Saturday, April 29, 2017

Things I Have Learned During Senior Year

Here is a list of everything I have learned about since spring 2016 (the start of my senior year)

1. Take chances - sometimes you may be provided with an opportunity that seems outside of your           comfort zone, but it may actually be something you end up pursuing

2. Be passionate - people love it when someone is passionate about what they love.

3. Try new things - sounds cliche but it is your senior year - make it something to remember.

4. Trust yourself - you know you better than anyone else does

5. Mentor someone - many freshmen will want to know what they to expect and you can be a leader

6. Don't take on more than you can handle

7. You can't always help everyone fix things

8. Get guidance/advice from someone older - i.e. professor, a worker at your church, family member,       etc. Even talking to them can help you see how the situation/problem is.


Spring 2017 Reflection

Today was my last day of classes (Monday is the last day for classes, but I have a final exam in one and the other one was canceled). It definitely is bittersweet but an exciting time.  I have grown so much over the course of a year.  I have also met many great people this past year.

This semester has been fun yet crazy.  I got to present my research, both at a national conference and our own Creativity and Research Symposium. Presenting my research had been one of my goals and I am glad that I was able to do it. I also got my honor cords for TriBeta and Psi Chi, along with receiving a medal for presenting research.  Additionally, I also am able to some freelance writing/editing for Dr. K, who is starting the non-profit group, The Pollution Detectives - which will help me continue to build my portfolio.

This semester,  I was able to continue being a SI leader for Spanish (Elementary Spanish 2). This semester, the students who came to any of my sessions were great and even the class I sat in.  Several of the students that were in any of my sessions at one point or another were able to exempt the final (They had to have an A). So that was very exciting, especially since relearning the concepts has helped me in others, including - writing and connecting with the students has been great.

Classes have been okay this semester.  Biochemistry was the hardest class of the semester, although not as difficult as neuroscience.  Several of our labs were busts, including the kinetics lab, a lab where we tried to extract the DNA from our own hair follicles, and we weren't able to do any calorimetric work from beer.  However, we did get to do nanotechnology, using silver to try and kill the bacteria (E. coli). I really enjoyed running the statistics on SPSS for this particular lab.  We also got the chance to go to New Sarum to see the process of brewing again this year.  The class has been interesting, to say the least, especially with the dynamics of the two professors cutting up.  We have also had many memes, random acronyms (amino acids), and even had to hear two raps to help us remember glycolysis and citric acid cycle (both of which Dr. H was excited to show us).  Also, evolution was a discussion of books all semester.  However, Dr. P was a very interesting person to listen to talk about his antics, including how he had his children (they were young) convinced that there were two of him.  He also incorporated birds in many classes. Also, the class ended with him creating an "Oscar" show with our projects we have had all semester.  There were many categories: best accent, best enthusiasm, best soundtrack, and even best digs at Dr. P.  My roommate/best friend and I won the one "oscar" for best enthusiasm, real or feigned.  My other classes have been going well too, especially after midsemester.

These next two weeks shall be interesting! Be on the look out for new blogs!

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Alabama Trip ASB/Tri-Beta March 2017

Only a month left until I finish my last sets of finals in my undergraduate career and graduation shortly thereafter.  The time is creeping up really close.

Since I have been at Catawba, I have always wanted to attend a conference where I can present my own work.  As a part of my independent study, presenting a poster or talk is required, whether at a conference or as a part of Catawba's Research Creativity Symposium.

At the end of March, I was able to go to Alabama with a group of six other students and three biology professors.  The conference was at the Renaissance Hotel, where there were a variety of activities, events, talks, and poster sessions for everyone to enjoy.  I presented a poster on my research that was started by my interest that stemmed from my summer internship.

During the conference, I got the opportunity to attend Dr. Coggin's talk on 23andme, a DNA testing kit, and what he has learned from his personal experience with the program and his expertise.  All of us got the opportunity to attend poster sessions and talks, including each other for support.  Many schools came together to present posters during a two-day span for both the American Southeastern Biologists and through Tri-Beta (Tau Eta).  The final day included an awards ceremony for those that were in Tau Eta chapters, with two of our own students receiving awards for their talks.

Additionally, we all got the opportunity to spend time together outside of the classroom/lab.  On the first day of the conference, we attended a social that was held at the Riverwalk Stadium. Although we were rained out, we enjoyed grilled foods and live music inside the stadium. We got the chance to explore downtown Montgomery, ate at local places, and explore the Riverwalk Park near the hotels.

It was definitely an awesome trip to go on my final semester as an undergrad.