Friday, May 13, 2016

20.109 Taking Names & Busting Myths

*ka-pow*

DID YOU KNOW...contrary to popular belief, "lemmings do not commit mass suicide. During their migrations they sometimes do fall off cliffs, if they wander to an area they are unfamiliar with."*

Here's an adorable picture of what a lemming looks like:

Now that I've got your attention, I'd like to shift the conversation toward more relevant myths that were debunked during my time in 20.109 #enlightenment

1) I should only visit the BE Comm lab at the end of the course when I'm working on my research proposal grant presentation with my lab partner. Nope nope nope. It was only when I finally scheduled an appointment with a BE Comm fellow (shoutout to Bill!) the day before our mock-grant presentation that I realized how awesome of a resource the BE Comm lab was. Sure, Diana had reminded us during each of her workshops how we were free to schedule an appointment anytime for any questions about science writing in general or any 20.109-specific project inquiries, but it wasn't until my lab partner met up at 56-211 and realized:

- this consulting service is free
- they offer you a PLETHORA of snacks when you check in to your appointment, whether it's the "salty" bin that happens to call your name or the "chewy" bin that catches your eye
- THE COMM LAB FELLOWS ARE SO FRIENDLY. they have years of experience under their belts and know just how to point you in the right direction for your project


2) Bacteriophage are boring and don't do anything useful besides infecting bacteria. Prior to Mod 3, I defined bacteriophage as "viruses that attack bacteria, not humans". They're so measly that they can't even achieve their one goal of reproduction without some outside help (i.e. their host victims). 'Cause without host reproductive machinery to hijack, phages aren't much more than a protein polygon enclosing some genetic material. Our cathode construction module completely changed my perspective on the usefulness of phages and I have 20.109 to thank for that.




























*Businessinsider.com

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