![\"jacob\"](\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/williams-lab\/files\/2017\/02\/jacob-e1486151675413-169x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWas the title confusing?<\/p>\n
I apologize for the forced Star Wars pun, but I\u2019m finding it hard to contain my excitement for the recent progress I\u2019ve made in my study of the role of Nfe-related CNC bZIP factors in oxidative stress as induced by MEHP. (That title is slightly rehearsed, as I just recently gave my student seminar on my thesis project to the Biological Chemistry Program). I have successfully completed the work necessary to surpass the point in my project that I was at when I learned that a great deal of my work would need to be repeated. I\u2019ve now been able to morphologically score Nrf3 morphants and Nfe2 KD cohorts exposed to MEHP chronically for 96 hours. Starting this weekend, I\u2019ll carry out a study that is new to me and was originally performed by my predecessor, Nancy Tran. I\u2019ll begin by microinjecting a group of embryos with a Nrf1a morpholino in order to prepare them for dosing and morphological scoring. However, before I proceed to discuss where I\u2019ll be going, I should talk more about what I\u2019ve completed. For each cohort that I\u2019ve scored, I\u2019ve prepared dehydrated embryo to be sent out for histological analysis, and I\u2019ve prepared flash frozen samples for transcriptional expression analysis by qPCR. I\u2019ve slowly but steadily filled several slots in a small cardboard freezer box with vials of these flash-frozen fish, and each time I\u2019ve placed one in the box, I\u2019ve gotten a small taste of the satisfaction of completion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a senior, and to be honest, throughout most of my college career, I am and have been fixated on moving forward. In this last semester, I look forward to attempting to get a job for next year. I look forward to completing my finals and securing my requirements for my major. I look forward to the next and final steps of my thesis. In general, we as a society view this sort of forward-thinking as a positive thing. However, I\u2019ve recently discovered that in many cases this forward momentum has stopped me from, for lack of a better phrase, stopping and smelling the roses. I, for example, often keep interactions in the dining hall short and superficial in order to move forward to my next goal in my academics. While some may view this as efficient, I\u2019m starting to wonder if it may be counter-productive. Maybe if I\u2019m always rushing toward some perceived exit, I\u2019ll someday reach the destination I was aiming for and discover it was a dead end. This realization really came about as a result of my need to step-back and repeat a great deal of the scoring that I had done last semester. However, something positive came from this repetition. I\u2019m now more confident in the results that I have been able to secure through this second take. I think I\u2019ve found that eliminating my tunnel vision for an exit or a point of progression could improve my performance as a student of science as well as my appreciation for the activities I\u2019m involved in. Whether I\u2019m moving forward or backward any type of learning is progress. Therefore I may just take a step back, make a few Star Wars puns, and reflect on what I\u2019ve done, instead of strictly anticipate what I\u2019m about to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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