Unpaid Work

I am writing this on the 8th floor of the Widstoe Building at BYU. To my left is a refrigerator filled with a virus that causes cancer in humans; behind me, a dark room with an HIV-filled refrigerator.

My assignment is to clone and replicate the genome of the aforementioned cancer-causing virus. The viral genome is currently running its course and in a few minutes I will, via a quick UV examination, determine which of the environmental settings is optimal for viral growth and replication.

And that is what I am stuck with: I'm charged with not only finding the best parameters at which to grow up these miserable little things, but then to use the data to copy and clone and replicate the virus to a high and usable titer (growth rate).

I am going to die a BYU undergrad.

====