Tuesday: Our Orientation day was a blast! I met all the other REU students, and we quickly bonded over shared interests and excitement for the program. The highlight was definitely lunch at the dining hall—it was so good, I wish we could eat there every day!
Wednesday: The morning started with a safety training session, but finding the assigned room was an adventure in itself! After wandering with fellow students, we found a friendly person on campus who pointed us in the right direction. Lunch with our mentors was fantastic; we introduced ourselves and discussed our research projects.
Thursday: My mentor launched a new recipe for his MOF material, and I shadowed him through the entire process. Even better, I had the chance to try all the steps myself! For the first time, I performed lab work solo, and I ended up creating a novel material—such a rewarding experience!
Friday: Our weekly lab meeting in Dr. Li’s lab was fascinating. I met everyone in the lab and listened to a captivating presentation about his progress from one of the researchers. It was inspiring to see the innovative work happening around me!
Getting around the campus initially is always a challenge, but it will get better as the weeks progress.
By the way, you can purchase “tetra points” to dine in at the servery. I will share the information with all the students at our upcoming meeting.
Pani, I’m glad to hear that you had a great first week! It’s also exciting that you were able to shadow your mentor’s work in the lab and had an opportunity to experience hands-on learning immediately. I look forward to hearing more about your learning and experiences in your lab over the next few weeks.