Kirsty the Scientist

Hi everyone!  Welcome to my blog - daily posts chatting about what it's like to work in a research lab during my 3 month undergraduate dissertation project! With the odd bonus blog thrown in too!  I hope you enjoy joining me on my little research journey and share your own lab and #scicomm experiences in the comments!  Kirsty 👩‍🔬

It didn't happen - the lab has still not been moved yet... so after a quick meeting with both of my supervisors it was back to the computer screen for me! (and another few days of waiting and writing blogs about writing!)  I think my introduction is going pretty well. It has taken me a while to get settled on a structure I liked; taking all these disjointed facts and figures and finding the best story to string them all together with. Today I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far. Today I was also thinking a little bit about what jobs and careers will suit me (either this is insightful and reflective or this is a sign of the writing craziness setting in...). Coming up to the end of this degree also marks my introduction into the real world. Unsupported by school and the family home or university and the student loan - out on my own, for real this time. So much of choosing a career is based around the kind of life you want to live and the environment you want ...

It's a very weird and interesting to be working on such a specific topic that it has barely any search results! And all the authors you find are the same people over and over, including your supervisors! It shows you the odd specificity and specialty level we're working at...

I'm a procrastinator, I'll put my hands up and admit it! Not all the time, but if I need to write something that I really want to get right, I will procrastinate like nobody's business!  And its even more tricky when you're writing about a subject that is brand new to you, for the expert in this subject! 

Because the lab has not moved yet (the lab I'm working in is relocating), this week will be a reading/writing week; so today I've been to see both of my professors/supervisors to make sure I'm on the right page with the aim of my project. I've been given another bunch of papers to read - in addition to the 6 papers I read over Christmas!  Over the next couple of days, I need to put together ~1000 word introduction draft, describing previous research that has lead to this point and why we're bothering looking into this subject in the first place.  Wish me luck!