---
title: "March 2024, Monthly Goals"
author: "Kathleen Durkin"
date: "2024-03-04"
categories: ["monthly goals"]
format:
  html
---

## Reviewing February Goals

✔️ Set up RNAseq DGE analysis pipeline for when we get the cod RNAseq data back.

⏳ Connect with Laura to get details on the cod project's experimental setup/implementation

✔️ Start and make progress on a lit review for the cod project/manuscript

⏸️ Either send cod samples for methylation sequencing or, if we decide to do extractions in-house, establish a reasonable timeline for extraction, DNA QC, and sequencing.

✔️ Make progress on E5 gene expression work and generate a deliverable (either for lab meeting or molecular group meeting)

✔️ Choose objective/hypotheses and plan oyster experiment

#### Back-burner goals

❌ Look into several grants/funding sources that I may want to apply for over the next year or so (GRFP, Fulbright, etc.)

This month was quite busy, and I think I did a decent job of meeting my goals. I've QC'd the cod RNAseq data and have a basic DGE analysis pipeline set up to run it through once I'm back in office. I haven't connected with Laura about the experimental methods, but Steven said he could get me that info himself, since he was directly involved, and I've outlined a place in the cod manuscript for him to provide methods details. I have a preliminary lit review for both the cod project and the oyster project going, and have implemented a new spreadsheet system to help me keep better track of what information I learn where. I haven't made any progress with the cod methylation, but that's intentional -- we decided to wait until we took a look at the RNAseq data to send out samples for WGBS. I troubleshooted several issues with getting the right E5 deep dive transcriptomes, so we're in a good place to start with co-expression analysis (and Zach is taking point on that right now, since he has some sample pipelines from Ariana). Finally, I had a big push during the last two weeks of February to develop a plan for the oyster experiment I want to run, and I think we're getting there! The big picture is set, now I just need to figure out some details (e.g. how high should the stress temp be, what equipment do we need for monitoring, etc.)

We also started [pubathon](https://robertslab.github.io/resources/Pubathon/) this month, so I'm expecting the next month to have slightly more focus on writing up the things I'm working on.

## March Goals

I'm out for a little over a week this month (March 6-15), so I have a more limited set of goals

-   Write a draft proposal for the oyster project

-   Finish DGE analysis for cod project

-   Write full methods section draft (both experimental and analysis sections) for the cod manuscript (part of pubathon)

-   Start a planning document for the oyster project in the same style as Ariana showed us during lab meeting (see [daily post](/posts/daily_logs/2024/February_2024_posts.qmd#february-2024-20))

#### Back-burner goals (again)

-   Look into several grants/funding sources that I may want to apply for over the next year or so (GRFP, Fulbright, etc.)