems. My initial calculations indicated that I needed more seeds than I had on hand. This meant I needed to determine the ratio for the seeds I already had. However, the machine I needed was occupied, forcing me to wait until the next day.

On Thursday, I discovered that my initial math was incorrect—I actually had enough seeds and didn’t need to make more. Despite this setback, I went ahead and scanned the newer seeds to obtain their ratio for future use. Today, I created the particles using the seeds and dropcasted them again. I hope to scan them next week and avoid contamination this time around.

In addition to my main project, I started a side project that will support my overall research. This involves determining the PFOA gradient to establish how little PFOA can be present for us to still detect it using the nanoshells. I was excited to dive into this new project but halfway through dropcasting the PFOA solution, I realized I needed to dropcast the particles first. This mistake led to the disposal of a few chips.

Despite the challenges, there was a highlight this week—most of the lab went to Torchy’s Tacos for the first time. The food was fantastic, and it was a great bonding experience. We had lots of fun talking and getting to know each other better.

Although this week has been filled with errors and frustrations, I’ve learned a lot and am hopeful for better results next week. Lab work can be tough, but these experiences are crucial for growth and success in research. Here’s to a more successful week ahead!