Nicole Trovato, Entry #5, Down to the Wire

As I am finishing my second-to-last week in the lab, finishing my project and making sure every step is done correctly is becoming all the more essential. After an unsuccessful first attempt to locate CGRP-stained cells in the 15, 16, 17 and 18 week old lung, I am trying it again with a greater concentration of CGRP and lungs that are 13.6 and 18.3 weeks old. Since I have done this process before (and therefore have the directions written down in my lab notebook) I have been able to repeat the entire process verbatim and make the necessary adjustments to hopefully improve the results. At the beginning of the week I spent a lot of time in the microscope room searching for the CGRP or synaptophysin staining on the slides. I did not find the greatest depictions of the antibodies in the world however, the pictures I took were better than I had anticipated!

~aSMA, Ecad, & Synapto staining~

It's sad to think about leaving California next week; I've gotten to know some really great people and will definitely return to visit. Not only have I learned a lot about different scientific methods and machinery, but I have also gotten to experience the ins and the outs of what it is like to work in a research laboratory and the responsibility it demands. These 6 weeks have certainly taught me a great deal, and I will always remember the time I spent here.

In other news, Gwyneth came to visit last weekend for the 4th of July and also just to spend time in Los Angeles! Gwyn, Aisha, and I went for a walk through USC's beautiful campus, visited the walk of fame in Hollywood, and relaxed on the sand in Venice Beach. It was really great getting to see her!

~Tommy the Trojan statue~ fight on!

In this next week I will finish my project and get feedback on my poster from my PI and postdoc. I look forward to seeing my friends and family when I return home, but am very thankful for the opportunity to come to Los Angeles, and will miss it dearly :)