Lab life: Elegantly Simple and yet Complex

This is where the future is created. Like any of the world’s established and influential labs, the Rothman lab surges with groundbreaking ideas and discoveries. As I immerse myself into a summer of full-time research through the Beckman Program, it is difficult not to notice the dedication and passion of Graduate and Post Doctoral students in the lab. I realize, this is where every idea opens hundreds of possibilities, and every discovery leads to many new questions.  It is an environment for all the Curious Georges, fixers and thinkers to grow. And most importantly for UCSB students, it is a fascinating classroom that challenges and expands skills to facilitate growth into future scientists and world-changers.

Amid the buzzing of incubators, unpredictable hissing of the Nitrogen tank and occasional clatter of poly-styrene plates, our molecular biology lab team members undertake a large diversity of tasks to explore a specific area of interest. Experimentation is a medium to answer the developmental biology questions focused in our lab, but many hours of concentration are also devoted towards literature review, devising controlled and solid experimental designs, and critically analyzing observations.

Two Adult hermaphrodite worms use sinusoidal movements to move. They are surrounded by developing worms in various larval stages.

Specifically, our lab team experiments using the “elegantly simple” nematode called C. elegans. Although it’s so tiny, 1mm as an adult, the worm enables substantive study of development, differentiation and cell death because of it’s transparent appearance, and known, invariant cell lineage. My project involves studying a specific area of cell death in this animal to elucidate how favorable mitochondrial DNA molecules are inherited. To study this biological question, we will use elements of chemistry and genetics, reminding me that all fields are very interdisciplinary now.  I’ve learned so many fascinating molecular biology and worm techniques like how a probe binding to a specific DNA segment is indicated by a light signal used to quantify DNA levels, a process called qPCR; or how crossing different strains of worms can create a new genotype removing entire mutations from the gene pool. I’ve also learned scientific inquiry and thinking open-mindedly will make any unexpected result, not a failure, but a new opportunity to approach the same experiment in another way.

But, this new knowledge, growth and special experience as a young scientist would not be possible without the tremendous guidance I’ve received from Professor Rothman and my mentor, Sagen Peterson.  The interactions with and guidance I’ve received from experienced lab members, have made them not just the respectable scientists and troubleshooting “go-to-guys”, but friends with whom I share a passion for scientific curiosity and molecular biology. While we joke about cloning Super-worms at lab meeting, or “picking the best males” (from a plate of worms), the hard work of a researcher is not to be undermined. I’m grateful to the Beckman Program for providing this amazing opportunity and I’ve enjoyed the first month of it, learning and applying research skills to explore the mitochondrial DNA inheritance project.  I’m enthusiastic to learn more biological techniques, motivated to understand the mitochondrial DNA selection mechanism, and eager to delve into the beautiful world of molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Perhaps, in this way, the future, with a greater understanding of mitochondrial DNA inheritance, will be created.