Hello all! I am now in northern Minnesota taking my molecular genetics class to get ready for summer research. I work in the lab from 8AM to 6PM isolating plasmids and RNA, doing tissue cultures, running PCR, gel electrophoesis, basically cool stuff if you are a science nerd :) I am having so much fun meeting other people who share my interests and learning and practicing skills that will be very valuable in my future as a researcher this summer, next year back at Oxford, and beyond undergrad. I am kind of thankful for the weekend because it has been a VERY full week. I am excited to start my project a week from Saturday.

While my research will take place in the Twin Cities, I am taking the class 4 hours north at Lake Itasca, which leads into the headwaters of the Mississippi River. I have been kayaking and hiking, roasting marshmallows, and am planning a long bike ride for this weekend. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I can't wait for the rest of the summer!

If you are interested, I have some more specifics about my summer research. I will be studying a very involved biochemical pathway that activates transmembrane proteins called integrins that are found in T-lymphocytes. These integrins, when activated, direct the T-cell to antigens and promote cell adhesion. The pathway that activates the integrins is really complicated with many steps, enzymes, proteins, and reactions. I don't know which piece of the puzzle I will be focusing on directly, but I assume I will be studying some sort of gene expression in this pathway. That means real time PCR and isolating mRNA!!!! It's rather complicated, and I was rather unsuccessful at doing those things this week. However, it was my first try, and I am excited to learn and get better and better!!!

Ok no more science stuff for now!! BYE BYE
Susanna