My name is Rubi Grainger and I am going into my 5th year teaching. I was so excited to be part of the RET Nano community upon acceptance, and my excitement towards researching this summer grew so much more after completing orientation last week.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know fellow teachers and appreciate Isaias and Christina so much for their wonderful leadership. By the end of orientation week, I already felt so supported because of the RET program structure and so happy to be part of a community of teachers focused on success. I had a great time working on my first white board animation video project and enjoyed completing the minilab focused on sustainability efforts towards water pollution and can’t wait to use a similar (materials) simulation idea focused on natural selection in my Biology class. I feel I have already learned so much in just orientation week of the program that will refine my skills as a science educator and make a stronger impact in getting my students interested in the future of science careers.
I’ll be working in the Warmflash Lab this summer with my mentor Miguel Ángel Ortiz Salazar, and my research is focused on stem cell differentiation. I met my mentor last Friday and he showed me around the lab and I got to see my first stem cell culture. Since my mentor has gone to a research conference, today I worked with Cecilia, another member of the Warmflash lab. In just one day, I learned how to complete three important lab procedures: changing stem cell media for the cells’ daily nutritional needs, performing a passage to prevent the stem cells from differentiating prematurely, and simply coating the dishes to prepare for future cell cultures. I quickly took down the procedures step-by-step in my lab notebook.
Here’s to the start of another great, informational week!