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.
No comments:
Post a Comment