My internship is slowly coming to an end. There is no doubt that it has been a valuable experience, and I have gained a lot of new knowledge. When it comes to the biology, I think my main learning outcome has been in molecular biology. This is a field of biology that I didn’t really know too much about, and to be honest I never really thought it would be very relevant for me as my main interest is within terrestrial ecology. But as I’ve seen from some of the research in UNIS, being able to do molecular work opens […]
Anna – UNIS technician
6 posts
As we agreed on our midterm appraisal talk, Stuart has lately been teaching me a little more about molecular biology. So far, I’ve been doing DNA extractions, PCR and gel electrophoresis, and making glycerol stocks of e.coli cultures. Stuart is a good teacher, and lets me do everything myself. This is a good example of how well learning by doing works. Although it is a little frustrating in the beginning when I have no clue what I am doing, Stuart has been very patient and explains everything very well. Instead of just being told what to do, I have to […]
It’s time for a new update, although not much new has been going on in life as a lab technician intern. I still have a very varied everyday where every day is different! Some projects are getting close to an end now, for example the epic clean-up and reorganisation of the department’s storage rooms. Although it has been a long process, it feels good to have everything in order and hopefully have made the scientist’s lives a little easier! Another project is soon getting back on track, namely the seawater nutrient analysis. The replacement part has been delivered and we […]
Life as a lab technician intern at UNIS is varied as always! Lately I have been working with the nutrient analyser, organising samples and equipment in the biology department storage rooms, done some seawater filtrations and been polar bear guarding on a field excursion with the limnology (freshwater biology) course. It’s nice to get so many different experiences and I learn a lot from utilising my biological knowledge and skills in different fields of biology. As I mentioned in the last post, there is a lot of work needed to get the nutrient analyser running. But after spending a lot […]
(Photo: The nutrient analyser – the diva of the biology department) Hi there! I am checking in on my blog to tell you a bit more about my internship. After my first meeting with my internship host, Stuart in January, I was eager to start working and getting to know my new workplace. I started early February, and from the beginning I felt very welcomed, and am really enjoying my internship this far. Since I’m only preparing my bachelor project in addition to my internship this semester, I have really appreciated some breaks from reading articles and doing something practical. […]
Hi! My name is Anna, and I am a biology student from the University of Bergen. Currently, I am doing my sixth semester of my bachelor’s degree at the University Centre in Svalbard. Last semester I took two biology courses here; AB-201 Arctic terrestrial biology and AB-204 Arctic population ecology. Studying in Svalbard is an amazing experience, and I definitely didn’t feel ready to leave this place after Christmas. This semester I am doing courses that take a more practical approach to biology: AB-207 Research project in Arctic biology, and AB-208 Internship in Arctic biology. The research project I’m doing […]