Hello World,

The date is 05/31/2024, marking the last day of my first week of REU at Rice University. I came into this REU scared and nervous and after four days the nerves have SLOWLY begun to dissipate. I have learned a lot of new things that I never thought I would learn yet given it has only been four days. Here’s a quick rundown of how my week went

Tuesday: Marked the first day of the REU programs. I had to get up around 5:30 am which isn’t new to me, but it was a groggy morning for sure. I parked at the Greenbriar lot and realized that I would have to walk 22 minutes (according to Apple Maps) to the location of my REU. Luckily, a guy in a white pick-up truck drove up to me and asked if I was lost to which I responded yes, and he offered to give me a ride. Don’t worry, the truck had the words Rice University Parking plastered on the side, so I was confident that I wasn’t in any danger. I was dropped off at Rayzor Hall and enjoyed some light breakfast that was provided. After a long day of valuable information, I left the hall feeling a bit more ready for what was ahead.

Wednesday: Today was day of semi orientations. We had the chance the go through two safety training in order to prepare us for the work we’re going to be doing in our labs. After the safety training I met my mentor Dr Aldo who was very welcoming and introduced me to my project. We had a brief lunch and headed towards the lab, where I will be spending most of my days. Before getting to the lab, he showed a few places on campus to get food.

Thursday: First day in the lab: I spent the first half of my day at a cubicle where I was learning the different terms needed to conduct my experiments. The latter half of the day was spent in the learning different things from lab specific safety training to how to make polymers.

Friday: A continuation of Thursday, I spent most of my time in the cubicle learning about the different terms. I realized that there’s so much that I don’t know about the world of chemistry which is understandable given my degree plan of Mechanical Engineering. Around 3:50, I left the lab to attend the welcome reception that was held about two buildings down from where I was which was very convenient.

My time at Rice so far has made me realize that I might need to learn how to skateboard or invest in a scooter. I’ve also learned a lot of things on my own in such a short amount of time that I’d never thought I was able to do. I look forward to seeing what the upcoming weeks have in store for me. Until then.

Cheers,

Sam