Team 99 Bottles Reaches Shore

So, the journey has finally come to an end. Throughout this semester, this project definitely has had its ups and downs. There were times when I got really excited and times when I got really frustrated, times when I questioned what the goal of the project was and times when I thought we could maybe save the world. But I imagine that’s all part of the journey. I suppose roadblocks and incompatibilities are occupational hazards of bioengineering, and fun and discoveries are the rewards. Maybe it’s because I’m new to the field, or maybe it’s because the field itself is relatively new, but it seems to me like the rules still have yet to be defined. It seems as if you can do whatever you want as long as you have access to resources and stay away from anything ethically controversial. The possibilities are endless, and that’s exciting but also challenging because that means there are fewer examples to go by, fewer guides to help you know what you are doing.

Indeed, I thought that the freedom of the project was one of the hardest things about this class, but also one of the most valuable elements of the class. It’s made me realize that although high school has taught me how to study for exams and maybe even how to learn, it hasn’t taught me how to do research. I think that’s why this class has been one of the most novel experiences since coming to MIT. It asks you to learn without a defined curriculum.

Furthermore, I loved getting to know the people in my team. Each and every one of them was amazing and brought so much energy, curiosity, ideas, and hard work to the table. We went through a ridiculous amount of changes together, from salt water to fresh water and E. coli to Vibrio. As I continue on in course 20, I really hope that I will gain skills that will make this type of work easier, so that one day I can maybe do something of this sort for real (if the rigor of research doesn’t scare me away). Overall, it was a great introduction to something I had never been exposed to before.