It is almost the end of my time here at Brown, and there is still so much left undone. I have yet to meet many new people, I still haven't completely explored the campus or the town, and I haven't learned so many things.
In class, we've all finally realized that we're running out of time, and even our instructor, Ms. Hall, has told us that we probably can't finish our final projects. I know that I won't be able to finish mine, as I still have two more overnight incubations of cells to go, and we don't have that much time. So far, I have completed the miniprep of the plasmid GFP, as well as the restriction digest to cut apart the DNA. Currently, my DNA is being ligated at room temperature with pKAN, so tomorrow I should have DNA that codes for resistance to KAN. I'm excited to see how far I can get, because I want to see just how much I have learned so far in class.
The heat here in Brown is starting to take its toll. Several students have succumbed to the heat, becoming ill or developing strange conditions. Just today, I saw EMS twice when they were on their way to assist someone who needed them. Some students developed puffy and red eyes, while others suffered prolonged nosebleeds. In addition, the heat here is also affecting other parts of my Brown experience. I've noticed a lot more flies recently, especially in the cafeteria. Just yesterday, I noticed a fly in my grapefruit, and today a fly was sitting on the rim of my cup. It was all very nauseating. I blog all of this, just so that the session II students will remember to be on the lookout for flies and to make sure to keep cool.
Today, Ms. Bulls also bought us all Brown sweaters, which was very nice. I'll never forget all that I've learned here at Brown, and the sweater will remind me of my experiences here. It seems like just yesterday that we arrived here in Brown, and now we are already beginning to pack away our stuff to leave. I have to say that I have really enjoyed my time here at Brown, and I appreciate all the hard work that the ILC has put into us. I'd also like to say "Welcome!" to all of the Brown Session II students! We're excited to see you guys soon!
Austin,
ReplyDeleteWe've all been following the heat situation you're all suffering through. While I'm sure it won't make you feel any better, we're sympathetic. Heat can be miserable but oppressive heat can be debilitating.
If you haven't melted yet at least you'll be back in a few days where the fog's been rolling in each night.
Sorry, too that you won't have the time to complete your projects. Did something happen that took the place of the time you needed? From what I'm reading, this seems widespread and isn't focused just on you.