Well, the last week is finally here, and I am upset this had to eventually end. I wish it was longer. I did learn a lot in the past ten weeks. I didn’t think I would gain so much from this internship, but I am glad that I did. This experience did place me outside of my comfort zone, but it was a good thing. Although the research I did here wasn’t aligned specifically to my major, (Mechanical engineering), I am glad I had the opportunity to experience working in the chemical engineering department. I realized most engineering disciplines overlap, because I was working with electrical components, chemical reactions, designing reactors, etc. So, I am grateful to say that I gained some chemical engineering experience.
I am also grateful I had the chance to talk to graduate students and ask them about their experiences in their undergraduate degree, what made them pursue a graduate degree, and how to get one. I also asked about why they decided to pursue a graduate degree, and I just really liked their input. This was one of the things I was looking forward to, guidance from someone who had already had their bachelor’s in engineering.
My mentor did a terrific job helping me with this summer research. She was always available when I had questions, and always encouraged me to attempt all the experiments. From day one, I was in the lab, mixing chemicals, measuring mass, etc. I am really grateful I had her as a mentor, and hopefully I can apply the same teaching methods if I ever have a mentee assigned to me.
As for grad school, this opportunity really helped me decide if I wanted to do it. I had considered it in the past, because I love learning, and I don’t just want to stop at a bachelor’s level. Once I saw how the grad students work, and what they do? I realized I want to do it too. I want to find something I am interested in and research it. See how it can be improved, changed, studied to help contribute to a bigger problem. So, again this I am grateful for everything and everyone that supported me in this research journey. I also want to thank Dr. Zafar and the faculty at the OURI office for their support in making this experience enjoyable.
So thank you for reading, and until next time
-Adrian