Last night was the COSMOS dance. The food and drinks were very nice. Tiffany, Shannon, and I all didn't dance, so we sat at a table and played cards. It was still pretty fun, even without dancing.

So, this weekend is Parent Visitation Weekend. It was nice to go with my parents to Price Center just for a morning. We got a nice UCSD sweatshirt. =D It's kind of lonely now in the dorms, though. While everyone else was on the mall trip, for example, only Shannon and I were in our entire suite, probably floor, and quite possibly building. And right now we're the only two in our suite as well. In a way it's nice and relaxing, I suppose. No waiting for showers, at least. Still, I'll be glad once everyone comes back.

Mom and Dad, if you're reading this, thank you for all the food and the visit!!!

Good night!

Please don't stop the music

Whoot!!! Last night we had the Dance. It was crazy... except for the disfunctional music machine, grinding, and the monstrous B.O. Srsly boys... spare us...
But the dance scene is always fun if you have a bunch of friends. I couldn't drag Christina, Shannon, or Tiffany on to the dance floor (like teh Silver Bullet--*hem*hem I see a pattern here -_-). But at least I had fun >=D

I'll be home for the weekend so I hope the Cluster 7 people who stayed behind rock the boat.

Sayonara desuuuuuuuu~~!

Amazing Stuff

Today is the last lab with Dr. Vera, and I am very disappointed. He's a pure genius, and I've learned so much just by talking to him and asking him questions. He always answers my questions patiently and then points me to new questions, which is awesome. Today we learned something I thought was pretty incredible. I was aware that mRNA undergoes post-transcriptional processing which keeps the exons and removes the introns but I had not known the significance of this process. Dr. Vera explained to us that eukaryotic cells have an advantage because of this processing- it allows for specialization of cell functions and greater diversity of cell proteins by being selective. For instance, muscle cells may process their mRNA differently from brain cells to better fulfill their functions. Then this means a cell's DNA does not determine its destiny. Well, not directly. I think a cell's post-transcriptional processing is regulated by cell signals and chemicals... which are coded for by the cellular DNA. So the cell DNA regulates its own regulation... This is some amazing stuff. I am as excited as the time Lakers got Pau Gasol.

-Min Lee

Today is our last lab in the bioengineering part of this cluster, so it's our last day in the amazing high-tech lab with Ms. Green. We're running an agarose gel electrophoresis right now to analyze for wild type or heterozygous mice genotypes.

Yesterday was a good night. I ended up going to the Rubik's cube tutorial and helping out a few people. Later that night we got a nice warm Pizookie from BJ's and some good chicken burritos from Chipotle. Tonight we have a ton of fun activities. There's slip-n-slide, a picture scavenger hunt, and the COSMOS dance. And parent weekend is tomorrow. Lots of fun stuff... The activities the RA's have been planning this week have all been really good.

Have a good day!

~CS

Shoot for the Stars

I'm listening to Min do a Q&A with Dr. Vera. He's confirming everything I explained to him. I told him that the labs 8 and 9 weren't related. He seems intent on finding a link.

Anyways... water polo was fun. Rob G the RA dove in to "rescue" me and tipped me over. It was terrible, cuz' I had fallen, and I couldn't get up. Other notable events was that I threw the ball OVER the net, being extra excited to score.

Ice blocking didn't go as well. I had to scoot along like a dog after using the great outdoors.

Sincerely,
J.M.

Livin' la Vida Loca

Last day in lab with Ms. Green. It was funny watching her and Ms. Nicely argue. Ms. Green scolded a group for dropping their sample, but Ms. Nicely said that we were first-timers and mistakes happen.

Raizor Ramen: Positive attitude! HOOOooooo~!

Seeing parents tmrw. Wish I could go watch Batman. Looks epic.

Arrivederci

Jumping Hot Java

Lately, the hot (or iced) coffee area in Café V has been a favorite of mine. My friends and I seem to be increasing our java intake each day not because we have too much work at night, but simply because we have so much fun during activities instead!

For a quick academic update, the other day Dr. Vera showed us a NPR session from Dr. Benjamin Carson, the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Dr. Carson believes that "there is no job more important than parenting" and even though I didn't think of it first (I don't know why), I definitely agree. Note to self: must read Gifted Hands by Dr. Carson as a rec from Ms. Green. ABC actually has a new show called Hopkins which is a 6-part documentary about life inside Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. I've seen the first part and it was really interesting so I recommend this show to anyone interested in medicine or becomming a doctor, especially since Johns Hopkins is #1 in bioengineering.

Since I see COSMOS and UCSD students on Facebook practically every time I turn my head in the computer lab, I started thinking about my own online persona which I recently re-activated after I took my finals in June just to befriend other COSMOpolitans. In the midst of indulging the MnM's from the lab today, I realized:

0) It is much easier to cultivate one's profile than one's self. [Oh no, college apps!]

1) It is much easier to spend time on Facebook than doing other things, like homework and reading and cleaning one's room.

2) I miss coding in Java. I haven't opened Terminal since June 1. :(

Well, actually one of the main reasons I came to COSMOS was to find out if I liked biology more than computer science. I realized that I absolutely love this biology+medicine field, and yet I don't think I can bear leaving comp sci behind nor can I major in it. Bioinformatics isn't exactly what I'm looking for, but maybe I can still participate in comp sci activities in college. I still have some time to think anyways. [:

Off to ice blocking!

<3

PS - Connie just taught us how to cube up to the 3rd layer (for lack of time). SHE IS SUCH AN AMAZING RUBIK'S CUBE TEACHER. =D

spam.

I like M&Ms. Except we dirtied some tables today with M&Ms we weren't allowed to eat. That's all I have to say.

we just finished our m&m lab, it was fun, we even got to eat our data, today i have to finish two essays or homework or something like that....
ummm.... i am having fun and .......i have made a lot of friends..... i like it here a lot, i will be very sad when this month is over.

Aghh...;;

I have no idea what to choose for my individual project. =[
It's so frustrating!
Oh well - I'll think of something soon I hope!

The M&M lab today was fun, especially eating them!
There's supposedly a college/career fair today. I hope it'll be interesting.

We're eating M&M's and working with statistics.
The week is going really fast so far, compared to last week.
Uhh, so it turns our my parents are cancelling family weekend on me ;-;

Oh well. Were gonna watch the Dark Knight this week and go to the mall I hear.

uhh okay bye

Slam yer body down, a zigga~zig--ah!

Yesterday, I learned to salsa! Yay! *swishswish* We also ate salsa (lulz). My feet hurt because I danced barefoot. XD (I feel like I'm always blogging about where I ache).

Yesterday we also had lunch with Becky Hames and Dr. Tu at Middle Earth. Whenever I go near middle earth, I think of Lord of the Rings, but it is really just a lounge area (They should totally put LOTR wallpaper or forest-themed furniture).

Anyway, back to M&M lab.

Ciao

Yay, candy! It's for an educational purpose though. We're doing a statistical lab with M&M's.

So, yesterday we had lunch with Dr. Tu and Ms. Hames. It was pretty nice; I liked the box lunches (grilled chicken sandwich, Cheetos, cookies, and fruit salad in mine). I enjoyed getting to talk with them more individually, and it was nice finding out that ours was the most elite cluster (100 of the 305 COSMOS applicants applied to this cluster, and only 18 got in).

The activities that we have had and are going to have this week are pretty good. They all sound really fun; I'm not sure which ones I want to do! Monday I learned how to spin poi and saw the cakes that other people had decorated. Tuesday was movie night. Anchorman was funny, I guess. I'm glad I finally saw it; I've heard people talk about it many times without knowing what it was about. Yesterday I made a friendship bracelet, watched some people salsa dance, and ate salsa with chips. Today there's henna, swimming, Rubik's cube, and ice blocking. I may go see the Rubik's cube one briefly, but I already know how to solve it and I'm not anywhere near as good as the other cubers here. Maybe I'll get to learn some different techniques though. Anyway, I think I'll go ice blocking, which sounds really fun. There's a dance on Friday. I'm not really enthusiastic for it, but I guess it'll be okay.

Anyway, this week has gone by pretty fast; it's already Thursday! Looks like the rest of this week will be just as fun as the first few days, with the Batman movie and parent visitation weekend.

So, I guess I'll go back to my statistical analysis of the data. Have a good week!

~CS

Random posting

I never have time to blog during study time, but at least I can blog during "cluster instruction." Yesterday at the lunch with the director my entire cluster felt pretty special because we learned how many people had applied. 18 out of 100? Yay! XD

I think my suite--including me--is going through a friendship bracelet craze. My roommate (Amy also >.<) brought string with her. Mine are never that good, but they're relaxing to make. Julia's are absolutely perfect. I don't know how she does it.

It's so hard to be innovative, but I'm trying. I haven't had time to go on my own websites that much lately...I usually spend all my time on deviantArt. I am addicted. T_T -> link to my dA. It's mostly photography. Ignore anything that isn't, if whoever reads this chooses to go there.

MnM Lab?

Hello All.

It is currently 9:10 in the morning, and we are waiting a few minutes for Mrs. Nicely to load the computer and projector. Everything seems to be going well, and a lot of the computer and homework problems are dissipating, which is excellent. I am not saying we have no homework, but it is now reasonable and, with this next essay, enjoyable.

Last night's recreational activities were not as fun as they usually are.. We had Salsa Dancing, Salsa Eating, and Friendship making (however, a few people also started a poker game).

I can't believe it is already Thursday in the second week! I don't know if that feels fast or short, for many friends are being made (as well as many people trying to be more than friends) and everyone is very comfortable as it seems. I feel like I've already been here for a month, but I am glad to go homework for the day and a half I can.

Cluster 1 - the computer one - is completely beating us in the number of posts (though, I believe ours have much more quality). This has really sparked us to post more often, and we have been. We post during breaks in labs, in our rooms, in the computer lab... Everywhere is a possibility!

I must go, we will begin. Adieu~

The Future

Cluster 7 homework and projects are getting easier for me. Not having homework for the first time a few days ago was really relaxing. Although, I should have done some research for future assignments.

Not only have I learned so much about particular things in my cluster, but COSMOS has started my thinking about the future. College, science fairs, and my future high school experience has filled my mind. There's so many things I want to do, but there seems to be a shortage of time for me to do it.

There's another side of me that does not want to think about the future, and stay a kid forever. However, I know there will be some exciting things for me.

The activities have been absolutely amazing. Salsa dancing was great and glow-in-the-dark capture the flag was intense, although I did not do much. I cannot wait for tonight. I hear that ice blocking is the best. Hopefully I can go to the pool as well and maybe do a front flip off the diving board. :]

-Rachel

Learning More

It's like everyday, the walls of this lab are getting smaller and smaller
And the white coats and safety goggles are starting to suffocate me.
The various glass beakers are continuously reflecting the florescent lights
In strange directions and patterns that slowly bring my eyelids down.
Lab benches have this insatiable thirst for lysol and paper towels,
And my lab notebook is somehow filling itself with strange markings.
The stools have this habit of becoming the most uncomfortable place ever,
And the collection of viles with rancid contents all have crooked labels
Which my focus can't seem to escape from, crooked labels everywhere.
I love the information and knowledge, But the lifestyle that accompanies it,
I can't say I'm too fond of. It stretches beyond membrane shapes and structures,
To a place where reality borders the edge of a glass slide under a microscope.

So yeah COSMOS, it's honestly been really great and I know its just going to get greater with time. Just meeting new people everyday is so refreshing, and discovering things about the people I already knew is also equally refreshing. Just being engulfed in this world of laboratories has also been an amazing learning experience. I have this great interest in Math and Science, but by being in this lab, it's like I've come to realize more about who I really am and what I really like.

massive update.

So I just realized that I haven't blogged since...my first time last week. Oops. I'll try to blog more often now to make up for that; now that I finally have my laptop (still bitter about the liars at FedEx and having to wait over the weekend for UCSD central mailing before getting my laptop, which is when I needed it most...>:[ ) and don't have to try cramming cluster homework in the hour, I'll be able to have time to blog more. Yay.

A lot has happened over this past week/weekend. A lot of it has already been mentioned it in other blogs though - Knott's Berry Farm was freaking awesome! Silver Bullet, Xcelerator (0 to 80 mph in 2 seconds, awesomeness), Boomerang, and especially the PONY EXPRESS (yay for awkward positions). The weird train lady was hilarious. What else...the days here are so packed and full of activities/work that the weekend feels like such a long time ago. The beach was awesome (successful jumping pictures on the first try!, "tanning", a very REVEALING ten fingers), and the jello fight was as sticky and messy as I expected but very very fun (yay for getting a mouthful of jello thrown into my face). So that's basically the quickest recap possible of the weekend. Very very exciting. OH. Also, although almost everyone else has already mentioned this, cosmolympics was totally RIGGED, but it's still very awesome that we owned the relay race by at least a good 5 seconds. Oh right, the cake decorating contest was quite amusing (second place for piling random junk onto a cake ftw). I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. Crack. Haha.

Alright, moving to the more academic stuff. The labs have been interesting, and I am really enjoying how the labs here give us access to some top-notch equipment and resources, and that the assignments/basic environment of the labs require us to think outside the box and apply what we know with outside knowledge to come to conclusions. I'm sick of the structured, basic labs in school with lab questions that basically ask you to recap the lab. This is definitely a nice environment.

Hm..don't know what else to say. Can't wait for our boundaries to be extended - the trip to the campus bookstore was fun. Yay chlamydia! I'm pretty excited about the two final projects coming up, although they definitely require creative thinking. Playing with blood is still fun. PCR was very cool today, and the results from the Western blot were pretty exciting. Yeah. I think this is getting way too long. It's probably going to look intimidating on the blog site after I post it. This is what happens when I don't blog periodically. I tend to type too much. Okay bai.

Still missing a certain someone. But my friends here are very awesome :].

Dandelions make me laugh.

-Connie

New Pictures

We visited the lab upstairs today, we needed to put our samples in a PCR machine. While up there I got some pretty great pictures.
Amanda

PCR

Hey everyone!

Current situation: chilling at my lab bench with my lab mate Jorge, prepping for the biography on Pierre and Madame Curie that we're going to present in an hour. Ms. Green, one of our teacher fellows, is really cool. She's very laid back but also knows her stuff. We had a nice hour long advice session from her this morning.

We just put a microliter of knockout mouse DNA into a PCR eppindorf tube to prepare for PCR. This is some pretty intense stuff no lie. I found that our cluster is one of the more intellectual, challenging, but rewarding clusters out there. We were just told that us 18 kids were picked out of a good 100 applicants, talk about elite!

Anyways, were going to centrifuge our DNA now, so I'll catch you later..

Cluster 7 we gotta win the blogging award! If you're reading this, BLOG NOW

Ev