FINAL PROJECT: Abstract and Reader's Reponse > Fushman Biochemistry Laboratory Instructional Manual

Abstract:

In my experience at the Fushman Biochemistry Lab, it takes 2-3 months of training before one can get truly comfortable with the equipment used here. With relatively high turnover rate of undergraduate students at the lab and the limited amount of time they have at the lab, 2 to 3 months is a significant amount of time used up before some of these researchers can begin to choose a project to work on. This manual will provide comprehensive and clear instructions for equipment/databases used in the lab that does not necessarily have instructions conducive for new lab researchers (i.e. some of the language used is relatively confusing or vague without proper experience with the equipment beforehand). Tips on how to use the equipment from graduate students who’ve had experience with this equipment for a couple years will also be included; there will also be explanations to clarify the molecular importance for some experimental steps or chemicals used in the lab. Finally, there will also be an introduction that goes into depth on the research done in the lab regarding ubiquitin, ubiquitination and ubiquitin-like proteins. This intro will touch on the biochemical processes that we use to obtain data, bring up past examples of articles published under this research and make a connection to medical research. This is meant to help new researchers understand the advanced material faster as well as spark any potential ideas they may want to take on in terms of projects at the lab.

WC: 247

Response:
I understand the use of such a manual, but perhaps there’s some importance to the amount of time it takes to learn to use the equipment at the lab. A manual can only do so much; those couple of months can still be made up for (it’s really not that much time over the long the run).

----UPDATE----
No Change to thesis/problem statement

Voice: Objective feeling of instructional manual/protocol, but change to informal feel of article in introduction of concepts

Citation: APA citation bibliography, but some referral links as well
December 11, 2018 | Unregistered CommenterLL