The purpose of today's tasks are mostly to catch up...
Last week, I was assigned another Western Protocol. These are involved, multiple-day processes where detail orientation and a strict adherence to the guidelines are essential. Unfortunately, I managed to incorrectly complete Day 1, rendering Day 2's efforts useless. Boss says that I'm still within the learning curve, and that as a scientist she's used to disappointment. Translation? "GET IT RIGHT!" Today she's absent from the lab, so I'm 100% FOCUSED on making her proud. So far so good. We'll see how that turns out tomorrow...
Also, today I cleaned out all the rat cages. Some might consider this task inhumane... for those assigned to it. But I enjoy this opportunity to check on the baby rats, as well as a challenge to not lose any. Three of my litters are done with their maternal separations, and two more will be starting Wednesday. Two more litters are enclosed in a single cage, with both mothers. Because the litters are roughly 3 days apart in age, it creates an early life stress paradigm where older and younger "pups" are competing for attention and care. I was pleased to see that the younger pups have finally opened their eyes... rendering them much cuter and less developmentally impaired.
Got to run! The next step of my Western awaits!
No comments:
Post a Comment