Too late to head to the dining hall, I quickly completed my morning routine and grabbed a muffin for breakfast. 

I listened to music on the way to CHAS with my roommate (ANNA B) whose energy I wish I could reciprocate this morning. Arriving at CHAS, my lab group began working on our paper (it’s due tomorrow!). But after getting our IC50 value checked over, it was determined we would need to redo the entire procedure for the I1 inhibitor (redoing procedures is a frequent occurrence here at SSP. But that’s how we learn!). My skirt would not work for wet lab, so I raced back to the dorms for long pants. When I returned my team re-ran the procedure and achieved a somewhat adequate dose-response curve!

For lunch, I went to Starbucks, which would be vital to get me through the four remaining lectures for the day. My friends and I also explored the farmers market that is on Purdue campus on Thursdays. There is international cuisine, baked goods, flowers, and jewelry available. I enjoyed viewing these objects before being quickly sucked back into the harsh reality of MOE. 

We then moved on to lectures which were special today because it was our first time hearing from our TAs! Lauren discussed ketamine as a treatment option for OCD that could be tested in mice. Then we (mostly unsuccessfully) attempted to make mice (out of mini sheets of paper). 

Our guest speaker following that was a biochemistry researcher from Indiana University. After his engaging lecture about RNA’s significance to the origin of life, we asked questions and enjoyed snacks at the reception. 

We had our usual formal dinner at Ford today and, with Dr. Avard at my table, had engaging conversations about the impending doom our society faces as AI grows more powerful. We decided, for our own safety, that using “please” and “thank you” would be necessary when interacting with ChatGPT. 

As we get closer to the end of the program, we’ve become busier, and so this evening was not free time. After dinner, we headed back to the dorms to change and then back to the great hall (the Harry Potter room) for two more lectures till 10 pm. In the drug mechanisms lecture, Dr. Avard informed us of yet another impending doom: a super bacteria resistant to all antibiotics that would emerge in the coming decades. The second lecture of the night would be about the publication process. We would be humbly surprised to find that researchers pay to publish their work rather than getting paid to do it. Our unrestrained– and often silly– questions, along with the distraction of a plane that incessantly flew above our area, pushed the lecture  20 minutes over. But it was okay since we were outside and the night air made it almost possible to forget I had a paper due in mere hours. 

Somehow, in the midst of this day, I tried to find the time to finish the final report, due at 8 am tomorrow. I worked throughout the day (between lectures and lab and during or before meals) but I knew it would still be a long night trying to finish! Or so I thought! Luckily, my group members had the same idea in mind. By all working on it throughout the day, we were nearly finished. We completed our abstract in 20 minutes and well before curfew. 

Although the day was cumbersome, it ended in triumph. 

– Yohanna 

The post Day 31- DISCLAIMER: written the night before our final report was due. May contain dry sarcasm. (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

After working for about three hours on my research paper, I pivoted to working on MOE, Molecular Modeling Environment, with the rest of my team to compete and submit our modified inhibitor for the inhibitor challenge, which is due at 11 a.m. today. I eventually finished my inhibitor, which has a binding affinity of 11.54, that is surprisingly exemplary compared to the rest of Purdue I and my cohort. Once finished with all the work that needed to be done at the moment, I went to my favorite restaurant at Purdue, Grilled Chicken and Rice (please visit it if you are ever on Purdue’s campus), with all of my friends for the final time. I joked with all of my friends and ate delicious food, which is one of my favorite lunches as I look back on it now.

However, I want to talk about yesterday’s fantastic talent show! I made so many memories, from watching others play musical instruments to a brain-rot circus with all of my goofy friends! The talent show topped off my time at SSP, as all of the participants showed their unique sides of themselves and had fun!

Moving on to the rest of my today, after lunch, I went back to my dorm to finish working on some of the work that needs to be done by tomorrow with the assistance of my teammates, Riya and Elbert. After around two hours, we finished the final report with the collective desire to recuperate after relaxing and heading to dinner. After relaxing by hanging out with some friends and discussing our plans after SSP, we all went down to the main restaurant area in West Layfette to eat ramen. I sadly do not have any pictures of us eating because of how much I enjoyed the food I was eating and the fun time I had with my friends.

After dinner, I went back to the dorms to work with my team on the final paper before going to the fields for an annual field day with the entire cohort and facility. We played all kinds of games, from tug-a-rope to various relay races with randomly selected groups. I had a blast spending my time with the cohort and facility as we spent our final days of SSP together.

After the field day, I went back to the dorms to once again work on my paper. I also spent some time with my friends before going to sleep around 11:30, as usual. I was hyped for the upcoming day!

-Cyrus

The post Day 34- The Final Days (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

This morning started off like usual; my alarm woke me up at 6:30, I snoozed it, it woke me up again, I snoozed it again… Until I opened my eyes and I was running late! I quickly got ready, then headed off to breakfast at Ford Dining Hall with Hana and Jimmy, who are also some of the few people who go to breakfast in the morning (Figure 1).

After breakfast, we headed off to the pharmacy building for the first lecture of the day (Figure 2). We also walked with Leyu and Andrew (from Biochem I) this morning; it’s so sad that today is their last full day here (Figure 10)! We will miss you!

We had an amazing lecture by our AD, Dr. Keithly, who discussed her research in regards to antibiotic resistance in gram positive bacteria (Figure 4). After the lecture, we headed over to Chas, our lab building, to get some work done (Figure 3). Each group is busy developing their Cdc14 inhibitors on MOE (Molecular Operating Environment) and writing their research papers. At 11:45-ish, we took a quick break to build critters with hot glue guns and pipette tips courtesy of the academic staff (Figure 8,  Figure 9).

At around 12, we were dismissed from Chas and everyone headed off to lunch. There are many places that we can go, but my group decided to go to PMU, the Purdue Memorial Union, which has many small restaurants. I got my usual, a poke bowl, and everyone sat together chatting until it was time to go back to the pharmacy building for lecture (Figure 2).

After lunch, we were treated to a lecture by Dr. Avard, our AAD (her name is a palindrome btw!), who discussed her research in metastatic cancer. Then, we headed back to Chas to continue working on MOE and our papers. My group went into wet lab to rerun our dose-response assays (spoiler alert: the data wasn’t good ;-; ) (Figure 11).

At 5:30, we were dismissed and headed back to the dorms to change for formal dinner. Dinner was at Ford Dining Hall, where it normally is held on weekdays, and I enjoyed chatting with my fellow participants sitting at my table (Figure 12). After announcements, including the news of a Blind-Deaf-Mute challenge later in the evening, everyone walked back to the dorms together (Figure 6, Figure 7).

As most people went to get ice cream, I decided to take some time for myself and chill. The common areas in Honors South are great places to relax (Figure 5). The Blind-Deaf-Mute challenge afterward was extremely fun; it was interesting seeing everyone’s creations (Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13). Everyone hung out after the challenge until 11pm curfew, then it was good night!

Today was a really eventful day. Not a single day here goes by without me being grateful for my amazing cohort. Everyone here got so close so fast; it’s such a short period of time but we spend so much time together that it feels as if I’ve known everyone for ages. The friendships here feel unique somehow, and I can’t believe that I only have one more week with these amazing people. Thank you everyone for giving me the best summer memories ever!!

-Aimee

The post Day 29- Frogs Make The Best Hats (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

Following, the lecture we had the pleasure of listening to the guest speaker, Dr. Milie Georgidas. Dr. Georgidas provided valuable insight on her research regarding synthetic DNA. Her whole idea of “alien DNA” was fascinating and eye-opening as it offered a glimpse into the advancing technology in genetic engineering.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the baseball game in the evening. The Lafayette Aviators have never seen a crowd as hype as Purdue 2. The game was filled with different cheers not only of the players and the team, but also a battle between Purdue 1 on who could cheer louder. We definitely came out on top and were the most hype group at that stadium. The dancing was also on par with the cheers. Eventually the game ended with the aviators winning 4-2. Although we left with most of our voices gone everyone had so much fun. 

The bus ride back was the perfect ending to our day. More fun happened as everyone was vibing to the music that our bus driver played. A special shoutout to our bus driver, Rick, who was on aux. Make sure to support his son who is #40 on the Purdue football team. 

Overall, the day was fun and will definitely be a long lasting memory. 

Signing out,

 -Elbert

The post Day 25- Jay Dills (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

My roommate, Mingjia, and I woke up to a blaring 6:40 alarm, and blearily fell back asleep until 10 am. The previous week’s oscillation from science to adventures in Lafayette and back finally caught up with us so we begrudgingly enjoyed a peaceful morning. Breakfast was fortune cookies from last night’s Chinese barbecue place (my fortune was a no-brainer for any SSP participant, “There is a prospect of a thrilling time ahead”). Those few hours were peaceful, until Claviceps purpurea, the fungus my group is studying, came calling yet again.

“9 to 5” by Dolly Parton

Ok, well, it being Sunday I didn’t really manage an eight-hour workday, but I took a couple hours to finish writing up my portion of the methodology section of the final report. It was crazy to see how many techniques and procedures we’d learned these past four weeks, and to see hours of time in the wet lab coming together to make our beautiful academic baby.

“Le Festin (Theme from Ratatouille)” by Michael Giacchino

Our group’s plan for lunch was supposed to be a lovely Mediterranean place that did dining al fresco. I say “supposed to be” because as I entered our dorm’s lobby to head out thunder boomed with almost cinematic timing, and we realized going out wasn’t an option. My cohort is nothing if not ingenious (it’s how we ended up featured on the Lafayette Aviators baseball Instagram), and so some of us decided to cook, literally and metaphorically. Lillian boiled water in the basement microwave and made us Buldak ramen, Adi brought granola bars and chocolate covered almonds, and Mingjia and I contributed our intellect to combine them all. I don’t think Lillian will ever get around to appreciating our smashing Buldak sauce and chocolate covered almond combo, but not everyone can have a refined palate.

“Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John

After the rain cleared up we hit the town, where we shopped for matching rings at Von’s and I had to fight the urge to buy the shiny, shiny crystals for sale yet again. We also had a quick dinner at Garbanzo Mediterranean because there was no way I wasn’t getting hummus today. The most important stops, however, were the boba shop and Mango Mango Dessert, a cafe whose dishes were themed around the eponymous mango. I had a slice of mango crepe cake with the perfect crepe to filling ratio that melted in my mouth. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

“All The Small Things” by blink-182

This was just a small glimpse into the thousands of moments that make SSP such a unique experience. Honestly, there are so many more details I could delve into, like doing each other’s nails in the dorm lounge, downing packs of hazelnut creamer, and rehearsing for our talent show. It’s the minutiae of daily life with this group that has now become almost family and the joy of exploring science with them that make this program amazing.

“Good Riddance” by Green Day

(I swear the song doesn’t match the title at all if you listen it’s really moving and great.)

-Anna

The post Day 28- A Playlist for SSP (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

In the lab, we analyzed our inhibitor screening data and concluded that it was terrible, so we optimized our procedure by basing our conditions on scientific literature. Then, we spent the next 3 and a half hours redoing our inhibitor screening and it was now time to analyze our data. It turned out to be complete and utter trash, and so much worse than our original data, which meant that we would have to redo it again sometime. But at least it was now time for lunch! And you know what they say—out of sight, out of mind.

So my friends and I went to Jersey Mike’s, only to find out that it was closed, along with every other restaurant on campus. So, we had no choice but to eat at the Ford dining hall. I got a pork cutlet along with onion rings and vegetable minestrone soup, which, surprisingly, wasn’t bad. They also had a fruit loops marshmallow thing for dessert, which also wasn’t bad.

Now it was time to go on a field trip!

First we went to Columbian Park Zoo, where we got to see some animals and pet some goats. 

Then we walked over to a waterpark 2 minutes away called Tropicanoe Cove. We went on the lazy river and a couple of waterslides, and played some beach volleyball in between. 

After the waterpark, we headed over to a Chinese/Korean restaurant called Rolling Bowl for dinner. The restaurant did not have any air conditioning whatsoever, so we were all getting cooked alive. The thermostat was set to 92 degrees Fahrenheit and the heat coming from the kitchen was not helping matters. The only worker in the restaurant was Hispanic and couldn’t speak English, which was kind of inconvenient. However, the food was pretty good. We all shared a bowl of kimchi fried rice, beef fried rice, beef noodles (which was terrible), pork belly skewers, and lamb skewers. 

Afterwards, we went to a dessert store across the street called Mango Mango, where I bought a creme brulee crepe cake, which was pretty good.

Then, we went on a target run to buy a crate of water, since Indiana water tastes meh. And finally, we hung out in the basement rec room until it was time to go to bed.

-Neilson

The post Day 27- PLEASE READ (Biochemistry Purdue II) first appeared on SSP International.

As the fabled time finally struck, acts were performed, laughs rang through the Great Hall, and smiles were all alight. 

All jokes aside, the SSP Talent Show was truly one of the funniest and memorable experiences I’ve. I loved each of the serious and silly acts each group and individual performed. People would dance, sing, play instruments, and perform stunts. 

Just when I thought the show, the fun, and the energy was to end, the show transformed into a sudden karaoke night. No one was afraid to sing their heart out, and even our faculty sang with us. We were all comfortable and familiar enough with another that we didn’t hesitate to sing to our heart’s content.

As SSP comes to a close with only 3 days remaining in the program (from the day that this blog was written), I am constantly reminded of how much I will miss all of the people, experiences, and memories that I have accumulated at this program. While SSP is an educational experience, I feel that the part of SSP that I will never forget are the relationships that I have made. 

When I first researched SSP, all of the alumni always described their experience as life changing. I always thought that they exaggerated it too much, thinking that no program could possibly be “life changing”. But I was proven completely wrong. SSP changed me as an individual, and I hope that once I come back home to my hometown back in Ohio, I will bring back the same mindset and outgoing nature I developed at SSP. I hope to keep contact with all of the people I have met here and even encounter them in college. I sincerely want to thank all of the participants of SSP Biochemistry Purdue I for making my experience one of a kind. Thank you.

The post Miranda’s Blog first appeared on SSP International.

SSPers work hard and we play harder. In addition to the (trauma) bonds that we
form from struggling together through we labs, MOE, and class activities, we also
hang out during weekly field trips, play board games until 5 minutes before the
dorm curfew, share late night snacks, and explore the nearby college town on the
weekends. In just 6 weeks, I grew closer to the talented peers at SSP more than I
ever did with my high school friends back home. To some people, having a group of
friends to hang out with and to talk to is a very normal thing; but to me, an
introvert, being at SSP was the first time I got to experience the joy of having a
group of friends who are super-duper smart and nerdy yet extremely kind and
considerate. Being at SSP was the first time I got to experience what it feels like
to be accepted for who you are. I didn’t have to worry about not being able to fit in
with others because at SSP, everyone is connected by their shared passion for
science and their endless curiosity to explore new topics. Besides, SSP gives you
many opportunities, such as weekly field trips, weekly game nights, and daily group
dinners, to meet new people and “networking.”

Before I came to SSP, I expected the program’s prestige was built from its
rigorous academic curriculum. After 5 weeks of being in SSP, I realized that it was
the people who made SSP “the educational experience of a lifetime.” So, some last
notes to the future SSPers, be scared but don’t be discouraged. You’ve made it so
far by being accepted to SSP, and trust me, you’ll be fine. Enjoy the next best 6
weeks of your life!!!
Eve’s signing out

The post SSP: Super Stupendous People first appeared on SSP International.

The post Blog 7/14: Inhibitor Insanity first appeared on SSP International.

The post Samuel’s Blog first appeared on SSP International.