Started my last rotation today.
I was doing pigmentation and adaptation (in particular, starvation) in fruit flies during the previous rotation for January and most of this month, but this new lab is dealing with neuron development. Still in fruit flies, but a whole lot of microscopy and larvae dissecting. Not to mention cell bio... I really need to brush up on cell signaling.
I've had no motivation to do work lately.. maybe it's because it's the middle of "spring break" (applies to undergrads only, unfortunately) or maybe I just want to settle down in a thesis lab and get started. I have a feeling that choosing a thesis lab is gonna be difficult: out of my three past rotations, I'd like to go back to two of them. So right now it's cell fate determination in zebrafish vs. evo-devo in flies. Tenured professor vs. relatively new professor. If this rotation goes well, it'll end up being tenured professor vs. relatively new professor vs. REALLY new professor.
On choosing labs, I'm getting mixed messages. My dad's telling me to go with a tenured professor; someone's who's established in the field. They'll have lots of publications in their name and they'll have an "easier" time getting funds, he tells me. On the flip side, younger PIs have a stronger drive to publish, since they're still establishing themselves in the field and/or are subjected to the tenure review process. Either way though... I know that all the labs I've rotated in so far have good mentors.
In a different note, I didn't realize how many people in grad school are older and more experienced than me; it seems like not too many people came straight from undergrad. Many have had at least one year off from school and have done lab tech work for quite a while. Others are in their upper twenties/lower to mid-30s, are married, or have kids already. It kinda makes me wonder if applying and entering grad school was a hasty decision on my part.
Then again, three years from now I guess it won't make too much of a difference, since everyone's going to have candidacy (hopefully) and working on their projects.
Rotations are exhausting. Must decide by Tax Day...
