I think the biggest observation that I’ve made from working in a lab is that I tend to forget the big picture very often when working in the lab. As a chemistry major working in an organic synthesis lab, everything takes very long to complete. Every step takes so long and because of this I tend to work on the same thing for a week or two. Because of this, I have the full tendency to forget that it IS a problem that I am helping solve in the scientific community. I also can’t help but get frustrated when I see my mentor working on three or five reactions in a day when I am struggling to complete one. If I’ve mentioned this before it’s only because Chemistry is a process-and a long one. But my mentor reminds me that the process determines the outcome and is therefore more important than I realize.

Why did I start my blog off like this?

Well mostly because of MARC. This whole summer I worked on a project that had me spend everyday working on a presentation that reminded me why I do what I do and the impact it is having. It was a good reminder knowing that I spend the good part of the day in a  lab without windows doing what seems difficult and redundant for a very good reason!

A small victory that I’d like to mention now is this-I have never been very good at analyzing HNMR’s. In fact, I am pretty terrible. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this, an HNMR is basically a means of determining the structure of a compound based on these peaks you see on a sheet of paper that can be in any location with several splitting patterns and levels of intensity. Artur,my mentor, noticed this and ran me through what was by far one of the best explanations of analyzing NMR’s that I’ve been given. I believe I am progressing now!

Which leads me to another thing that I am grateful about this summer- my mentor. Mentors have it so difficult. They are doing experiments, probably writing rviews, making weekly progress reports, preparing for group meetings, they are researching daily, still learning themselves, and they still need time to eat, go home, rest, AND they are working as your teacher. Maybe you don’t have a similar experience as I do, but let me just take this time to say my mentor is a superstar. With three projects and another student-he still has time to sit down with me and explain things that I often times can wrap my head around. Not only this but he also treats me as a fellow scientist which means that my work is valuable and that I cannot continue to make the same mistake everyday and excuse it because I am an undergraduate. He chooses to challenge me intellectually at any given time and still maintains a great level of patience. I remember I continued making the same mistake when drawing the same structure for three days straight-I can’t lie I didn’t understand why we were making this compound (you know, the cyclic guanidine that my ENTIRE work revolves around) and he finally sat down with me and provided me with all the papers he’d read about the methodology we were working on and he explained how my project began and its importance. I believe this is the best quality in a mentor-someone who wants you to do work but also wants you to have a DEEP level of understanding. I hope that if  I do become a professor that I will be able to be even a small bit like my mentor.

Moving on!

Recently, I worked on a swern oxidation. I had only ever heard about swern in class and I was so excited to know some of the chemistry I was being exposed to actually had some value in the chemist’s world! Let me tell you-working with this reaction will remind you of raw potatoes! Or broccoli, I mean the smell is so unbelievably strong! Anyway, I will actually be purifying the compound that I oxidized tomorrow so I don’t think I’ll be wanting to eat potatoes for a long time.

Well, I mentioned a bit of my general observations, appreciation for my mentor, and a small bit of the chemistry that I’ve been so fortunate to deal with-I guess I should end with some closing remarks.

For one, working in a chemistry lab is fantastic. If you ever get a chance to work in one-take the opportunity and take this time to ask all the questions you believe to be naive because this is hands on experience and it is the greatest form of learning in my opinion. Also, always work your hardest not your fastest. Finally, take time if you do get involved in a summer program, take this time to get to know the other interns-these people are truly amazing and I had so much fun relating to students like me on the same level where we can talk about our research and methods and actually understand each other-it feels rare outside of the setting. Also, people from other disciplines are also super amazing and learning what everyone was doing in their lab with their time is so impressive. It makes me proud to be a part of this generation.

Well that’s my two cents.

I remember walking into lab for the first time ever. It was as though I was in an adult version of any lab I had ever been part of. At first, it was the little things that impressed and intimidated me (This list can get long). Everyone was wearing their fancy dark blue coats whereas I was only used to the large white one that I bought at the UCen as a freshman. The goggles also were not all the same, it was interesting to see that everyone had their choice to be comfortable, that just threw me off! Not only this, but I couldn’t help but stand in awe at the fact that everyone had their own hood. I could only think about the fact that I had shared a hood with at least four people every quarter for as long as I could possibly remember. And don’t get me started on their instruments! I mean maybe they weren’t state of the art, but it felt as though someone had handed me a fork when i had spent my life eating with my fingers. One last small glory was the fact that I had my very own desk; this was a place that I could study, work, and do all that great desk stuff.

On a side note, the reason I mention that I titled this post as a whole new world is mostly because I feel as though I have had an identity change the moment I walked into lab. My name is Alexandra-I don’t really have nicknames. HOWEVER, everyone in the lab calls me Alexa, and honestly for a long time the only reason I responded was because I was the only female for a long time and I knew they couldn’t be talking to anyone else. (I felt like Emily in the movie The Devil Wears Prada hopefully some of you get that reference!)

However, working in a lab doesn’t always feel like the sunshine and roses that I had primarily experienced. I realized that with all the benefits, there were great responsibilities demanded of me. There are a few things I feel I need to share at this point.

First of all, mistakes will be made.

Being a new scientist in the field, you must become aware of the fact that you cannot always be perfect. Having passed my organic Chemistry classes with flying colors did not prepare me for the real world of synthesis. Your skills, methods, level of creativity to solve problems has to go beyond what you’re learning in the classroom. And also, I have learned that making mistakes are only ever beneficial if you choose to learn from them. With that said, the same mistake shouldn’t really be done twice. Maybe this is only applicable to my lab experience, but I won’t hesitate to share it!

My second hood since my first was given to a new graduate student!

Secondly, time is always of the essence.

It just seems as though I can never find enough time in the day. The other day I planned to take the day to study and finish assignments. I had only one column to run and I had begun at 9:30 am. Needless to say that at 5pm when all was said and done, I realized that I can’t always assume that my chemistry won’t take longer. I haven’t figured out how to solve this problem exactly but I have finally talked to my mentor and taking some days off from chemistry completely seems to be the only way. *tearing up inside*

Thirdly, frustrations are normal.

I love chemistry. I really and truly do. But, sometimes it just so happens that everything is falling apart and your compound decomposed overnight or you ran out of TLC’s and capillaries and you have to bother making those too and there is just so much you have to do before getting to the Chemistry you actually enjoy. Just remember, it’s all part of the process. Sometimes my frustrations don’t even have to do with Chemistry but rather I’ve had a bad day and I get seem to drop the thought. I literally just need ten minutes to step back and look at the big picture-I may be making the most minute and insignificantly small change to science, but I am making a change nonetheless. This is what it’s about and this should be enough to pick up and keep going!

Lastly, some things are sunshine and roses!

Honestly, the benefits of working in my research lab far outweigh the bad. Relationships with fellow scientists who know your name and know your work and are willing to help you learn is a great benefit. My mentor, who I feel can be really hard on me let’s me know that he is strict and demands perfection because he cares about my progression as a scientist and I believe it! Being able to be in a lab and watch all these various techniques that lead to the same outcome allows be to build my own style as though I were an amateur writer amongst great authors. My PI is also a great inspiration. I enjoy the lab because I see great work ethic. No one is coasting through and everyone is very real about their case. The honesty is helpful because it helps everyone progress with their work in a better way and I appreciate how no one hesitates to ask a question because everyone is still learning! This above all I enjoy. I love that I can ask naive questions and no one is rolling their eyes at me or laughing. Ironically, due to the number of cancerous chemicals, I find it one of the safest environments to learn. And honestly, if you aren’t in a lab to learn, you may be missing the point.

I suppose I will conclude by mentioning that I am a minority and I don’t see many Hispanic women in the workplace. However, to those women out there that are hoping to pursue a career in research that feel and are underrepresented in STEM, I would have to tell them that nothing is impossible and you just have to work hard and never lose confidence. Because you will fail, and you will be criticized, and you will do silly things, but you must always remember it’s about the learning and soon all the things you fear won’t be so scary. It’s not impossible, no one is an exception, and don’t compare yourself to others if you are already working your hardest.

Anyway, I feel it only natural to post some images of my little world in Chemistry. Enjoy!

My First Hood.