(January 25, 2012)
Today was moving day! Ecovative is expanding to the building right next door and everyone was super busy moving equipment. Since it had been so hectic, there weren't any new experiment that we tested. We did, however, observe others' experiments. We even got to dump all the experiments that had too much mold growing on them! It was actually pretty fun going through them and deciphering which ones had too much mold, bad mold, or were not likely to be clean enough in the end. Because of our interaction with all this mold, we were not able to go back into the labs.
Amanda and I also went over a rough draft of my very own experiment! I will be starting that next week and it will continue for awhile. Let's just say I will be getting to know sunflower seeds really well during this experiment! I also received an Ecovative shirt as a Christmas present the other week, and now I really feel apart of the team. I am so excited!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
(January 18, 2012) I ended up canceling my internship because we were afraid that the service day would run longer than expected.
I usually get a new reading from Amanda every week. Sometimes it may consist of procedures for growing the mushrooms, or other important steps that I should be aware of. The book she gave me at the beginning has a lot of different pictures, diagrams, and explanations about certain procedures and topics. This prepares me for whatever we are doing that day. Recently she has given me various packets about specific experiments that are similar to ours. This is always interesting because it consists of real information and results. One packet I received almost seemed right out of a high school science book. It was much easier to read and understand, and it defined the hyphae and other materials that were used. The most recent one I read was all about a patent that another employee was reviewing. It was difficult, yet interesting to read. No matter what is going on, there is always something informational and resourceful for me to read.
I usually get a new reading from Amanda every week. Sometimes it may consist of procedures for growing the mushrooms, or other important steps that I should be aware of. The book she gave me at the beginning has a lot of different pictures, diagrams, and explanations about certain procedures and topics. This prepares me for whatever we are doing that day. Recently she has given me various packets about specific experiments that are similar to ours. This is always interesting because it consists of real information and results. One packet I received almost seemed right out of a high school science book. It was much easier to read and understand, and it defined the hyphae and other materials that were used. The most recent one I read was all about a patent that another employee was reviewing. It was difficult, yet interesting to read. No matter what is going on, there is always something informational and resourceful for me to read.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
(January 11, 2012)
I normally blog exactly what I am doing every internship day, but because this day was pretty normal and I completed some of the normal experiments, I want to talk about how my days actually fit into the whole of the internship. I either have segments from my book, or a specific science article, or just a really informative packet that I read every single week. I am able to discuss them with Amanda, along with asking questions, and raising new ideas. Sometimes we even search topics right on the spot and try to get a better sense of different ideas out there.
Next, I usually go finish up a project that Amanda has already started, or we observe what other people have been experimenting. This is also a good time for tying up loose ends from different projects. Then, we start whatever experiment she has planned for me. I usually do about 1-2 steps each week, just because it takes a couple of days for everything to grow/be prepared for my next visit. I love the way this works because we go in order, and I am able to learn the steps quicker. She usually starts the steps and then lets me take over. It really has been a great learning environment where I can be involved in other employee's projects and understand how it really feels to work in an eco-friendly company!
I normally blog exactly what I am doing every internship day, but because this day was pretty normal and I completed some of the normal experiments, I want to talk about how my days actually fit into the whole of the internship. I either have segments from my book, or a specific science article, or just a really informative packet that I read every single week. I am able to discuss them with Amanda, along with asking questions, and raising new ideas. Sometimes we even search topics right on the spot and try to get a better sense of different ideas out there.
Next, I usually go finish up a project that Amanda has already started, or we observe what other people have been experimenting. This is also a good time for tying up loose ends from different projects. Then, we start whatever experiment she has planned for me. I usually do about 1-2 steps each week, just because it takes a couple of days for everything to grow/be prepared for my next visit. I love the way this works because we go in order, and I am able to learn the steps quicker. She usually starts the steps and then lets me take over. It really has been a great learning environment where I can be involved in other employee's projects and understand how it really feels to work in an eco-friendly company!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
My day was super chill in the labs. Amanda was experimenting with a couple of factors (shh! It's a secret!), thinking that there would be a specific result. It didn't turn out as she planned at all, but I realized that anyone there can just make a short experiment whenever they want. If someone reads a specific segment from a book or if she finds something interesting from a journal article she can start the experiment. There is a lot of leeway for new experiments, which really got me thinking about what kind of experiment I am able to do. I will be creating one soon for me to test!
I was also learning about the microscope with another employee. We were just looking at different hyphae, which can be broken down into generative, skeletal, and binding, which make up the structure of sporophores. I just received a reading over the hyphae so I will try and tell you about them next week!
Then, she just showed me some of the new experiments that other people are testing. I can't wait to start testing my own soon!
I was also learning about the microscope with another employee. We were just looking at different hyphae, which can be broken down into generative, skeletal, and binding, which make up the structure of sporophores. I just received a reading over the hyphae so I will try and tell you about them next week!
Then, she just showed me some of the new experiments that other people are testing. I can't wait to start testing my own soon!
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