I was
first introduced to this project during the spring of last semester. As a newly
admitted student in the psychology honor’s program at George Mason, I was faced
with a decision on what kinds of research appealed to me, as this would serve
as the basis for an undergraduate thesis. Confident that I wanted to pursue
neuroscience further, I sought out my current mentor, Dr. Ted Dumas, to see if
there were any available positions for an honor’s student in his lab. It was
during that time that I was first introduced to the hybrid voltage sensor
imaging project, or as it commonly referred to as, the “hVoS project”. In sum, the purpose of the hVoS project is to create a hybrid voltage
sensor genetically modified to express a cerulean fluorescent protein (CeFP)
localized to the soma in neurons. By localizing the fluorescent protein to the
soma, we hope to achieve greater S/N ratios, and thereby be able to better
match the action potential with respect to time. In doing this, we seek to
further the development of the technology which will allow us to image activity
in large networks of neurons.
A
typical week in the lab involves performing a core set of molecular biology
protocols on rotation, until the desired results are obtained. Typical
protocols used on a regular basis include transformation of plasmid DNA into
bacteria, setting up minicultures, isolating plasmid DNA through minipreps,
setting up restriction digests, gel electrophoresis, PCR, and T4 ligation.
Additionally, before the majority of these procedures can take place, we must work
on the refinement of our gene design, along with primer design before PCR can
occur. Gene sequencing is typically accomplished by the use of large gene
databases such as GenBank, decoding plasmid maps, and looking more in depth
into the literature.
The
unique asset of skills which I have acquired over the course of this project is
something that is unparalleled to any other professional or academic experience
which have undertaken before.
Furthermore, this project has taught me a great deal about myself, and
just how far I will push myself for the betterment of myself and society as a
whole. I am eternally grateful for the time which I have spent working on this
project, and for the valuable lessons that I have learned along the way. Go
science!
