I'm baaaaack!

After two years of being out of the game, I am FINALLY back in a science lab! I cannot tell you how glad I am to be surrounded by the glorious disorder and wonderful odor of modern collegiate science education! It's amazing how similar labs are to one another. Before, I worked in a small, community college science lab in Florida. Now I'm at a larger, Christian university in Virginia. The labs are exactly the same! It's like returning home. From the construction of the labs to the materials used, it's as if labs are punched out cookie cutter style.

My supervisor, Dr. Offield, who is the lab manager as well as instructor for biology, embryology and Biochemical & Molecular Techniques, has been great! He pretty much made this position up for me just to get me in the labs. He knows about my experience as a lab manager and has given me a lot of freedom in how I organize the particular room that I've been assigned to. Typically, a student assistant, or TA, is assigned to just one class/professor/subject. My role is to keep the prep/storage area for the biology classrooms organized and cleaned. I can once again assume my role as the "lab nazi"...NO LAB FOR YOU!!! I will eventually be given more responsibilities as time goes on, but this newer room is in need of a lot of TLC which will take me a while. I will begin shadowing a senior who is the TA for Dr. Paul Sattler (the Bio/Chem Chair). The plan is for me to take on this TA's responsibilities once he graduates. I'm looking forward to meeting all the other professors on staff. Some of whom are nationally published in scientific journals and creationist articles. It's great to be rubbing elbows with professors like this!

On another note, classes are beginning to settle into a manageable rhythm. Research paper deadlines are beginning to peek their ugly little heads, so that will begin to make life hectic. Plus, the honeymoon period is officially over as I have taken my first exam. It was in Philosophy class, although the test material was actually logics stuff and not philosophy. The professor says that this first test is actually the most difficult of the semester. He introduces logic at the beginning of the semester in order to simulate a boot camp of sorts. Once the boot camp is over, things become a little easier. Well, I sure hope he's right. I just barely passed this first exam with a score of 100%. I know, I know, it's embarrassing. I promise to do better in the future.