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Wed 21 Nov, 2018 12:43 pm
Hello,
So I am wrapping up my Masters in environmental studies degree and I have a interview with a microbiology lab with the dept. of agriculture coming up. My Masters thesis and my course work mostly revolve around restoration ecology and botany, however a large component of my thesis involved measuring PLFA's (phospholipid fatty acids) as a biomarker for abundance of mycorrhizal fungi. I have really enjoyed the lab portion of my thesis work and would love the opportunity to pursue more lab-oriented work. I did not have a lot of lab experience going into this thesis (only general biology/chemistry, cell, and genetics in undergrad) but have learned a lot throughout this process. Some examples of the work I have carried out: use of polar and non-polar solvents for cleaning glassware, muffle furnace operation, n2 dry-down, solid phase extraction, use of internal and external standards, use of various pipettes and analytical balances, writing a large SOP, and analysis on a GC-MS (gas chromatograph - mass spec). Anyhow what I am getting at is I have learned everything I needed to for this specific process but may be missing some 'fundamental' lab knowledge I will be quizzed on going into this interview. Can anyone point me towards a resource or have any pointers for me? Many thanks!