Different Day, New Challenges

                I finally got the paper work done for the Honor’s Program, and I don’t feel any different. Although the semester is still a challenge, I feel the A’s in MAT 182, BIO 205 and lab, REL 245, SPH 243, and CHM 235 lab is appreciation to keep moving forward. I feel the ASU conference poster is almost done even if I did barely started on it today. I learned a lot this week. For example, the microbiology lab was very interesting. I, basically, took DNA from E. coli, poopy bacteria, and integrated it with a plasmid. The realization was that the chemical calcium chloride used to open the pores of the bacteria wall had significance to my previous class of general chemistry 151 and 152. The characteristic of calcium chloride was that at room temperature it was a liquid like water, and it became crystalized when stored in 4 degrees Celsius. The bond between the chemical and the cell wall fused, so the solution was put into ice bath. It left holes large enough for the plasmid to enter the cells cytoplasm and either integrate with its DNA chromosome or remain a plasmid. This plasmid had instructions for antibiotic resistance against ampicillin. This is known as Transformation for bacteria to recombine their genes as one way.

                I, also, taught myself to change an alternator on my vehicle. I am fitting everything into my schedule. This past month I have been fixing a constant SUV with problems after problems; thus, learning new things about cars and trying to spend time with my son and eager to learn daughter is a busy semester this year. I feel like the time I spend with my kids and companion is shorting every week. I countdown the weeks every month, so there is about half a semester left. I haven’t put much time into the internship this week because of the hectic schedule. The poster I, somewhat, finished seems to boring. There is too much words and not enough pictures. The average person spends 3 minutes or less reading the first part of a book before they read anymore. I looked at my poster and realized it something I wouldn’t read because it’s too rambling. I, also, haven’t been putting too much effort into O-CHEM. I would say this class is going to be either a “B” grade or “C.” I don’t grasp what the instructor is saying, maybe because there is a language barrier. I’m dealt the cards and I must play my hand. I guess? I read a book for a class called Bless Me, Ultima. A Chicano literature about a boy growing up and questioning life. The movie is, also, in theaters.

Behold My Weakness for It Is Strength in Development

I have been trying to enroll in my three credit course for the internship and Honors Program this whole week, but I have to wait for the Dean's Signature until then. Amanda, furthermore, assured that it will be okay, so the weight of stress was lifted earlier today. I, also, been trying to work on my poster at the same time for the conference, and the data strongly argued with my past hypothesis of my abstract. I thought the highest concentrations were going to be around door handles and stairwell rails. Chart 1 below shows the fomites I swabbed and arranged in order from highest to lowest.

Chart 1. The Bar graph from left to right shows the highest concentration of fomites based on average CFU's that were quantified by counting each one.

If this is my observation and prediction of possible concentrated germs, the student body on campus probably has a similar guess of where not to touch also. I realized that I need to further understand the variations of janitorial cleaning schedules, cleaning agents he/she uses, and the microbial requirements for growth in later similar experiments. For example, oxygen, temperature, osmotic, and pH are just a few requirements for agents to grow. I can, also, observe and note the area fomites are being harvested at. The elevator buttons on campus, for instance, had metal steel groves and some had smooth plastic glass like surfaces. Research the possible surfaces that microbes thrive in like metal, wood, plastic, and other surfaces. Although I didn’t include in the chart the latest swabbing of lab workbenches of the DB building, I notice that the TSA plates had very few CFU’s growing. I concluded that the result of these samples was low because the instructors always insures proper aseptic techniques like washing the benches before and after each use.

I look forward to swabbing the cafeteria tables with either josh or matt for further confusion. Bathroom handles and faucets are still in consideration, but the time being consumed has been for the enrolling in class for the internship. Furthermore, the poster needs to be submitted by next Monday before 12pm to my understanding. I really don’t like doing the “poster” because it is, basically, a lab report. The research seems to be coming to a halt, and the fun part of an experiment is over. On the other hand, the boring part of typing up the lab report or poster is of concern for the next few days.

I would, furthermore, recommend the Calculus the Musical in the Hall of Freshman Square. It was enjoyable if you’re a math nerd.

 

Pondering Over Difficult Career Obstacles

           I felt like reconsidering my Organic Chemistry class this week. I studied, for instance, a whole chapter in naming organic chemicals like alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes in one day before the test. I guess you can say I’m a procrastinator, but this classification of me has its cause. Since I work better under pressure, I feel the need to not study a subject that comes naturally to me. These long chains of hydrocarbons either a straight chain or branched chain, and they have a particular way of naming them due to their IUPAC approach. I won’t get into details. Figure 1 and figure 2 at the bottom is just a taste of the introduction chapters of “Organic Nomenclature” (Naming organic structures).

Figure 1. This is a easy one but wasn't on the test. The name is 1-methyl-3-ethylbutane.

Figure 2. The picture above was just like one of the questions on the test this past Tuesday, and it just said "Name the structure." I believe it is a 5-1-methylpropylnonane.

            Furthermore, I started a crystallization lab in with it, and I felt like I didn’t get anything out of it. On the other hand, I had another lab in Microbiology, also, this past week and got why there is so many different media’s like MAC, MSA, TSA, and Blood Agar Plates (BAP). I would need some help on this puzzling question. Where can I go for further insight on organic chemistry? Other than the tutors for help, for example, I would like a mentor in organic chemistry.

            Last week I received my acceptance to the Conference at ASU for my poster to be presented. I honestly feel nervous about this presentation because I’m not a person of socialism. I would have to answer questions from experts of this field of a Bacteriologist. I look forward to this experience as an introduction to my weakness of public speech. My project hasn’t change and I’m still swabbing objects all over the campus. I would say my results show microbes, of course, everywhere. Moreover, the highest concentration based on counting Colonies Forming Units (CFU) is on drinking fountain buttons, elevators buttons, structure building door handles, rails, and classroom handles. In order from highest to lowest number of colonies, respectively.

Red Eyes, Hungry, and Detached This Week

This whole week has been hectic. For instance, I always have a full day of classes on Tuesday and Thursday. The time is, basically, from 8am to 10pm at night. I, also, have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; it is, in other words, an easy course for me known as Trigonometry or Trig. Now, I have to fit the internship into this heavy occupied schedule. I feel I’m doing very well on both sides, in my studies and my hands-on internship experience in the lab. I started to collect data from last week samples, and started swabbing the elevator buttons. The location of each elevator was at the Dalby Building (DB), Hannelly Center Building (HC), and B Building elevators. Both outside and inside buttons were swab. Figure 1 and 2 below are just some of the styles and shapes of the buttons.

Figure 1. The buttons inside the elevator of the Hannelly Center and awesome LED.

Figure 2. The inside buttons at the B Building elevator.

I thought this trip around the campus was entertaining because spectators about to aboard or wait for their elevator being signaled were watching cautiously about my intentions there. Some even, for example, asked “What I was swabbing for?” and “If there was a contagious microbe, they should be told about.” I simply replied, trying not to laugh, “This is for an experiment, and sorry for any inconvenience.” I bet they compared my situation to the movie Contagion.

I, also, got some mycelium fungi growing in one of my plates that weren’t incubated. In other words, one of the forms of fungi I observed was fuzzy and black, and the other form is yeast. Figure 3 and 4 below shows two plates with similar features. Earlier around noon, I took some mold from a loop and transferred it to a slide for further observation under the microscope. Although, I didn’t get a picture, I could see the hyphae filaments that made the mycelium. Furthermore, I stained a sample of a colony in figure 3, it was a pen sized red dot. The results were pink rod shaped (bacilli) which indicated that the bacteria was Gram (-); The microscopes view was set at 1000x magnification with the help of oil dropped between the objective lens of 40x and 100x. I found the exact detailed picture on Google of the results in Figure 5.

Figure 3. The second attempt swabbing of rails at another location, and here are the results. Also, there are two red like colonies growing on the plate. Lets play "I Spy."

Figure 4. The nickel sized mold was black with fuzzy like hair growing from it.

Figure 5. My staining was very similar to this photo of bacillus. I wish I could view this bacteria under a electron microscope.