This week was mostly introductory for me. On the first day (Tuesday), I met my fellow peers and found out what everybody was working on. On Wednesday, I met my mentors. I was assigned a postdoc and a grad student as mentors; I like the idea of having them both. They work in a chemical and biomolecular engineering lab, developing polymeric transistors for the ultimate goal of building better and more sustainable circuits. As I am not yet sure what field I want to study in the future, I am very pleased with the lab I was paired with because it is something new I can learn. It also gives me the chance to make use of the little bit of knowledge I garnered in my intro to chem classes. Coupled with the fact that everyone loves my PI when I mention his name, I am satisfied with my assignment.

I didn’t spend much time in the lab this week. After meeting my mentors on Wednesday, I got a tour of the lab, but that is about as much time as I have spent in the lab. I was hoping to at least shadow my mentors, and maybe even get a chance to help them out with their own projects, but perhaps I have to be more vocal about these things and follow up more religiously. This will be my plan for the upcoming week. While I didn’t get much hands-on experience, I did spend a lot of time reading papers on my mentors’ projects and taking notes. My postdoc mentor advised me take notes in the engineering notebook I was given, and it was a great idea because it helped me understand what I was reading a lot more.

On the last day of this week, there was a social gathering for all REU students and mentors, and I met some students (both undergrad & grad) from a chemistry lab. This meeting was important because it was the first time I talked with someone who told me honestly what it was like to be a student at Rice. I got encouraged about being able to gain admission to the university, and it felt good. I also learned about the best spots on and around the campus, and I look forward to making the most of the nine weeks I have here.