(no subject)
I've already wavered several times in my opinion of how the summer is going, but I think I've officially decided that it's going to be amazing. Everyone in the program is pretty cool, and I've basically got the best mentor of all.
What I'm working on mainly is an experiment determining how much aversive memory to alcohol affects later drinking behavior and relapse. In order to establish the conditioned aversion to alcohol, I have to inject these cute little lab rats with ethanol and feed them sugar water. Being that I've never handled animals, I've spent the last two days picking up rats and practicing injecting them with saline solution. I'm alarmed at how easy it was for me to stick the needle in the rat (without flinching etc.). That was always something I worried I wouldn't be able to do which would pretty much rule out a medical career. I do feel bad when the rats squeak in fear at being picked up or poked with the needle though. I can see the terror on their face, but I'm probably imagining it. I always apologize and give them a little pet afterwards. I'm kind of weird.
I see myself becoming attached to the little rats though. They're pretty adorable. Luckily, I won't have to kill anything. But I will have to slice some brains of some other rats, so that's something to look foward to.
What I'm working on mainly is an experiment determining how much aversive memory to alcohol affects later drinking behavior and relapse. In order to establish the conditioned aversion to alcohol, I have to inject these cute little lab rats with ethanol and feed them sugar water. Being that I've never handled animals, I've spent the last two days picking up rats and practicing injecting them with saline solution. I'm alarmed at how easy it was for me to stick the needle in the rat (without flinching etc.). That was always something I worried I wouldn't be able to do which would pretty much rule out a medical career. I do feel bad when the rats squeak in fear at being picked up or poked with the needle though. I can see the terror on their face, but I'm probably imagining it. I always apologize and give them a little pet afterwards. I'm kind of weird.
I see myself becoming attached to the little rats though. They're pretty adorable. Luckily, I won't have to kill anything. But I will have to slice some brains of some other rats, so that's something to look foward to.