I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would give some short updates.
My first-ish week here has been amazing to say the least! In the lab, I have worked with Fateh counting nematodes. I helped set up an experiment with Elfinesh that included inoculating wheat seeds with Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium pseudograminearum. Today we are watering the plants in the growth room. On my own, I've been scanning the roots of grown wheat plants. There is a special software that then analyzes the roots and calculates things like root length, surface area, the number of tips, the number of forks etc. That data will be linked with the nematode count to see if there is a correlation.
Yesterday I was able to go to the fields where they are testing new varieties of wheat. I even met the director in charge of CIMMYT's global wheat program. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable, as you would guess. After talking with him and a Ph.D. student from Texas A&M I've started looking into plant breeding as a possible career--its future looks promising! On a side note, I've lost track of how many times people have asked me if I am a Ph.D. student or where I am studying. I've stopped saying "I just graduated high school," and simply say "I'm a freshman at Iowa State."
Outside of work, Fateh, Elfinesh, Omar and I have spent many nights going to the city and cooking. Fateh is an excellent cook and has made many delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean meals. I've been taking notes and hope to repeat them back in America. Just last night, Fateh, Elfinesh, Omar, Katerina (she is a nematologist from the Czech Republic that is visiting for a couple days) and I went to a park and had a BBQ. It was nice to sit, eat and talk at a table where everyone is from a different country--truly a remarkable experience. This morning we said goodbye to Fateh. He finished counting and is headed back to Belgium where he will continue his work on his Ph.D. I wish him the best of luck in his research and life.
Ramadan starts on Saturday. This means the place where eat lunch every day will be closed for one month. I believe a lot of PB&Js are in my future.
No comments:
Post a Comment