Dear FRI student,
First off, I would like to say congratulations on your acceptance into UT and the FRI program! I know it may seem intimidating now (trust me, I was in your shoes exactly a year ago), but these four years will turn into some of the best years of your life. As a second semester DIY Diagnostic student, I can confidently say that FRI has improved my time here at UT. At the very beginning of the DIY Diagnostic process, I was nervous to say the least. I had barely any experience in the lab, and the independence of the lab intimidated me. However, after a couple short weeks, I was already so much more comfortable. I can now walk into lab and know what to do when given a protocol, and I am now even working on conducting my own independent research. While I often work in groups when conducting labs, DIY Diagnostics has given me the independence to work at the pace that I choose and to analyze data independently. In high school, I felt as though lab was a structured event where I was supposed to come to a specific conclusion. DIY could not be more different. While the lab is structured in its own way, it is flexible in terms of timing, and it is not so result oriented. DIY also caters to many different interests. For the independent research aspect, you are able to design physical medical diagnostics with DNA amplification, but there are also many groups who chose to code and create a diagnostic app. Whether you are a computer science major, a pre-med student or anything in between, you have a place in this lab. The lab is an inclusive space where questions and curiosity are encouraged. Labs are not focused on the results that you gain, but the analysis of why those results may have occurred, and what your next steps will be. Overall, DIY Diagnostics has given me so much more confidence in the lab. I was able to create my own unique research idea, and I can say with full honesty that I am so genuinely excited about the research that I will be conducting. Even if you are nervous about joining an FRI lab like I was, I strongly encourage you to consider the DIY Diagnostic stream. Our stream is one big team made up of so many different people and interests:)
Best of luck,
Maggie Miller