Takeaway from October Lab Work

 Hello everyone!

For this blog I wanted to talk a bit about my thesis project. I started doing the lab work and my goal has been to complete the project within this month. 

It was fun thinking about designing the experiment, but I did need a lot of help from my project director, Dr. Polidoro. In fact, she pretty much guided me most of the way. I'm so very thankful for her expertise and patience when it came to designing the experiment. I've been in her lab for a year now and I feel comfortable doing a couple of the protocols on my own. But with being a bio major, I still struggle with some environmental chemistry concepts. This is where I've understood the importance in asking questions. Even if I felt like they may not be important or that I should know this already, I still asked anyway. 

So if there is a big takeaway for me during this months' thesis work, it's the importance in asking as many questions as possible. It is a learning experience after all. Doing this has helped broaden my understanding, cover all the basics, and learn from someone who been in the same shoes. 

I'm sharing an image of my samples in jars, dosed with pesticides. I'll keep you posted on my project in another blog!

It's all about the Mindset

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to talk a bit about my thoughts on the growth mindset. When I first read Mindset by Carol Dweck, I agreed with everything and concluded that I had a growth mindset. And so that was that. 

But I was so wrong in assuming this. Because I truly don't know everything there is to know about it. Recently, I understood my error and the value of the growth mindset. I found that I was quick to dismiss it and didn't challenge myself enough to see if I could integrate different aspects of it. 

I believe this led me to where I am today, where I've been expressing symptoms of a fixed mindset. It's difficult to pinpoint how or when, but I became weary of challenges, gave up easily, and accepted failures as defeat. For example, I didn't do as well as I had hoped on an exam and this brought me on a spiral of failure. My first thought was that this exam determined the outcome of the semester. It was a dogma of pass or fail. This was definitely affecting how I handle school, work, and stress. 

Recently, I've picked up the Mindset book and it helped me reflect on my assumption and how easily one could slip into a fixed mindset. So far, it's helped me recognize what I can change and demonstrate ways to integrate a growth mindset. I look forward to working through it. 

My takeaway from this experience is to not assume that I have all the answers and to keep an open mind. And also, to not be so harsh on myself and forgive, then move forward.

I'm sharing an image that helps me stay focused on what I want to work on. I wish you all the best in your endeavors! 😊

Spring semester (almost) coming to a close

Hello everyone,

The end is in sight! Just a few more weeks to go.
This semester has definitely been a challenging one. I'm sure you all are facing your own challenges or as I call them, "bumps in the road" amidst the current situation. I want to reassure you that it is okay. You are not alone, we will get through this. Just be sure to reach out for resources or to others to help you and your loved ones through this.
I deeply miss how life was before. Especially working in the lab, so I would like to share some photos of the SWAT lab team. I'm hopeful for a future where we can get back to work on assessing the human health impacts of organic contaminants found in water systems.
For now, I'm thankful for the experiences and good company I had at ASU.

Photo credit to Jasmine 😊

Good luck with finals! And stay safe. 🌻

Online and Social Distancing

Hello everyone,

So many changes have occurred in the last few weeks. I hope you are all adjusting well and stay safe by practicing social distance as well as regular hygiene.

Online classes have been the biggest hurdle for me. I've never liked it and preferred being face to face with my peers and professors. I miss talking and learning from and about people, as well as sharing our ideas. It takes me more time to learn concepts when I'm reading them to myself. I learn by someone explaining and giving examples then challenging me by asking questions. I don't know if others feel the same, but I guess Zoom will suffice for now.

It's interesting how a college education can help better understand the complexities of the pathogen we're facing today. Everything I learned from Bio 181 to genetics is helping me understand this. I'm sure you all feel the same about what you've learned through your educational experience.
These are incredibly difficult times and I hope everyone is taking extra precautions. Most importantly don't be discouraged, life will go on and our educational endeavors will continue. This is a bump in the road and we will get through this.

If you ever need any support don't hesitate to reach out. Here's a link that Dr. Marshall had shared previously, filled with resources
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rPGbGSfnuwrwYNvMSQXe8u2TB6cV7gX-/view 

Or if you just want to talk, please feel free to reach out to me.

Moving on from Rabbitfish to the TSS method

Hello everyone,

The semester is in full swing, so I wanted to share a bit about the research we're currently working on in Dr. Polidoro's toxicology lab. Last week, we finished the last of the fish samples that were received from the Philippines. They are called rabbitfish and are consumed by the locals. The fishes are from nearby bodies of water, close to human development. 12 fishes were collected from 4 different sites.

Whole Rabbitfish samples from the Philippines (left), the tissue samples

 ready to be weighed (right).

Setting out the supplies for the procedure.

The purpose of the study is to identify any organic contaminants found in the tissues of the fish. This helps us understand the human health impacts that come from locals consuming rabbitfish. With the increasing concern of pollution in marine environments, I believe this study will help us understand how it can affect marine wildlife and ultimately those who depend on it for food.
I'm incredibly thankful and happy to take part in this study.

I also look forward to this next project. We'll be doing the methods for Total Suspended Solids (TSS). In this, we're using pre-filters that have been exposed to water environments. Through their exposure, they should collect any contaminants present. Since this is the first week working on them, I'm still learning about the procedure and look forward to working on more samples next week.

It's a New Year!

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful break and first week of the spring semester. In all, it feels good to be back. I look forward to all the new experiences this semester will bring.

 I mostly blog about the exciting science-filled parts of my research intern endeavors, but I'd like to also speak of the things that happen underneath the surface. These are things that we all may experience, the challenge that we go through to get to the goal.
I've had my fair share of troubles while being in college. But nothing prepared me for last semester. It was probably one of the toughest semesters I've had. I was mostly going through personal family stuff, that affected every aspect of my life. I was also afraid to tell anyone, so I kept my struggles to myself.
Coming back from break, on the first day of classes, I felt fear by just remembering everything that happened and how I had to go through it again. There was a fear of the challenge ahead. By being in this mindset I felt paralyzed, filled with negative thoughts of failure and unable to see the goal ahead. After sharing this feeling with those around me and getting thoughtful advice, I was able to change my mindset. Today, I'm embracing the challenge and using my fear as something to overcome. I know it'll be tough but that's what happens with growth. From my experience, I wanted to share the importance there is in having a support system, a group of individuals who can help you see things from a different perspective. I believe there's also significance in maintaining a growth mindset throughout our academic endeavors. I mean, we've made it this far, we can make to our end goal!

"You don't just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process" -Rupi Kaur

My Reflections for this Semester

Hello everyone,

The topic for this blog is if you could go back in time and give advice to your “first day of ASU” self, what advice would you give? For me, this is a tough one as well as emotional. Mostly because this has been the most challenging semester I’ve had. Things were not as I had expected them to be. Life happens and sometimes it takes you away from your goals. Thankfully there were people in my life that pushed me and kept me going. So here I am at the end of the semester. I did it, I made it! 

So I would tell myself just that, “you are going to get through whatever obstacle life throws at you.” To “appreciate those around you, when everything seems dark, they will help you through.” And lastly, I would tell myself “this too shall pass, you got this!”

I’m incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities and struggles, I believe these are lessons in life that I can learn from and move forward. It’s difficult to see that at the moment as we lead our busy lives. But it’s what helps us grow and can become a driving force through our academic endeavors.

I wish everyone a wholesome winter break and hope some of my advice to myself helps you as well.