The document reflects on a semester spent learning various lab techniques through workshops given by professors. These workshops covered topics like PCR, electrophoresis, and chromatography, and allowed students to apply the techniques. Students also attended seminars on topics like cancer, pulmonary hypertension, and neuroscience. The seminars helped students learn scientific terms and techniques for writing summaries. Additionally, students gained hands-on research experience by working with mentors on projects and conducting their own research for class assignments. Overall, the semester's activities helped students become better prepared for research both on and off the island by teaching important scientific skills and values like perseverance, focus, commitment, and teamwork.

1. Eduardo E. Rivera Cintrón
Reflective Essay
The main objective of this semester was to learn various lab techniques that would
help us as students and as future researchers. Throughout the semester various
professors came and gave us workshops. Each workshop was about different topics.
These workshops gave us the opportunity to apply the lessons and techniques
learned and work various assignments. As students who plan to do research in and
off the island we got the opportunity to have a research experience for a little period
of time. We were assigned with mentors, which each of them had different topics,
and conducted our own research. Also we had the opportunity to attend different
seminars, which enrich our knowledge in the given field of study.
During the course of the semester as I attended the seminars I got to learn about the
topics of cancer, pulmonary hypertension, polymer drugs and tRNA levels, and
neuroscience. The experience of writing summaries of each seminar not only helped
me in my grammar and composition but also the scientific terms. A speaker in one of
the seminars spoke about possible solutions of treatment for skin cancer by using
anti-cancer activities of recombinant disintegrins based on research done in his lab.
Also, I learnedabout the association between pulmonary hypertension and HIV
infection that is know in patients who posses a NEF gene. However, in the seminars
weren’t the only place where I learned also as I mentioned before in the class we
had various workshops to enrich our scientific knowledge.
The workshops consisted on brief introductions to the topic and later application of
what learned in the introduction. I also got the opportunity to not only learn new
techniques but also improve in the techniques already learned in previous
semesters. Some of these techniques were, PCR, electrophoresis, column
chromatography, and others. However, techniques weren’t the only thing learned
because we also got to learn how to use computer programs like Q Capture,
programs for creating and binding programs and excel. Throughout the course of
the semester I also got the opportunity to have research experience with a mentor
who was assigned by the professor.
As final task in the semester I got the opportunity to have my own research
experience with a partner and mentor. These experiences open my mind as a
student and also showed me the environment in which a researcher works in. This
research experience also showed me the time you have to dedicate to get the best
results. In overall this opportunity showed me the importance of investigation.
All of these experiences, seminars and workshops helped me be a better student,
especially in the scientific area. Uniting these activities gives me the necessary
instruments to be able to do research in and off the island. More ever the values,
commitment, and hard work are shown in our tasks as students. Although scientific
terms weren’t the only area of focus, also throughout the year I learned the
importance of being perseverant, being focus, committed, work as a team, and many
other values are also shown. These values in my point of view are the most
important because this will not only help me in the lab but also in personal and
academic life.