Already done with Mod2?!

I cannot believe we are already done with Mod2…
Learning about CRISPRi system, designing gRNA on benchling, setting up the experiments in lab, doing some more benchling, preparing for journal club and finally finishing the research article yesterday, boom we are done.
With everything set and ready for the next step, Mod2 just went so quickly that now is actually a good time to reflect on this.
 Starting Mod2 being already caught up with a lot of work, I was kind of behind with understanding what CRIPSR-Cas9 system really was. At the beginning, I was following what was told on in the protocol, but I didn't quite get why we are designing gRNA in such a complicated way and doubted whether I was selecting the right sequence. 

The points I got on those quizzes explain my status. 

I was slacking off…

But, fortunately I took some time to actually understand CRISPRi system and since then, I started to appreciate and got excited with how we are applying this new CRISPRi technique to changing E. coli fermentation metabolism. Indeed, the journal club presentation was another helpful assignment that actually helped my understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 system and I definitely learned a new aspect of how it is applied in other fields.

Overall, I have been always hearing about what CRISPR was but actually didn’t take time to learn about it. I am still a little upset that my results don’t really make sense and not meaningful at all, but Mod2 definitely helped me to understand the general system and how this technique works. Lastly, I just want to thank all the instructors and staffs for the great lectures, labs and snacks they had for this module J