To reach goals you must revisit them often and assess your progress along the way. Additionally, as educators and life-long learners, we must be open to sharing that progress with others and accepting critical feedback to enhance our craft.
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
June 29, 2021 at 12:43 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
One of my RET goals is to utilize new teaching methods to engage young learners. My students love making videos using Flipgrid on their chromebooks. Watching their videos truly helps me gauge where my students are at and where I need to take them in regards to the content. The white board video assignment has inspired me to create assignments that give students more freedom with their creativity in explaining science concepts to me. At this point, I am halfway finished with my white board video! From struggling with creating a white board video during orientation to now being halfway finished I am very proud of myself!
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
As mentioned in the huddle this week, my research project involves a lot of organic chemistry… a subject I struggled with greatly in college. My growth is shown by actively recalling steps, explaining procedures and perceived outcomes with my mentor. This repetition is helping me with my presentation skills and overall presenting the research with confidence. My lab had a team meeting this week and it was exciting to see my mentor, along with his peers, present their research and to see how they all collaborate with one another.
July 1, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Jessica ,
Wow! You are almost finished with your white board video! I hope I get preview… Glad to read that you get a front row view of the presentations during the lab team meetings. Lab team meetings are always a good learning opportunity. I too like to watch how some individuals present certain topics, you learn tons of presentation strategies.
July 3, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Jessica,
I am curious to learn more about your project. Let us meet at your convenience either via zoom or in person during lunch. Please let me know. Thanks!
July 5, 2021 at 5:38 pm
Absolutely! Will text you with more details soon.
June 29, 2021 at 2:01 pm
The specific steps I have taken to reach my goals have been reading all background material given to me, researching vocabulary that has been unfamiliar, and taking copious amount of notes. I am running 2 notebooks at the moment. One is for the RET specific material. The other is lab specific. The lab notebook is where I am recording all information about the research project as well as my specific lab project.
June 29, 2021 at 2:03 pm
This lab experience has lead to my growth in building my confidence in lab skills. I was nervous to be in the level of lab that I am working, however, I am feeling like I am capable and belong in this environment.
July 1, 2021 at 5:40 pm
Kaylene,
Glad you are enjoying this experience and feel right at home in this environment.
June 30, 2021 at 2:05 pm
This week I’m focusing on my second goal: Gain confidence in working in the lab setting on my own, without supervision. One of the things that scares me the most is to make a mistake when working on my own, specially since I do have to work with some equipment and gasses that could potentially be dangerous. I have been able to work on my own for the past two weeks and luckily this past week I was able to be successful on the growth of my CNTs– that was a super win for me because it meant that I have been doing things correctly.
When I was first taught how to grow CNTs, I had to make sure that I was talking very good notes on what my mentor was showing me as there was not a written protocol that we were following. By the third time we were making CNTs, she said I was ready to be on my own. I double… triple….and quadruple checked what I was doing on every step… I even came back a couple of times to the machine after I was done just to make sure I had turned it on properly. <> But, when we went to the Scanning Electron Microscope, my mentor turned everything off, and as we were walking out the door… she said, wait, and she walked back and she double checked to make sure she turned off everything properly… I felt so much better! I’m not the only one!
This week I feel a lot better and i know I just have to trust myself and ask questions when there is something that I don’t understand… and reassure myself that its ok to double.. and triple… and quadruple check my work.
July 3, 2021 at 4:32 pm
Wow! That’s so great Mariana. Which method you were using to grow CNT? Just curious.
July 5, 2021 at 1:35 pm
We are first saturating our carbon paper with a Nickel solution and then we put it in a furnace that has Hydrogen and Nitrogen gasses and Acetylene. The process takes about 5-6 hours once its on the furnace. What are you working on Usha?
July 8, 2021 at 5:38 pm
I am working on CNT characterization and the role of pH on SWCNT. So I was curious to know how to grow these CNTs. Interesting and thank you for sharing.
June 30, 2021 at 5:02 pm
I think so far I have worked a little on all my goals. I have set up my blog. I am making sure to take pictures of my experiences so I can create visually appealing posts. I have also asked more questions and had a good deal of input into my research. My last goal was to have a better understanding of the chemistry and other topics covered. I feel like I learn several things every day.
I feel the lab experience is helping me become more organized, self-start more easily, and adapt. Figuring out something simple like a way to hold electrodes exactly 1 cm apart has been challenging but fun. Also, my first run was a failure, but I am using it to see what we can expect once I reset and run my next trial correctly.
July 2, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Your blog looked really cool. I know you mentioned you were using Canva… I LOVE CANVA TOO!!! My students have been using it for the past two years for virtual posters!
July 10, 2021 at 6:37 pm
Thanks. I am new to blogging but Canva has made it easier. It’s great for virtual posters and makes everything pretty.
June 30, 2021 at 6:16 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
Concerning my goals, this week I worked on gaining knowledge of what my research will be about. I took a ton of notes and pictures on machines and procedures that I will be doing. I also asked many questions to help me learn what we are doing and what Boron Nitride Nanotubes are about. Following up with Youtube videos and web searches help me get a handle on the subject material and what is going on.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth? I feel like I am going back and learning what a students experience is like. Not knowing much, this is a time to learn to learn again. The content knowledge I am learning is awesome.
Living the life long learner dream.
July 1, 2021 at 5:06 pm
Have you found your topic to be difficult or did you have any prior knowledge before going into the experiment?
July 2, 2021 at 1:25 pm
I agree with you about having the ‘student experience’ again. Its definitely thrilling… I told my mentor that I’m getting to feel what my students feel when I teach them something.
July 1, 2021 at 5:05 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
My first goal was to record the data effectively. I knew this was perhaps one of the most important goal I needed to meet. I am currently achieving this goal by double checking my work, looking twice at my micropipette to ensure it is at the correct number and asking for help when I feel I need it. So far I have collected valuable data and some data that had minor errors that I had to go back and redo, but trial and error is science!
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
I love that I am learning all of these new lab techniques. I love learning how to correctly use a micropipette and all the little things that can effect a experiments accuracy!
July 2, 2021 at 4:07 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
I am starting to become more proactive and take the initiative toward learning as much as possible about the research that is conducted in my lab. Many of the students are very busy and as a result they don’t always have the time to monitor or engage a mentee for large periods of time. So in respect of my mentor’s time and schedule I am trying to learn more about his work and I am working hard toward asking him how I can assist with his work so that I can learn more on my own. I have also noticed by taking the initiative this results in less down time during the day and when my mentor does have time to check on me he has to spend less time explaining his work and more time toward conducting research.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
I feel that this lab experience promotes growth through exposure and perseverance. Being exposed to routine techniques and laboratory procedures in my lab is helpful in assisting with safety protocols. Being exposed to higher level research content promotes growth by challenging me to be intellectually engaged in my work. Finally, working in this lab experience promotes growth by developing perseverance and grit since I have to go through a process each day of disciplining myself to complete numerous tasks each day in order to achieve a larger overall goal.
July 2, 2021 at 6:06 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
I have taken a few steps to work towards my goals!
This week I attended a lab meeting with our whole Group. It was via zoom and I spoke and introduced myself and spoke about NEET and NEWT and explained how I ended up in their lab. It was really nerve racking but it went really well!!!!!
I have also been enjoying the lab time, the quiet and the space to be who I love being. I helped clean up for a lab inspection and honestly cleaning the lab and organizing the lab is great for me!!!
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
The lab experience is promoting my growth because when you are in a place where you are happy and excited to be there the possibilities are endless. I have been introduced to so many new things that it is great and at the same time can be very overwhelming. Everyone in this lab is willing to take the time and explain things no matter how elementary they might seem.
July 2, 2021 at 11:30 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work toward your RET goals?
This post will focus on my goal of “Immersing myself in the LAB experience”. On Tuesday I was given a task to work on at home, or as I’ll call it, my “Home Lab”. I was asked to build a prototype of the disinfection system using Blue LED Lights; and then build a similar one, but use the UV-C lights. If it worked out we could use them on Thursday to test a sample we could obtain from Tempe Town Lake (fieldtrip!) and see the results on Friday. I was given the parameters, the outline idea and some of the parts. I had a good idea what I was going to do, and a few sketches, but nothing solid. My mentor I’ve been working with isn’t able to work with me next week, and I’ll be working with a different mentor. I had some pressure.
I assembled most of the parts on Tuesday night. Wednesday I woke up early and went out into the “Home Lab” (my garage) and quickly cranked out the Blue LED unit. I took pictures of each step and measurements on my whiteboard. Total time was a little over 3 hours.
I then began working on the UV-C unit. It was a little different because the power would be coming from the tester (not batteries), it’s wired in parallel (the other in series) and I was going to solder, which is a skill I’m developing. After taking some measurements and cutting out pieces of cardboard and polystyrene for insulation, I took a break.
During the break I looked back at my pictures, put them into a collage and sent it to my mentors. They replied rather quickly and with great feedback. However, a few other parameters were included that changed the design.
I regrouped and continued the construction. I had to make a trip to a couple of parts stores but eventually got the design to work with the parameters.
I finished up around 5 pm and again made a collage and sent to my mentors. They were very satisfied and excited that we would be using the two units on Thursday.
On Thursday we began the day by obtaining samples from Tempe Town Lake in two 5-gallon buckets. It was the first collection for the two of us, and since, we’ve come up with a better plan. We performed a test in the Lab with 5 different variables (control; LED Blue; UV-C shallow; UV-C deep; 405 light ball).
Friday we reviewed the plating results. Unfortunately they were somewhat inconclusive. However, we have a plan for refining our research.
How is the Lab experience promoting growth?
I feel that I’ve created two units that despite a few flaws, received positive feedback from my mentors (and PI!), without a set of blueprints. It was process of using what I knew and combining it with trial and error tactics as I built. I’m also growing in communication. I’m communicating with mentors with completely different background and strengths, as we work and collaborate together.
I feel a lot more comfortable and confident when talking to my mentors about the project, and I believe they’re gaining confidence in me and skills I have. I’m working through productive struggles, individually and collaboratively.
July 4, 2021 at 12:26 am
This week I got opportunity to use analyzers and set the instrumentation parameters for each sample. The optical properties of CNTs near IR fluorescence was studied first using NS3 Nano Spectralyzer at fixed wavelength and then using Laser analyzer for microscopic studies, more versatility, and to scan each tube at the excitation wavelength. I was able to understand the peer reviewed articles better after some hands-on experience and I read the same article multiple times. Also, I was plotting 2D graphs using Origin software, which was new to me and enjoyed learning new things. It took a good deal of time to plot for several data for each experiment and to identify CNT species present in each specific sample. Most interestingly I found a lot of high school content and especially advanced placement curriculum connections in the experiment. My mentor recommended me to present the work I have done during the weekly lab team meeting, a good experience and opportunity to talk about the work. Overall, a very productive week and moving toward the goals I have set in the beginning of the RET program.
July 5, 2021 at 2:26 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
One of my goals is to be able to use the machines used in the lab independently. So far the only equipment I have been able to do so with is the hot plate and furnace but this week I was shown how to use the X-ray diffraction machine. I was also shown how to interpret the data given by the machine and its practical application. I took lots of notes and am confident that when the time comes for me to use it again with the crystals I will grow I will be ready. There are other machines in the lab which I am still learning how to use and I hope by the end of the program I will be familiar with them all.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
This experience is promoting my growth by allowing me to be more comfortable in a lab setting. I have not been in a chemistry lab in a long time and even then my previous experience was heavily monitored and directed. I had a step by step procedure to follow and as long as I followed them correctly the outcomes were predictable. I like how this experience has been more about exploration and experimentation. I like how I don’t know what to expect to find. My mentor has allowed me to look up my own procedures and decide what I want to do at each step and so every day my confidence in my ability within a lab grows.
July 5, 2021 at 8:07 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
One of the goals I worked on this week is the goal of becoming more tech savvy. I created a Padlet for the next 4 weeks to plan the work and then work the plan. Technology for me needs to be chunked into bite size pieces. There’s so much to explore with technology. Having a mapped out plan of what I’m learning each week helps me achieve my goals.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth? This lab experience is allowing me to see lab work from a student’s perspective. This is reminding me what I need to allow students to struggle with in my classroom. This week we coated a new PVDF membrane with carbon nanoparticles and PVA. We then reassembled it to test it out with different concentrations of salt. Before we could begin testing with 3 % salt solution, we had to wait until the NESMD got to equilibrium. The membrane started leaking through the side, so we had to disassemble it and put plastic protectors around the edges to keep it from leaking. Real lab work involves trial and error and a willingness to fail and make mistakes. Growth comes from persevering.
July 6, 2021 at 2:44 am
What specific steps did you take this week to work toward your RET goals?
My goal this week to is to become more efficient in the lab and take on responsibility. In order to achieve this goal I am reviewing the notes that I take in the lab and mentally reviewing the processes. I also am reading to further my knowledge of the brain and stem cells.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
Initially for me the lab was kind of stressful because there is a lot to remember. Each day I am maturing and learning the information I need to know to make the most of my lab experience.
July 6, 2021 at 2:24 pm
What specific steps did you take this week to work towards your RET goals?
This second week I started with the design of the hydrogels which I will synthesize and test the third week. I practiced creating a gel and tested the composition using the mass spectrometer (Maldy) and got more familiar with lab procedures; I was reading additional research papers so I can focus in my lab goal.
How is the lab experience promoting your growth?
This lab experience has been awesome and has allowed me to think of different ways to incorporate this project into my classroom with material readily available; I have now more ideas to make the school year more interesting and a great learning experience for my students.
July 6, 2021 at 9:53 pm
I have been thinking about the lesson I am going to create, is it possible to safetly bring lasers into the classroom. I am not confident highschoolers can handle lasers without trying to blind their friends, but we will definetly discuss expectations and lab safety when it comes to that time. I am not sure what parts of the research I would like to to focus on. I have some ideas but I am sure that as I do more of the research and understand it a little better I will be able to create something interesting and educational for my students.
I got to prep some samples for viewing under the microscope, it has been a long time since I was using a pipetter and had to do a serial dilution. It was not like riding a bike, and I got confused a few times, but my mentor was there to help and correct me. The sample slides I created were not very good. We could see the particles under the microscope but there were also a lot of other particles. My mentor was not sure why they were there, we both have a few theories about what went wrong. It had been over a year since he had made samples, so it was good experience for both of us (again not like riding a bike). Regardless it was good to work through all the steps and see things that might go wrong.
I made some new samples that turned out much better, and we were able to take spectra of some of the nanoparticles today. Some other good news is I have not broken any equipment yet due to clumsiness or misuse, and I am getting more confident working in the lab on my own.
July 13, 2021 at 4:18 pm
Rafferty,
You are so brave! To even think about using lasers with high school students. Good for you! I am jealous that you got to use the spectroscopy device. Your research sounds cool.
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