Lamprou Lab Blog

This summer I spent just over 7 weeks in Trinidad with a group of students carrying out zoology research for the University of Glasgow. It involved tracking some amazing frogs, working with turtles and their hatchlings, hill climbing in 35⁰C heat for water samples, and for myself in particular collecting many foam nests produced by frogs during mating. It was one of the most amazing trips of my life, with an incredible team, and has quickly converted me to love all things herpetology.  The main purpose of this trip was to collect samples, so I could continue work on studying the potential of foam produced by frogs for drug delivery systems, but I learned so much more and I think some of it is important to share. So here are my top 4 tips from my Trinidad trip:

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to look down the microscope as a PhD student, and I only ever had to look down the microscope for one reason and that was to check for cell confluency.   This was a critical step during in vitro cell work. It was the time a crucial decision needed to be made as to whether the cells growing in the flask were confluent enough so the cells could be split or seeded? Or if the cells were not confluent and needed to be left to grow for another day or two?   

Manusia seperti bintang-bintang bertebaran di langit, Dunia serupa bulan bulat sekadar satu cuma, Mengapa kita kehilangan daya membancuh warna, Seperti bintang mengilau cahaya ke bulan purnama? Berlagulah di serunai hayat yang senafas hirup, Nyanyian persaudaraan dalam batin yang harus hidup, Meski antara kita faham-faham berlainan terpaut. (Usman Awang, 1959) On 23 rd and 24 th May 2015, our research group organised the first hiking and camping activity for the group. The event took place at Sallochy, near Loch Lomond which is a decent 1 hour drive from Glasgow city. Coming from Malaysia, a predominantly rainforest country, going back to nature and countryside is a reminder of my home.

This week marks the beginning of the ‘Engage with Strathclyde’ programme which consists of over 50 different events being held between the 5th and 8th of May. The events aim to highlight the innovative and collaborative approach maintained by the University of Strathclyde while also showcasing the fantastic research being carried out across all disciplines. Although the primary goal is to build and enhance relationships with organisations and industry, many events are also open for the public to enjoy as well. Last year’s events attracted over 2300 people to the university and its success was acknowledged upon achievement of the 2014 Times Higher Education Leadership and Management award for knowledge exchange / transfer initiative ( http://www.strath.ac.uk/press/newsreleases/headline_832840_en.html) . The fantastic rteception received last year only adds to the buzz and excitement surrounding this year’s activities.