Various thoughts
Jan. 13th, 2005 03:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarigwaemirLowell House, on the Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers
Heh, cancel what I said about seeing if I could skip lab tomorrow. We are in the midst of great events, my friends! Today, we tried a new technique, staining microarrays with SYBR 555 as a diagnostic of how much DNA has actually been deposited on the slide, and despite various comical mishaps and errors, we were generally able to conclude that the last print was unsuccessful because there's simply not enough DNA there. Now all we have to do is figure out whether that's a problem with the printer or with the source plate solvent and run a test to determine ideal print plate concentration...oh, so close to finishing the optimization! I know, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Let it suffice to say that we're coopting a technology normally used for gene expression studies to quickly generate rough genetic maps of individuals of unknown genotype. With a successful technique for genotyping, we can then conduct high-throughput studies of genotype-phenotype correlations, which in turn would allow us to test our hypothesis regarding the protein of interest. My project for the past summer and fall semester has been to help optimize the conditions and protocols for this new technique, and oh, man, we've probably tested every single variable that one could come up with and more. We keep running into new problems though, and I think we're at the final set of hurdles, after which point, we can actually see if we can build successful genetic maps using this method.
Anyway, I came back an hour late from lab, after a rollercoaster ride of excitement and disappointment, and I really, really need to study for biology. I probably should take tomorrow off, but I don't want to miss what's going on right now. -_- Maybe I can just arrange to leave a little earlier? Whatever. My biology grade is important, but it's not going to make or break my admission into grad school, while the work I do in lab will. >_>
In other news,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sartorias links to an interesting blog entry about G&T children, which I think several of you will find interesting. While I agree with its basic point, although perhaps not all of the details, there might be a few of you who don't, so feel free to discuss! I would say more, but I think I just spewed out everything I wanted to say on sartorias's LJ, much to her misfortune, and most of it was more personal reaction than any intelligent statement on the matter. But I would still like to hear what you all think, particularly fellow Hunterites, since the blog entry is written from the perspective of a parent/educator rather than a G&T student. (I know that most of us Hunterites are just "average gifted" students--a truth that one particularly appreciates when one is in university and meets many "supergifted" students--but I think our perspective is still legitimate.)
What Age Do You Act?
This quiz result is a tad embarrassing. I mean, I know I tend to be old-fashioned but isn't this a bit too much? Gah! And appearance-wise, I can pass for a 14-year-old. What a terrible combination. On the other hand, it would explain why during freshman year, there were about three incidents when someone assumed I was a first-year grad student instead of a freshman. Actually, it doesn't explain it at all, but it keeps with the trend.
Oh, in case you didn't check my LJ userinfo and didn't know what age I am, I'm 19. This quiz is nine years off.
Yours &c.
Heh, cancel what I said about seeing if I could skip lab tomorrow. We are in the midst of great events, my friends! Today, we tried a new technique, staining microarrays with SYBR 555 as a diagnostic of how much DNA has actually been deposited on the slide, and despite various comical mishaps and errors, we were generally able to conclude that the last print was unsuccessful because there's simply not enough DNA there. Now all we have to do is figure out whether that's a problem with the printer or with the source plate solvent and run a test to determine ideal print plate concentration...oh, so close to finishing the optimization! I know, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Let it suffice to say that we're coopting a technology normally used for gene expression studies to quickly generate rough genetic maps of individuals of unknown genotype. With a successful technique for genotyping, we can then conduct high-throughput studies of genotype-phenotype correlations, which in turn would allow us to test our hypothesis regarding the protein of interest. My project for the past summer and fall semester has been to help optimize the conditions and protocols for this new technique, and oh, man, we've probably tested every single variable that one could come up with and more. We keep running into new problems though, and I think we're at the final set of hurdles, after which point, we can actually see if we can build successful genetic maps using this method.
Anyway, I came back an hour late from lab, after a rollercoaster ride of excitement and disappointment, and I really, really need to study for biology. I probably should take tomorrow off, but I don't want to miss what's going on right now. -_- Maybe I can just arrange to leave a little earlier? Whatever. My biology grade is important, but it's not going to make or break my admission into grad school, while the work I do in lab will. >_>
In other news,
sartorias links to an interesting blog entry about G&T children, which I think several of you will find interesting. While I agree with its basic point, although perhaps not all of the details, there might be a few of you who don't, so feel free to discuss! I would say more, but I think I just spewed out everything I wanted to say on sartorias's LJ, much to her misfortune, and most of it was more personal reaction than any intelligent statement on the matter. But I would still like to hear what you all think, particularly fellow Hunterites, since the blog entry is written from the perspective of a parent/educator rather than a G&T student. (I know that most of us Hunterites are just "average gifted" students--a truth that one particularly appreciates when one is in university and meets many "supergifted" students--but I think our perspective is still legitimate.)You Are 28 Years Old |
28 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
What Age Do You Act?
This quiz result is a tad embarrassing. I mean, I know I tend to be old-fashioned but isn't this a bit too much? Gah! And appearance-wise, I can pass for a 14-year-old. What a terrible combination. On the other hand, it would explain why during freshman year, there were about three incidents when someone assumed I was a first-year grad student instead of a freshman. Actually, it doesn't explain it at all, but it keeps with the trend.
Oh, in case you didn't check my LJ userinfo and didn't know what age I am, I'm 19. This quiz is nine years off.
Yours &c.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 10:08 pm (UTC)Am off to read the article about G&T kids now ... stop procrastinating! =)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 10:23 pm (UTC)I would be, in her words, a "ordinary gifted child," so I can't exactly relate (just as you said). I agree, on the whole, with her argument. But I thought one statement she made (that really doesn't have much to do with her main point) was egregiously wrong:
Ironically, neither athletic ability nor physical attractiveness are fundamentally connected to the way a person sees and deals with the world. The way your brain is wired is, and there's nothing to be done about it.
Well, I guess it all depends on what she means by "fundamentally," but they are, I think, in many ways connected with how one sees the world! Arghhh lol.
Anyway, not too much of a different opinion, but those are my two cents.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 11:14 pm (UTC)Hm...I think I called it a blog entry in my post...yep, I did. Sorry if I led you to think it was an official article though.
I see your point, although I think the connection between intelligence and the way you see the world is a lot more direct than the connection that results from good looks or athletic ability. Still you're right, anything that differentiates you from the norm will affect your mindset considerably. ^_^
And now I shall stop procrastinating...thanks for nagging! Haha, I really need someone to tell me that, the Internet is too addictive.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 11:28 pm (UTC)I think intelligence definitely affects the way you see the world more than athletic ability and good looks do ... after more thought.
Anyway, I should probably go and do some applications or something productive. Although I did an hour of exercise since I last was on the internet ... exercise is fast becoming yet another form of procrastination, unfortunately.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 10:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-13 11:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-14 03:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-14 06:06 am (UTC)Meep?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-14 06:40 pm (UTC)It's from San guo yan yi, when they talk about the two geniuses of the age (if one has "Young Phoenix" and "Crouching Dragon" one can rule the world, or something like that--"Crouching Dragon" ends up being Zhuge Kongming, my eternal several-thousand-year-old-dead-Chinese-military-genius crush). XD