Hello
everybody! we are the three lab mice from Nanyang Junior College! we
are embarking on this 2-week work attachment at NTU and these are some
of the things that we learned today.
1. Safety in Lab
Safety
is the utmost importance in labs especially when we are dealing with
expensive equipment and hazardous chemicals. We have to wear protective
gears such as lab coat and hair cap.
2. Meeting our Mentors
We
are attached to Rini and Hui Yee to learn from their PhD project which
is the study on Transport of Sustained Release Carriers for Delivery of
Therapeutic Agents to the Posterior Segment of the Eye.
3. Hands on Experiment
The
three lab mice were put to a test after watching Rini's demonstration
on how to dilute a 10.0 microlitre solution using a pipette. It was
interesting how we have to be more cautious of what we are doing
compared to that of the experiments we do in school. It
is very intriguing as we are handling nanomaterials which are
'nanoscopic'. We also witness the real life application of Brownian
Motion with of Zetasizer which is a machine which uses dynamic light
scattering to track the speed of the movement which is proportionate to
the size of the particle. It was a very interesting experiment because
we had to take note of every minor detail such as ensuring no air
bubbles on the inner surface of the cuvette or scratches on the cuvette as
they will interfere with the scattering of light which hence results in
inaccuracy in the data.
4. Tour around the Lab
Rini
brought us around the lab, introducing us to most of the instruments in
the lab, such as the Rotary Evaporator and the Sonificator. There are
also fridges that keep things under -80 degree Celsius to slow down
decomposition of cells or tissues.
5. Personal Experience with Rini
It
was great talking to Rini and learning about her life as a researcher
and found that her keys to success are time management, internal
motivation and self discipline. Also, she stays efficient by maximising her productivity.
Overall it was a fun day! YAY!! End of Day 2 :)