For as much as I love learning about science, I don't have a lot of experience with understanding what actually goes on in a research lab. This spring I got to get a little peak behind the curtain, so to speak, and learn about how researchers actually conduct, well, research.
The structure of the class was such that various professors, researchers, and various other scientists gave talks each class meeting about their work and current research. Among other things, we learned about genetic mapping of the microbiome, how ultrasound technology can treat strokes, and how vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks transmit disease to humans - and how to stop them. We read several books: The Genome War, about the formation of the Human Genome Project; On Immunity: An Innoculation, about the history and current research on vaccines and immunology; and Mercies in Disguise, the story of one family's quest to find out what was causing them to die from horrifying neurological symptoms. Some of the books, in my opinion, were better than others but they were all intriguing. Each student also was responsible for maintaining a "blog" where we shared some of our own thoughts on the assigned readings and on various other research efforts being conducted around the world. Then, at the end of the semester, we embarked on a group project culminating in a "Microbiome Symposium" where we discussed various components of the microbiome (the bacterial "flora" that is unique to each of us) and the implications of current research on the topic. |