winding down

Work in the lab is coming to a close. I have a talk tomorrow at a lab meeting that will sum up the work I've done in the past ten weeks. In doing the confocal microscopy, I may have come across a new mechanism by which a drug kills off the Plasmodium parasite. I will do some more experiments this week to make sure it isn't an artefact.

Last week, Russ, a Fulbright student from Minnesota, joined the lab. I've been showing him around Melbourne (he got a tour of the pubs and a beer tasting the first day) and helping him find a place to live. It's strange that now I'm able to do that when only a couple months ago I was in his shoes. As part of this tour of the area, Ming, one of my coworkers, Russ, two other friends, and I went to Wilson's Promontory this weekend. It's the southernmost point of mainland Australia and consists of massive granite boulders perched in precarious positions on beaches and hilltops. We camped out on a secluded beach, got sniffed at by a local wallaby, and enjoyed a spectacular sunset. The next day, we took light packs and hiked to South Point to really be at the south of the continent. What we didn't fully realize was that it was a long way away. By the time we arrived at the point, we were pretty tired, and still had maybe 10 miles to go back. But we kept going back through meadows of grass trees and eucalyptus forests to the campsite and then to the car. We fixed our dehydration at a local pub, where we drank many many liters of water. It was an incredible trip. I have photos online.

Update

Work in the lab is continuing as usual. I'm still doing drug trials but on top of them, I look at the effects of the drugs on the appearance of parasites (eg. their organelles, stage at which they die, etc...). I get to work with a confocal microscope. If you don't know what that is, imagine a large-ish microscope with a computer next to it, with four lasers, and a spectacularly confusing array of knobs, switches and dials. In other words, lots of room to screw up (and I have of course). But the good news is that I'm getting a hang of it.

Outside the lab, I've been exploring Australia some more. My friends and I hired a car and went to the Great Ocean Road and Otway National Park. The scenery was gorgeous. I saw my first koalas (up close, almost too close) and even the only carnivorous snails in the world. Since it rained a bit the week before, all the waterfalls in the rainforest were running strong.

Over the next month or so, I will try to get some decent data, pretty pictures of parasites, eat more juicy 'roo steaks (yes, they are like beef, but sweeter and gamier, more like horse) and get ready for my trip to Tasmania (last two weeks of my stay Down Under). It's good to hear everyone else is enjoying the summer as much as I am.