Reflection of second semester

This time RISE surprised me. Being in the program for the second semester was full of new experiences that help me to grow as a student scientist. It was like a bite of everything. I met different fields of research. Also, I learned to co-work, because this time all the researches we made were in pair or in-group of four. In addition, I continued developing the writing skills, which were necessaries to write research papers as correct as possible. Those things helped me to have a better understanding about research and several themes of investigation.

We took various workshops about distinct research fields in order to practice and learned new lab techniques and subjects. The first one was about getting familiar with the microscopy techniques and types of microscope. For the second, we extracted our own DNA, made a polymerase chain reaction to identify a diabetes gene and run DNA on agarose gel to separate proteins in order to look for biomarker of the lysosomal storage disorder. The third one was an investigation about finding mycobacteriophages in soil from Puerto Rico. This one was a long one, but at the end was successful because we did find phages, which are viruses that infect bacterias and can live in almost any environment. In the fourth, the purpose was make fibers based on a solution using nanoparticles and then observes it under an electron microscope. The fifth workshop treats of separating protein using magnetic nanoparticles. In the sixth, we made a drug that could be ingested by humans using computers programs. Finally, the seventh and last was about testing water from different parts of Puerto Rico to know its quality. At the end each of us did an investigation with one of the mentors from the workshops and presented it.

During the semester one of the skills I develop, and I considered it an important one, is the teamwork. I learned to work in pair because each workshop had to be in-group. Also, the final investigation was in pair, so I had to write the paper about this research together with my lab partner. At the beginning, was difficult to co-work because each of us was used to work independently, but we started to communicate each other and all flowed as it has to be. At the end, we learned to work as a pair and we get how important it is. Teamwork is a skill that will be with us for the rest of our lives due to it is something that will be present in our future jobs.

Since the beginning of the semester we have to write, write and write. This task had helped me to develop even more my writing and also my creative writing. I had to write summaries about the seminars attended and workshops. Also, I did two research papers: one about the investigation of mycobacteriophages and the other one about water testing. At the end, I wrote a creative writing about one of the seminars. I enjoyed it a lot because I could write and create about anything I wanted. Summarized, I wrote a lot and about everything, which is good. Thanks to that I can feel confident to write any type of text with the certainty that I am writing it correctly.

Today, I look back and see how much I have improved since the beginning of the second semester. I had learned about several subjects for doing research and about distinct lab techniques. Also, I learned the importance of work together with a partner, which is relevant to accomplish a success investigation. Furthermore, I

improved my writing skills and developed my creative side. Finally, this semester gave me the opportunity of keep growing as a scientist and even better as a person. Now I have a background of research experience that supports me. I feel prepare to face new research challenges because I have the knowledge and practice to carry out it.