First Rotation: CHECK!

For the past three months, I've been working in Dr. Zayzafoon's Lab investigating S100A4 protein and it's effect on the prostate cancer cell line C4-2B. It was a great ride, with of all the scientific drama you should expect from a budding scientist in the room with a bunch of expensive equipment. I screwed up many western blots (a technique we use to look at protein levels), learned a lot about the scientific process, made some excellent new friends, and maybe did one or two successful western blots. :)

I have a lot of people to thank for making my rotation a success.

• Dr. Majd Zayzafoon for taking me into his lab and being an enlightening, caring mentor

• Min-Kyung for letting me use her reagents, data, and other information and giving cell lines on multiple occasions and also for adding sunshine to the lab!

• Jennifer for being a fun and entertaining benchmate, and for answering more question than I can shake a stick at.

• Kayiu for being full of humor, and lending us all the benefit of his experience because we were constantly asking him things.

• Niroop, who became one of my best friends in Birmingham, for being a all around great help the lab and friend in and outside the lab.

• Laurel, also a good friend, for teaching techniques without me even asking her and answering all kinds a questions while also encouraging me in the dark ages of western blotting.

• Vishnu, who wasn't even in my lab, but was almost like a second mentor. I owe him a lot for the information he was willing to give me and all the advice as well.

Now that I've completed my first rotation, I'm very glad to be starting my next one January 7th with Dr. Joanne Murphy-Ullrich. I'll be working on extracellular matrix proteins and cell death due to a lack of adhesion. Does the sound of that make you as excited as it makes me?

Entering the Scientific Life

Soon, it will be the end of my third week of graduate school, and something that I've been looking forward to for a long time is about to happen. I'm going to be entering my first lab rotation!

This Monday, I start doing real rubber-gloved scientific work in an honest-to-god laboratory doing actual straight up science--not just technician work, but my own mini-project. And, as if that weren't incredible enough, if my data is usable strong and I learn the entire project and write my own article on what I found, my professor will name me as a co-author on the actual paper for the whole project! As in: A real scientific journal, suckas! Unbelievable!

I was incredibly lucky to find a rotation like this, and for those who don't know, a lab rotation is like dating a laboratory for three months to gain experience to see how you like the work. If you're on track, you do three of these before you start on your thesis, at which point you choose a lab to stay in for good. So this is going to be my first foray into real scientific work. It's all about to start, so find your helmets and review your evac plans!

The Drive to Alabama

There's been a pretty long radio silence since I last posted, but that's only because I was getting ready for and moving to Birmingham. Since then, I've had some incredible adventures and visited some pretty awesome things, all of which I hope to address later on, but for right now, I just want to share the experience of my long, long drive. This drive comes to you in seven parts. That's right, seven parts. Ride with me as I travel the entire distance between North Carolina and Birmingham.

Make sure to watch them on youtube, too, with video annotations!

The Gift of a Mac

The most unbelievable thing happened to me today: UAB is going to buy me a Mac!

I received an email this morning from Randy Seay, the IBS graduate program manager at UAB, and he asked me if I had a laptop. I've been saving to buy an Apple MacBook, and since I was waiting for the next iteration, I hadn't bought one yet, so I told so. He quickly emailed me back and told me not to buy a laptop because the University is going to purchase one for me.

Wow! This is great news! Well, isn't it? But even though I'm being offered essentially a completely free computer, one detail made it slightly complicated: I was certain it wouldn't be an Mac. Remember, I have been looking forward to getting an Apple for years, and I've been saving up for it since last year. So I had a huge dilemma on my hands! Should I continue my plans and buy a MacBook, or should I accept the Dell and save $1,200 that could be used to help me get started in Alabama. I was dangerously low in my budget, and taking the Dell would solve that problem completely.

It was like being tempted by Satan in the desert. "Why don't you just turn the stones to bread, Chase. All you have to do is give up you soul!"

Well, I asked Randy if there was any way to subsidize the purchase of a different brand other than Dell, that I had my heart set on something already. He said there wasn't, but he did ask me to tell him about the laptop I wanted, so I wrote him back about the MacBook; its price, its features, and that it may be updated soon. I also noted that the real complication for me wasn't really the specs, which I'm sure Dell could have matched, but that I wanted Apple's unique operating system; those little and big things that make an Apple so nice to own and use. A few minutes later I got this reply:

"I believe I can order this computer for you. I need to place the order before August 12^th, so let me know if the computer configuration changes."

Unbelievable. I didn't even push or pressure, but just because they wanted to, my graduate university, UAB, has offered to do their best to buy me my top choice of laptop (a friggin' Mac!), and not only that, but the money this will save is going to allow me to enjoy a much easier transition from my life in North Carolina to a new one in Alabama. I guess that's what my friend Travis would call "Synchronicity". It makes me feel really good about the program I've chosen and shows me how much UAB is willing to work with me to make my years there enjoyable and productive. I can't thank them enough for being so kind, and I especially thank Randy for doing everything he could to make sure I got the best possible option.

A MacDaddy I'll be yet!

Diverse Graduate Responsibility

I've been a graduate of Campbell University for a couple weeks now, and, being that I am a graduate, I find that I now have a lot of responsibilities. I have to find a place to live. I have to make a budget. I have to get my health records. I have to get my balls fondled for a physical. I have to eat a lot of ice cream and play a lot of guitar. I have to write new songs and play the Wii with my little bro and also ride the Raleigh nightlife with my twin bro. I have to go on adventures. I have to laugh constantly. And I also have to read boring, dense, ridiculous tax forms. This is the life of a graduate. It's full of responsibility! I guess, along with my degree in Biochemistry, I also received a certain degree of freedom (with a minor in accountability).


I'm going to be moving to Alabama the first part of August. By then, I have to have my life packed in a suitcase.

UAB: Accepted!

I received an email this morning notifying me that I've been officially invited into the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Integrative Biomedical Sciences (IBS) graduate program. Wow! I just got back from the interview two days ago! My decision whether or not to join has to be made by April 15th, but I was very impressed by UAB, both in my research here and during my recent interview. Now I'm pretty sure it's where I want to go, but I still have one last interview.

I'm going to try and reschedule my Arkansas interview to this weekend so I can make a decision based on having seen both schools, but UAMS is really in for a hard sell if they expect to beat out UAB. This is great news!

The UAB Interview

My interview with UAB was fantastic!


I stayed on the tenth floor of the beautiful Doubletree hotel in Birmingham, and when I checked in, they gave me an unbelievable cookie.

We ate at the Macaroni Grill with UAB grad students, but the conversation was so interesting I could hardly think of food. We talked and laughed for hours.

The next day, I interviewed with five faculty members, and had a wonderful conversation with each of them, especially Dr. Lamartiniere, the program director. I could hardly contain myself! I must have asked those faculty more questions by a factor of ten than they asked me. I couldn't hear enough.

Near the end of my last interview, tornado sirens started blaring in the city, and I was driven straight to the airport after we were finished talking. When I got home, I was very happy about how everything went. If you want a more detailed run-down, click here.

Interviews Galore!

It's getting closer and closer to graduation day, and I am excited all over about it! But it's also extremely scary. This could be the biggest step I've ever taken toward an independent life, and now I have to worry about how I'm going to support myself and how I'm going to put my degree to good use. The worst part of graduating can be not knowing where you're going to go or what you're going to do.

Well, I know what I'd like to do and even where I'd like to go, but now I can feel a lot better because I know I am one step closer to getting there. I've been asked to come for an interview at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB)! I'll be arriving April 3rd and staying through the 4th. Wow! The neat part is, UAB will pay for everything: plane ride, my hotel stay, and all my food! What?! That's nuts! I'll be sure to write an entry about it when it happens.

That's wonderful news! And on top of that, just today I received an email back from the University of Arkansas of Medical Sciences (UAMS), and they also seemed interested in having me visit. I'll keep you posted.

UPDATE: UAMS has indeed invited me to an interview! I will be going to Arkansas April 18th-19th. Wish me luck!