Summary:
Being in Medical Interventions with Mr. Garcia has been such a thrill ride this year. Not only did we implement the preliminary biomedical principles and fundamental knowledge we learned throughout our freshmen and sophomore years, but we also learned many new technological skills and concepts that are imperative to our future success. Often times, we would accumulate these skills through interactive Kahoot lectures and hands on lab activities. Some days we may enter the class to find ourselves thrown into a fun lab like the arthropod DNA extraction or the bacterial transformation with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP); on other days we may spend our time reviewing biotech terms and procedures using Quizlet and Kahoot. Regardless of what it may be, at the end of the period, we all get something out of it, whether it be laboratory skills or technical procedures. One of the very first projects we did was the Wolbachia Project using arthropods. Wolbachia is a type of bacteria that lives inside the cells of many insects and other arthropods. It is particularly interesting because it can manipulate the reproduction of its hosts in various ways, such as by causing only infected females to reproduce or by killing male offspring. Scientists are studying Wolbachia to better understand these interactions and to explore its potential use in controlling pest populations and spreading diseases like dengue fever. Our goal during this project was actually to assist a professor from Vanderbilt University to gain more database on different insects who could carry Wolbachia. First, we collected our own live insect specimen and paced it in a tube of ethanol for preservation. Then, we observed our specimens under a microscope to identify the genus and species of arthropod we had collected. Later we grinded up the insects and mixed them with supernatant solutions in order to prepare them for DNA extraction. We then used the extracted DNA to run a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to see whether or not the Wolbachia gene would be present. Lastly, we analyzed the data and my partner, and I found our insect to test negative for the presence of Wolbachia, which was then added into the university catalog for Wolbachia negative arthropods.
Deliverables:
Reflection:
Overall, this lab served as basis to teach us numerous laboratory technical skills like micropipetting, microscope usage, and solution preparation among other biotechnician qualities. I learned to be patient with the process because it spanned across a multitude of weeks as it incorporated the completion of many different steps. Additionally, I also learned to be meticulous with each step of the long procedures for this lab. For many of the different sections, it was important to be exact with the addition of certain volumes of solutions during the procedure and thus accuracy was a very important component that was also gained from this experience. Understanding why and how to complete specific parts of this DNA extraction lab was especially important because it gave us insight on how to obtain more accurate results. Polymerase chain reaction is an extremely relevant biotechnological procedure that is used commonly in laboratory research, especially when it comes to DNA and genomics. Thanks to the Wolbachia Project, I was able to gain experience with this technology during allowed me to be better prepared for the inevitable use in the future.
BACE Certification:
One of my proudest achievements as a BioDesign student was earning my BACE certification, a distinction achieved by only five juniors in my cohort. I believe that Mr. Garcia was very effective in helping my fellow peers and I prepare for the exam as we all had high pass rates. (Extra shoutout to Lewis Veras for being such a GOAT peer tutor for BACE practice)
