Another week has flown by, and it is amazing how time passes when you are surrounded by such inspiring individuals. This week, I am happy to report that I am getting more familiar with the terrain over here at Rice. Knowing where specific buildings are is a real improvement. Plus, I appreciate how close green-briar parking is to the campus, as I truly enjoy those morning walks.

In the lab on Monday, I had a bit of pause put on my current task. I was working on organizing food log data, which included various details like mealtimes, types of foods, quantities in grams, snack or rescue carbs, fluids consumed, physical activities, to name a few. The challenge was to categorize this information accurately, but doing it manually proved to be time-consuming and tedious, leading to a halt in the process.

Tuesday was more eventful. I attended a workshop on the roles and responsibilities of undergraduate researchers. The session was highly engaging, encouraging group participation and providing valuable insights from both the host and fellow students. After the workshop, I attended our weekly meeting, which was followed by a discussion with my mentor.

A new goal was set to accelerate my progress. I am now focused on learning Python and conducting data analysis. The immediate objectives are to grasp the basics, including introductory programming, the fundamentals of pandas, data visualization and understanding time series data, all by the 11th of this month. To aid my learning, i have been using Kaggle, an online website that offers practical, hands-on activities that align perfectly with my training needs.