S-STEM Scholar Kassandra Barrera's Blog

Today we will be analyzing more SEM samples which will make us one step closer to finish analyzing all the pictures that must be observed. We all have been on a tight schedule so we have only been able to use the SEM every other Thursday. But luckily we will be able to go in there again next week to get more done! So far our project is looking good and we have been getting some good consistent data! I cannot wait to share with y'all in the future!

https://reunionsmag.com/getting-started/searching/#prettyPhoto So this week has been kind of slow in the lab. We are in the process of getting uninformed circular plastics the size of 1/4 inches. But we are waiting on some of our materials to come in the mail so that we can wait on our next phase of the project. As we wait for that I don't know about you but I have been studying for all these midterms going on. It was kind of a relief that the week we ordered supplies and waited that it was midterms week as well, so far I have been doing good. Anyways I cannot wait till our materials come in and we can get begin a new phase in our project.

So biweekly we get the chance to use the Scanning Electron Microscope in the C building. This week we were able to analyze the bacteria that I am specifically working with which is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We were able to analyze the 7 days, 14 days, and 21-day trial samples we have already done in the past,. Day 28 we already analyzed 2 weeks ago so we only had those three to analyzed. We notice very interesting results because in the days that were incubated longer there were a lot more cracks and break down of the plastic, which is what we definitely wanted to see. As of right now, we are headed in the right direction which means that we are making progress. Yay!

I want to start off by saying that if y'all didn't know this week in Arizona is Arizona Bioscience week! So every day of the week there is an event going on and a different activity. With that being said, Maria and I got a chance to present our poster at the AZ Bio Awards conference. It was very diverse, and we got to see many young students like ourselves that were able to perform our research to sponsors and biotech labs around our valley. It was an excellent opportunity for us because we got to see what other students are doing at ASU, UofA, and in the local labs such as TGen. It was a great conference, and they gave us delicious good.