It’s hard to believe that only 2 days have passed since the start of SSP. From the minute we arrived, we hit the ground running with long lectures and even less sleep. Day 2 was no exception.
After an early breakfast, we began the day with classroom activities involving bioinformatics and a lecture on recombinant DNA and plasmids. Here we were first introduced to the program MOE, which word on the street says will be the torment of all SSPers for the next couple weeks. Once we finished our assignments we headed over to the lab to check if our bacterial cultures successfully developed with the plasmids. To say some were disappointed with their outcomes would be to say the least.
The afternoon consisted of similar activities as the morning with a lecture followed by lab projects. As Dr. Das simply put, lectures after lunch are a dangerous recipe for an in-class nap. Watch where you take a nap, or you might just end up on the BioPur meme page.
Perhaps the pinnacle of the night was the final lab session after dinner. After being introduced to our second assignment, we eagerly dove head first into the project in a naive attempt to finish it early. Fast forward to the end of the session and all of us were defeatedly crowding around the lab trying to see if someone finally understood how to complete the project.
All in all, my time at SSP has been a blast in just 2 days. Despite the rigorous schedule of the program, the friendships and community that have already been built make overcoming these challenges just a little bit easier. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us at SSP.
Hi, I’m Phillip and an incoming senior from Kansas City. I love playing lacrosse and soccer and watching movies and shows. My favorite show right now is Stranger Things.
