In the lab…

Important requirements for the lab: COSHH forms

Keita-Eiri Uesugi

So, I am undergoing a Summer Project at the minute with my tutor, Dr. Tim Bates and four other students: mes amino Sam, Luke, Corinne and Lee-Anne.

We’ve been honing our skills as well as learning very important things you wouldn’t typically learn during a laboratory practical at University. All these skills will hopefully make me more employable in the future, depending on what I decide to do with myself in the future.
We’ve been dealing with COSHH (Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health) forms which are an important requirement when it comes to laboratory work. Many chemicals and substances used in labs, can be harmful, such as Hydrochloric Acid, HCl, which can cause burns and can irritate the respiratory system. The COSHH forms highlight precautions that must be taken when handling the substance as well as what to do if it makes contact with the skin or eyes or it is inhalated. Trust me, it is all very VERY important!
To fill in these COSHH forms, you must check the MSDS of each of the substances that are requested/ordered. The MSDS has all the information you need to fill in the COSHH forms.
Here is a little look at the paperwork we had:
Fig 1: COSHH and MSDS forms, ready to be sent off in prep for the labs next week.
Fig 1: COSHH and MSDS forms, ready to be sent off in prep for the labs next week.

So, needless to say, it has been tiring and many alterations have been made to the COSHH form, as well as ironing out the odd hiccup here and then, but we have managed it! We signed the MSDS and printed all off and we are ready for the labs  next week!

Fig 2: Signing the important forms.
Fig 2: Signing the important forms.

Of course, I should end this with the rest of the team! We are all a lovely bunch of people and the world is starting to learn I will only smile in photos, when I am being a big silly in the photo. It’s what I do best!!

Fig 3: The Summer Project Students: Corinne, Lee-Anne, Me, Luke and Sam.
Fig 3: The Summer Project Students: Corinne, Lee-Anne, Me, Luke and Sam.

More posts to come soon! Roll on next week~

Lab Practical – Gel electrophoresis of albumins and globulins

Keita-Eiri Uesugi

Well, today was a lab day at University! Although I was rather shocked when I turned up in the lab and realised that it wasn’t the normal way we go in AND THEN the massive lab room was split in half? It looked like such a different alien world, not even kidding!!!

I had my partner in crime with me today as well, Sam! We don’t seem to have as many labs together lately which is such a shame as I feel we make a great team… when things work, which they have been doing lately!

Today’s practical was for “Introduction to Clinical Biochemistry” involving SDS-PAGE, gel electrophoresis of proteins, acrylamide gel… some very nasty chemicals and stuff, to put it simply. But what is a lab without a few hazards? And we were all very sensible and nothing bad happened.

Fig 1: Finally feeling more confident with my pipetting skills!
Fig 2: Mes amino (lab partner in crime) Sam, as well as fellow lab Intro to Clincical Biochem buddies, Ruari and Paige.

Actually, the lab went pretty well… and there was definitely some clear results too.

Fig 3: BioRad PAGE mini gel apparatus once set up and running.
Fig 4: Results. You can see the marker ladder which corresponds to different proteins, and faintly, our results (although my camera flash refused to work in such a bright lab)

We were given a normal sample, gamma globulin sample, bovine serum albumin (BSA) sample and then an unknown, of which we had to figure out. Sadly, I was quite useless when put on the spot to figure out what was different/going on with the unknown sample… besides it had a larger band than the normal sample. But you live and you learn, right? We did figure it out eventually thanks to wonderful lecturers being nice and patient and guiding with me and mes amino (Sam is my amigo, therefore a la Science, she is mes amino) and after that, everything made sense!

Lab 1 - dinner
Fig 5: Obligatory student dinner of a Big Mac and fries, with obligatory diet coke and a million tissues pulled out of the dispenser when you only want one…

And of course, after every lab, there is a trip to McDonalds, as standard.

And then the weary student returns home to a cat who won’t leave her alone. I have had to type around her tiny body to post this, so if there are spelling mistakes, its her fault because she loves me just THAT much!

Lab 1 - the cat
Fig 6: The infamous princess and ruiner of work, Princess Snooty Pants, Magnus Bane

I’m looking forward to the next lab, which according to my timetable is next Monday morning for “Biology of Human Disease”, a personal favourite module of mine!