I was in Dr Ch’ng’s lab from AY2025/2026 Semester 1 to Semester 2 (how time has flown by!). I truly enjoyed exploring biofilms here, and the lab culture was incredibly warm and welcoming! 😊

 

Over the past year, I had the opportunity to dive deeper into the fascinating world of microbial biofilms – not just through lectures, but by carrying out experiments myself. Through this experience, I came to appreciate that what you expect from your hypothesis can sometimes be very different from the outcomes once you test it experimentally.

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LMB has allowed me to hone my technical skills, including the use of electronic multichannel pipettes, serial dilution, preparation of reagents and agar plates, crystal violet (CV) staining, and data analysis. I also had the opportunity to experience what it was like to bring in new strains, and I got the chance to work with a research assistant to prepare the SOPs and risk assessments. It was an eye-opening experience and made me realise the amount of work that happens behind the scenes before we even get to work with those strains.

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Beyond technical skills, I also learnt how to be more efficient when performing experiments. I still remember the steep learning curve when I first started my trial runs. I recall thinking to myself, how am I going to handle the more complex setups if this takes quite long? After listening to Dr Ch’ng’s advice, I was able to do things more efficiently and gradually manage to reduce the time needed to set up my experiments (Progress!). I learnt a lot about trusting the process, and that you need to have faith in yourself that you will get better as you repeat the experiments (over and over again)! Eventually it will become muscle memory haha – such that when you step into the lab you would know what to do and where to find your reagents and equipment!

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I am very grateful that whenever I had questions, I could ask him and he would give me useful advice! Dr Ch’ng is a very patient supervisor, and I am truly thankful that I had the opportunity to carry out my project under his guidance.

Working at LMB has also made me a more resilient person. I learnt that there is value even in experiments that do not work out, because they often point you toward the next direction to explore. Although experiments produced unexpected results and could feel discouraging at times, Dr Ch’ng has a way of encouraging me not to give up, while allowing me to propose what experiment should come next. I really appreciated being given the opportunity to be in the “driver’s seat” - thinking critically and independently, proposing the next steps, and leading my own project.

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One of the more memorable experiences I had was trying to culture the strict anaerobe Bacteroides fragilis. I recall trying different methods and media, including TSB alone, supplemented TSB, supplemented BHI, in an attempt to achieve consistent growth. I vividly recall coming into the lab one day, expecting to use my B. fragilis culture to set up a five-species biofilm experiment. However, when I checked the culture tube, it was clear, indicating that there was no growth. I was shocked and sat there for a few minutes, unsure of what to do next. Thankfully, after seeking advice from Dr Ch’ng, we decided to proceed with a four-species biofilm instead.

 

That experience taught me that research does not always go according to plan, and it is important to be adaptable when things do not go as planned. Working with B. fragilis was certainly not easy, and there were many failed attempts along the way. However, I eventually managed to grow the bacterium successfully on several occasions. Looking back, I am most proud of my persistence throughout the process and of continuing to troubleshoot despite repeated setbacks. It was certainly not a casual walk in the park, but I am glad that I managed to pull through with the help of people around me! 😊

My journey at LMB has been very meaningful. Before I even began my experiments, I had to conduct a literature review and write a proposal covering the background of my research project, methods and approaches, expected outcomes, timeline, impact of work, and budget. I appreciated how things were done very systemically in LMB.

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Looking back at the proposal I wrote at the beginning was extremely useful, as it reminded me of the direction I had initially set and helped me understand why I believed my hypothesis would work based on the literature. It often made me think, Oh, that actually made sense when I first did my literature review - I can see why I thought that would work. The proposal also became very useful when I was writing my thesis.

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I also really enjoyed attending the bi-weekly lab meetings, where I had the opportunity to present my graphs, discuss my results, and future experimental plans with the other lab members. I would say that these bi-weekly meetings over the 2 semesters helped to build my confidence, especially when it came to presenting my project and answering questions from my examiners at the end of my project. The lab meetings were also a great way to track my progress. Looking back at my slides, I could clearly see how my project started and how it steadily progressed over time. Seeing how far I had come gave me a sense of accomplishment.

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I am especially grateful to Mugil who I could turn to during my antibiotic assay trial runs. She was willing to share advice on how to work more efficiently and how to get started with the assays. I appreciate her time, patience, and willingness to share her knowledge and experience with me. I am also thankful to Marie-Lyn, who came back to the lab to show me how to set up my first experiment!

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Looking back, this experience has not only strengthened my interest in microbiology and biofilm research but also given me greater confidence in pursuing research in the future. I am deeply thankful for warm and welcoming environment at LMB, the support that I received from Dr Ch’ng, Mugil, past LMB members, as well as the help I received from LS9 and our neighbouring lab!

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It has truly been a very positive and enriching experience. If I could go back in time, I would still choose the Laboratory of Microbial Biofilms for my UROPs journey. 😊