Laboratory technology is new to me; I haven’t had enough basic experience to measure the difference between Brown and my high school. In my AP Biology class, I could not conduct certain labs because of time restraint, so I never saw the breadth of what my school has to offer. I am entering a high school biotechnology class, and with my mentality of college technology, will I be too ambitious?
I just thought, as I am nearing the end of the program, how much I take advantage of the Biotechnology class. I have a teacher who knows how to solve a problem encountered in a lab, a teacher who can iterate how the technology operates and a teacher who has enough time to answer every question. I have my own work station, equipped with my own pipettes and a centrifuge at every table. I get to work with students that listen to the teacher, ask questions that I wouldn’t have asked and are already experienced with the equipment. It is the perfect lab experience.
When I get back, I will teach the class what I have learned, and I will not have someone to ask questions to. I will be unfamiliar with the setting, and students will not be as understanding. There will be less of an opportunity to make mistakes because high school is not as forgiving as Ms. Hall.
I want to bring what I learned back to the classroom. So far, I have asked Ms. Hall how I can do research with limited technology and limited supplies—this is the first step and I am sure it is more complicated than it seems. With Ms. Hall’s help, I could improve my school’s biotechnology courses; I also might want to expand passed my own school.
That's awesome. Good on ya for thinking of how to do research with the equipment we have, and for wanting to improve the situation! If you keep at it, I bet you could make a significant change.
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