I absolutely enjoy the time invested in mentoring. Interacting with students on a weekly basis, teaching them lab skills, motivating them to think critically, are very fulfilling part of my work as a scientist. I mentored an undergraduate Honors Program student, Manpreet Sahnan, in Fall 2015 and I am mentoring a senior, Lydia Petit, this semester. Both of them are excellent students with an eye for detail and an inquisitive nature about things around them. While Manpreet joined the lab with no prior microbiology experience, Lydia had taken some courses. This was interesting for me since I had to work with them on different levels. Manpreet extracted DNA from LEO soils and presented his work at the Honors College Poster symposium. Lydia is almost at the end of her project and is observing some very interesting results with respect to DNA extractions and PCR from extreme environments like acid mine tailings! I asked them to write a little bit about themselves and their work. This is what they had to say! Manpreet's pipetting saga reminds me of my undergraduate days when I first learnt to use a micropipette. Suffice to say that my experience was not much different from his!
Manpreet Sahnan: "My initial research experience was through an internship that allowed me to work on a project at Biosphere 2. I was really excited to get started on research, because I felt that I might want to continue when I graduate. My main educational goal currently is to get accepted into medical school, but the internship allowed me to explore more about environmental science and a chance to visit Biosphere 2. I really did not know what to expect and I was told that I was going to be working on a microbiology project. I still have not taken a microbiology course at the university and it was challenging to learn about microbiology on top of my coursework. Aditi had to help me by teaching me basic microbiology lab techniques and using a micropippete became a real pain. I would always touch something with the tip and have to throw it away. I finished the project and learned about the aspects of DNA extraction from oligotrophic soil and presented in front of the Honors College. I am currently working in the same lab learning more techniques and becoming a small part on different projects."
Lydia Petit: "I am a senior majoring in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Microbiology. Ultimately, I plan on obtaining my Master’s Degree, after taking a year off to travel. During my final semester here at the University of Arizona I have decided to join Dr. Raina Maier’s laboratory, researching inhibition in DNA extraction and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in metal-rich, low biomass soil samples. Aditi has been my mentor, helping me develop laboratory skills for a variety of protocols including DNA extraction, PCR, DNA quantification and Gel Electrophoresis. As my first independent lab experience, Aditi has been extremely helpful in not only explaining and demonstrating the protocols and safety procedures; she has also given me advice on to master these skills for the future. Aside from the lab work, this independent study experience has allowed me to use the scientific process first hand to identify a problem, research it by reading through scientific papers, develop hypotheses, and test them."