Jun's blog

Sorry for I didn’t update my blog recently for I was quite busy in my work. I just finished my viva and the long run of my master study, and feel released now. I really enjoy my master study this year, for I have learnt a lot and also experienced a colorful time with my supervisors and colleagues.

I appreciate the valuable opportunity rendered by the BMR course organizers, and I have to say this course is definitely a good start for those who are intended to go for PhD. We have extensive choices to get different trainings in different realms. In my first project, I chose a project with Dr Paul Kemp and the project is about microRNA and epigenetic modification. I learnt a variety of techniques including DNA/RNA extraction, RT-qPCR, mini preps, DNA methylation assay, etc. I am grateful for all the supervision from Dr Paul Kemp, and also the help and support from Amy and Jen etc. In my second project, I am very lucky to join Michael Ferenczi’s lab and supervised by Mike and Valentina. In this group, I learnt fluorescence microscopy and life time imaging microscopy from Valentina, and also more importantly, Mike gave me very precious advice for my futher study.

I am satisfied with my work in this year, since I have learnt much and also got a good mark. Good course and enjoyable time! Now I feel so excited to go for my PhD.

It was my birthday yesterday, and this was the first time I had a birthday in another country. But still I was quite happy. My parents and friends in China sent me good wishes via internet, making me feel like home. Also, I have received many wishes on facebook, from many foreign friends. I feel very happy. Thanks~The nice weather and sunshine have rendered me a good day at Sea life, London eye and China Town  . How lucky I am to have so many friends and blessing.

During Easter holidays, I attended HOST UK again, and this was my second time attending this program. I had a good time in Leighton Buzzard-a small town northwest to London. I was very happy to live in a lovely pinky room for two days, and experience a special Easter with Mrs Jenny Webb-a very nice and considerate lady in Leighton Buzzard.

Leighton Buzzard is a peaceful town, where you can see baby sheeps running on the large area of grass, and I feel very comfortable and peaceful there. I have been to church and natural history museum there. Quite happy~~~

Sea can make me think

Sea can make me peaceful

Sea can open my eyes

Last weekends, clayponds organized a hiking trip, 17 people joined. This was a really impressive trip, in which I not only had fun in hiking but also enjoyed a good time playing games with so many international friends. Here are my photos!

This hub was donated by alumni in imperial college, and for field research in Snowdonia in Welsh. Snowdonia is really beautiful and peaceful, where I can escape from busy work in London and listen to my heart. The mountains, lakes, trees, birds make me feel comfortable and happy.

This is the first time I do the poster. As I have said, in my master, I should write two reports, and accomplish one poster presentation and a vivo. Before the poster presentation, we designed it, thought what to put into the poster. It was a little hard to decide what should be put in, because there were too many figures and results. We have to put the most important things into the poster. Also we had to make the poster easy to understand and catch people’s attention.

One the poster presentation day, we stuck our poster on the board and prepared for the presentation. There were two examiners looking around in the room, and asked questions to the students, and then scored for the poster presentation.

I practiced a lot about how to present my work, and anwered questions with my knowledge to the examiners. During the process, I not only was examined but also learned a lot, for their questions can make me think something I had not thought. I think I have done a good work in this presentation, and hope I can get a good mark.

Big relief after a long way. After a 6 month’s training in the lab, I have finished my first project, and now I am starting to think about my second one.

These days I really have gone through a tough time, since I have been spending one month on writing my report, and some of days, I even only sleep 3 or 4 hours to catch the upcoming deadline. Can you believe it? I submitted my report only before 5 minutes of the deadline! It was not because I started very late, but for I always wanted to make it better. On the last day before the deadline, I spent the whole night reading my report again and again until the morning. Each time I can find some mistakes or something I can improve, so I reassure each part several times until I thought it was good enough to submit.

Actually the writing process was very interesting, because on one side, I felt it was like a torture to me. I “squeezed” each word in my report, and my writing processed quite slowly. However, I have to say I was quite enjoying it. There were mainly four parts in a report：introduction, methodology, results and discussion. After I finished one part, I felt quite happy, though the process was painful. Then I sent the part I had finished to my supervisor for revising. At the same time I began to write the next part. After I got feedback from my supervisor, I would focuse on correcting my report according to supervisor’s suggestions. Meanwhile I sent my next finished part to my supervisor for correction. So this was like a circle, which was very effective and efficient. I liked this work style. I always think it is important to know how to work and build an appropriate way of working for ourselves. Moreover, I liked to refine my own work again and again, every time after I refined it, I know it has been better. Actually I regarded it as an art work, so I was like an artist. When I refine it, I think I am inventing something beautiful.

 I have submitted my report, and printed my poster, hope everything will ge on well on Friday, when I will present my poster.

As a research-based master student, we have several tasks within a year to accomplish our study, including one 50 pages scientific report, one poster, one 30 pages scientific paper, one grant writing, one presentation and a final viva. Now after 4 months of experiment training in the lab, I begin to write my first report. I have to admit that it is quite difficult for me as my first language is not English. However, I am so lucky that my written English becomes better because writing blog frequently.

To write a report, we firstly read large quantity of paper to learn about the background of the research and finish the introduction part. For most of students, discussion and introduction are two hardest part. Because we need to read a lot and put everything we need in a logical order and make them contribute to our own story. Actually, for me I like introduction, because when I am writing this part, I can think more about what I have done, and why I did them in such way. And I think results and discussion are two difficult parts for me. I have spent two weeks wrting my introduction, and sent to my supervisor, and have taken less than one week to finish my materials and methods. Now I am writing the second most difficult part for me-results. I know that I can’t involve in all the results I got, since only 10 pages are for this part. In this way, I have to consider what to put into my report, and the way of presentation. Also, it is a good time to double check my data, and analysis them carefully. I hope I can finish my results and discussion in this week. And next week, I can leave 5 days for my supervisor reviewing and revising. I have to submit my final version of the report on 12, March, quite near from now. Very nervous. Hope everything will be OK. Though this time is a little tough, I have to say, I enjoy it.

Today I just found a mistake that I had made in my experiment. I was so worried about that and did the experiment again. However, the result was still not good. In other words, my replication of the experiment was not meaningful. After that, Amy (a PhD student in the lab, who supervises and teaches me my experiment) had a short talk with me. Though it was just a short talk, I had to admit that it sparked me and made me think more about myself and science. She said, when I faced a problem, I usually tended to be over-panic. In this experiment, it was unnecessary to run the experiment again before thinking about what happened. If I really had no choice but repeat the experiment, I should have just picked up some samples to test rather than redo everthing totally. It would waste much time and much money-it takes much money to get samples, materials, solutions. I totally agreed with Amy. Yes, I am too worried about something piror it happens. I usually push myself to work but sometimes I should wait for the result and then decide what I should do. Thinking is much more important than works. Thinking for one minute may bring more benefits than working more than one day. Do not do meaningless things, do not waste of money and time. This is what I have learnt. I think this is also very important  when I persue PhD study.