Hello,
It has been a fun past few weeks. Not only have I enjoyed travelling on the weekends but I have also really enjoyed learning about crystallization in the lab. Typically my work day lasts from 8:30-5:30. One of my favourite things about the lab group that I am fortunate enough to be a part of this summer is the sense of community that they share between them. The graduate and PHD students work typically very long hours. However, even outside of the lab they enjoy spending time together. Every lunch and dinner they call everyone in the lab to gather and walk over to the nearest cafeteria. They also do things like play badminton or basketball together. Anyways, the lab that I am working in is the premiere crystallization facility in China. There are many faucets of this topic that are being studied here. The PHD student I am paired with, Lina, is looking at pharmaceutical polymorphs. Polymorphs in chemistry are essentially compounds that have the ability to form two or more different crystalline structures. They are especially important in the pharmaceutical industry as different polymorphic forms of the same drug can impact many aspects of the drug such as its production, formulation, transportation and biological action. Over the past few weeks Lina has led me through several of the techniques that are used to manipulate the desired drug to see if more polymorphs can be discovered. I have also been able to learn how to use some of the equipment that tests the substance to see if it is a polymorph of the original product such as TGA, DSC and XRD. So far I have learned a lot and received more relevant hands on experience than if I had just returned to my typical summer job back home.
An exterior view of the lab building. The campus I am at is like an oasis in the middle of the city with many beautiful trees linning all of the streets.
A few weekends ago Ammi and I took the fast train to Shanghai to meet up with some of the other Western students. It was great to get to spend time with them and hear about their trip thus far. I also found it very interesting to compare the quickly developing and extravagant Shanghai to other Chinese cities that I have visited. Just this past weekend Ammi and I did a couple of short day trips. We visited the fragrant hills in Beijing and then we also went to Beidaihe. Beidaihe is a small beach town that is very popular with the citizens of Beijing as well as Russian tourists. We were able to try some delicious seafood and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the beach. Overall it is hard to believe that our trip is over half way done. On one hand it seems like just yesterday that I got here. Needless to say, I am very excited for the upcoming weeks.
The Bund in Shanghai
-Anastasia
Great to hear of your experiences so far. Sounds like an awesome opportunity to learn about the culture outside of the lab!
Posted by: Marg | 07/10/2017 at 01:27 PM