And It Begins...
I started work today. I was so nervous! I don’t really know why…probably because I didn’t know what to expect!
I was up at 6: 15 am (!!!) I can’t believe I managed to get up that early! Especially only on 4 hours of sleep! Anyway, I reached Biopolis at 8:30…taking a 45 minute train ride, and a bus! When I got there…I was given an orientation and a “confidentiality contract” that I had to sign! Then I found out I am actually getting paid!!!! I decided that it was highly unlikely that I would be paid…but it turns out I am getting $450 dollars a month! Awesome…
Then I was given a tour of the whole building. Shown the pantry, and the bathrooms (which are really fancy by the way…) and given passwords to the photocopy machines and stuff. Christine gave me my office stationary…and password to the official email ID (meghna@intern.bii-sg.org for those of you who want to know!) and took me to my …ahem… cubicle. I also got a temporary employee pass that I have to get scanned everytime I want to open a door!!! Oh my God, I felt so important!
Then I went and met Dr. Derek Smith who is going to be my guide. Oh my god, he is SO cool. He is this British scientist…who doesn’t look at all like one!! He is a marathon runner…and BRILLIANT! I actually understood every word he was explaining to me! I had lunch with him, and this lady who works there…Anita. It was really fun!
Right now, I am studying the subject. Finding out that protein structure is INCREADIBLY complicated! I can imagine Ms. Padma teaching us the same thing…somehow it’s cooler when I am figuring it out for myself! I have PyMol downloaded on my PC there…and I can observe 3D protein molecules in that…it is quite amazing!!
Apparently, by the end of this internship…I should be able to build a protein molecule on the computer by myself! Don’t have a CLUE how that is going to work…but we’ll see!! As of now, I AM HAVING A BLAST!
I was up at 6: 15 am (!!!) I can’t believe I managed to get up that early! Especially only on 4 hours of sleep! Anyway, I reached Biopolis at 8:30…taking a 45 minute train ride, and a bus! When I got there…I was given an orientation and a “confidentiality contract” that I had to sign! Then I found out I am actually getting paid!!!! I decided that it was highly unlikely that I would be paid…but it turns out I am getting $450 dollars a month! Awesome…
Then I was given a tour of the whole building. Shown the pantry, and the bathrooms (which are really fancy by the way…) and given passwords to the photocopy machines and stuff. Christine gave me my office stationary…and password to the official email ID (meghna@intern.bii-sg.org for those of you who want to know!) and took me to my …ahem… cubicle. I also got a temporary employee pass that I have to get scanned everytime I want to open a door!!! Oh my God, I felt so important!
Then I went and met Dr. Derek Smith who is going to be my guide. Oh my god, he is SO cool. He is this British scientist…who doesn’t look at all like one!! He is a marathon runner…and BRILLIANT! I actually understood every word he was explaining to me! I had lunch with him, and this lady who works there…Anita. It was really fun!
Right now, I am studying the subject. Finding out that protein structure is INCREADIBLY complicated! I can imagine Ms. Padma teaching us the same thing…somehow it’s cooler when I am figuring it out for myself! I have PyMol downloaded on my PC there…and I can observe 3D protein molecules in that…it is quite amazing!!
Apparently, by the end of this internship…I should be able to build a protein molecule on the computer by myself! Don’t have a CLUE how that is going to work…but we’ll see!! As of now, I AM HAVING A BLAST!
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@ 7:20 am
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