Confessions of a Micro TA

Just a graduate student sharing experiences of TAing an undergraduate microbiology lab 🧫👩‍🔬🦠🧬🔬

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Explaining dilutions multiple time is hard...thank goodness for tacos

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Sometimes students don’t show up to check on their samples 😔
Especially disappointing after you’ve spent a lot of time preparing the media and prepping for the lab

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Someone just tried to vortex a 16mL tube horizontally 🤨

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Prelab lecture: Your inoculum is in the 8C.

***10 mins into the lab***

Every single student: Where is the inoculum?
Me: (internally screaming, but trying to remain professional) It’s in the 8C. 😊

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Saves this for later...

[dietcokelover12 @UN7DENT7F7ED]

My microbiology lab TA walks out and asks this girl what time it is, she shows him her phone and he goes “actually that’s incorrect, it’s micro time” LOL

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

TAs make mistakes too - I made plates using the wrong type of egg yolk emulsion...I only realized when the agar started turning grey (it's supposed to be yellow).

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Student: My roommate's cat is immunosuppressed. Can any of the pathogens hurt her?
Me: (As a cat lover, I really appreciated the student's concern) Just make sure you are following the proper safety protocol for yourself, and you both should be fine.

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Student: I really didn't want to come to lab today. If I have a cold, am I immunosuppressed enough to leave?
Me: ....

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Our first pathogen lab is tomorrow - fingers crossed no one spills a BSL-2 organism

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

After being told to use a plastic spreader on the petrifilm, students are instead using their fingers to spread the inoculum

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

Already had to replace a filter on the serological pipette controller

[Confessions of a Micro TA @MicroTALife]

2 students burned holes through their lab coats 30 minutes into lab 🤦‍♀️