Week 11: The Beeginning of the End

Charlotte B -

Hi everyone!

This week got off to a slow start, as I was stuck at home with a bad case of strep throat. Luckily though there were lots of tasks I could work on here at the house. After lots of cutting, glueing, and pasting I finally finished making my research poster! I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I’m looking forward to showing it to my mentors next week and sharing it with all of you at the senior showcase!

Additionally, I submitted my final PowerPoint presentation to my on-site mentor, and she said it looked great and was ready to go! I can’t believe my senior research project is coming to an end. These last eleven weeks have really flown by. I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to work at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center. I learned so many new skills including lab safety protocols, how to do a protein assay, pipetting techniques, how to use a spectrophotometer, and Excel shortcuts. I also learned that honeybees are wayyyy cooler than I thought they were! My senior research project has given me a glimpse into the life of a scientific researcher and solidified my career aspirations in this field. It has also been fascinating to analyze my project on the protein content of pollens in the broader context of climate change. For that reason, I’m very excited by the environmental science research opportunities available to freshmen at WashU such as studying bacteriophage viruses found within soil or studying the transmission of insect-borne viruses.

There are several people I would like to thank who have helped me along the way these last couple of months. Firstly, I’d like to thank Ms. Merrill for giving me the idea that an internship at the bee research center could be a good fit for me. Next, I would like to thank my on-site mentors, Dr. Vanessa Corby-Harris and Lucy Snyder, for welcoming me into their lab. Their kindness, guidance, and support helped make this experience invaluable to me. Also, many thanks are due to Ms. Sanders for her enthusiasm in helping me stay on track. Finally, shoutout to all of my fellow bloggers. I have appreciated all of your comments and questions and hope you have all enjoyed your senior projects as much as I have! Thank you so much for reading and see you all at the showcase! 🙂

 

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Comments:

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    Kristen Sanders
    Great reflections! I'm glad you enjoyed your research with honeybees and I hope you pursue more environmental studies in college. Your thank you section was very sweet as well; I like that you thanked your fellow bloggers. Have an unbeelievable weekend!
    April 25, 2025 at 3:29 pm - Reply
    azumi_v
    Charlotte!! Congrats on all your hard work, I am so excited to see it all presented during the showcase!
    April 27, 2025 at 1:16 am - Reply
    Sophia DiPonio
    Hi Charlotte! I'm so happy you enjoyed your research experience and that you've found a passion that you can carry into college! I can't wait to see your presentation, hopefully there will be some bee puns in it :)
    April 28, 2025 at 9:47 am - Reply
    telsi_c
    Hey Charlotte! Congratulations on finishing everything, I can’t wait to see your presentation! I have to admit, though, I’m a little sad that I won’t get to read your weekly updates anymore. :)
    April 28, 2025 at 3:42 pm - Reply
    claire_s
    Hi Charlotte! I'm so glad you had an amazing research experience and discovered a new interest!! I can't wait to see your final project and presentation!
    April 28, 2025 at 4:52 pm - Reply
    Charlotte Balla
    Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of your kind comments! I can't wait to see everyone at the showcase. I'm sure we're all buzzing with excitement! :)
    April 29, 2025 at 7:29 pm - Reply

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