Jun29
Posted on Jun 29 by
Thanks to the pioneering spirit of GRAB Lab researcher Kristy Ta, we are moving into the age of video communication! I know, we’re probably a bit behind the game on this, but Kristy deserves a huge thanks for bringing this great idea forward. Now we’re expanding our social media presence and doing an even better job of sharing our accomplishments, challenges, frustrations, and victories in the experience that is chemistry research. Don’t worry, the blog will stay put, but you can also find us @ECGrabLab on Twitter, Instagram, and now TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@ecgrablab...
Jun29
Posted on Jun 29 by
Julia has made a lot of progress this summer in terms of her mineralization experiments! She has even made her own oven/water bath for these experiments to control the temperature in the QCM (quartz crystal microbalance)! She is having a blast working on this project, getting to know the other group members, and exploring different food options nearby Emmanuel College. She is very excited to continue working towards the goal of determining the kinetics of collagen...
Jun23
Posted on Jun 23 by
Kristy is having the best time in GRAB Lab for summer research – from starting 7-day mineralization experiments, to starting side projects as Chem Club President, and building the team’s social media presence! She has learned that sometimes experiments don’t go as planned but there’s no shame in restarting and seeing the experiment in a new perspective. Kristy has been having fun exploring Boston in her free time! She has finally been able to explore Boston Commons, the Public Garden and sitting by the Charles Rivers to soak in the sun while reading a book! Summer research has given her many opportunities and a chance to make some new friends and...
Jun21
Posted on Jun 21 by
Hailey is very excited to be doing her first summer of research with the GRAB lab and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes! Her plans for the summer involve assembling DNA origami rectangles for use in mineralization. (And she will be doing a lot of gel electrophoresis in the process.) She is currently working on attaching DNA aptamers to her origami and hopes to start preparing for mineralization soon! She’s already having a great time with research and looks forward to the rest of the summer! (Historical note. Hailey benefited greatly from the agarose gel electrophoresis protocol that Keith Baillargeon typed up many years ago. We’re now looking closely at the very thorough mineralization protocol that Jake Shlaferman put together a bit more recently. Thank you for being...
Jun10
Posted on Jun 10 by
It is wonderful to be back in the lab this summer working hard at experimental design, good lab technique, data analysis, and scientific communication. As Dr. Gerdon insists, the students are immersed in research, marinating their mind and stewing their thoughts in that next experiment. Our best ideas come when we’re least expecting them, probably out of the lab, strolling around Boston. Julia, Ryan, Kristy, Hailey, and Oula are going to keep that going through the summer! Kristy, the incoming Chemistry Club President, already has designs for updating some space on campus and for updating the group’s social media presence. Stay tuned for new exciting updates! In the meantime, here’s an early summer picture of the group. This one will live in infamy, but we...
Jun10
Posted on Jun 10 by
Ryan is excited for his first summer of research and plans on continuing research into gold nanoparticles and their effectiveness as biomimetic mineralization template. He is currently focusing on glutathione nanoparticle’s, working to attach PEG, DNA linkers and aptamers to the surface to prepare for mineralization experiments. Although research has just started, Ryan is already having a great time, and cannot wait to continue learning more about the research process! Ryan also recently got to join a group meeting with undergraduate research students across the country (via Zoom) as part of PUNC (Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative). And one local benefit of being in Boston is that Ryan got to rock out to Paul McCartney live at Fenway...
