Research reflections

I've been thinking a lot about my research experiences, so I thought I might as well blog about them. .. I break the experiences into three periods: the Howard Hughes program at Duke (from 6/2009 to 8/2009), Research in Chemistry (Rchem) at NCSSM (8/2009-2/2010) and now the International Summer Science Institute at the Weizmann Institute (7/2010). I am really thankful for all three because they've shown me how different research can be in different size labs, different working environments, and the lessons you learn from different mentors. I already blogged about my experience at Duke, but basically that was a pretty small lab, but I had so much independence and really felt a sense of responsibility for that project. That's why I worked so hard on it for so long, and I would take care of my research responsibilities before anything else. In Rchem I learned, acquired, and practiced the skills that research requires: organization (setting weekly goals), reading (and understanding) the literature, and communication (whether it be abstract, poster, paper, or powerpoint). The Howard Hughes program sort of hinted at these skills, I developed them extensively in Rchem, and I finally have to implement them "on my own" here at the Weizmann Institute (of course I still have my mentor for input and guidance, but I don't have anything remotely like the research 'network' at NCSSM). I get frustrated with how short the program is, and the lack of independence I have, but I understand why. My mentor at Duke was the PI of the lab, my professor at school was an experienced scientist and teacher, and my mentor now is a masters student - all very different but very amazing women.

We'll see what UNC has in store for me :o)

Side note: we just had a lecture about all the fun, amazing stuff we'll get to do in the desert, and Dead Sea. I'm super stoked!!!