Week 10

The last day... Our posters are done, our ten weeks are complete, so what am I doing here blogging? Don't think I forgot that I still have one pay check on the way, and I'm not about to let a missing blog get in the way :) It has been a fun summer, and thanks for making our time worth while.

Looking forward to our last meal of free pizza!

Week 9

The Summer is coming to a close! I'm nearly finished with my poster, and it is a good thing because next week is the last week. This summer has been a great experience, and I'm extremely thankful to have been able to take part in this opportunity. I feel pretty good about what I was able to accomplish over the summer, but there are obviously things that can still be done. I guess I'll have to talk with DB about continuing research with him.

I can't wait for pizza today, and I'm looking forward to the Alltech tour this afternoon.

Week 8

And yet another week comes and another week goes. Well this week was pretty good as far as results go. We managed to get some good SEM images of our magnetite Nanoparticles, showing that they were approximately 30-50nm, and now we need to show that they are in fact magnetite. In order to do this today we are going over to use the Mossbauer in the Whalen building, and in 3-4 days we will know what we have. We are also looking to test for magnetic properties, but that is proving to be a little more difficult.

It is hard to believe that there are only two more weeks left...

Week 7

Each week goes by a little faster than the last. Well, this afternoon I will hopefully be finding out if I have the results I'm hoping for. If not, I'm not sure what I will do, but hopefully DB does :) It is hard to believe that it is time to start working on the poster already; it seems like we just got here!
It has definitely been great getting lab experience and seeing what real research looks like. Journal articles still aren't the most exciting things to read, but at least they aren't as intimidating as they once were.

Well, it's about time to eat some delicious pizza! My favorite part of every week :)

Week 6

I'm writing this one a little late because we got Friday off as a holiday and I didn't think to do it.

This week was good. Scott took our membranes down to the SEM, and we aren't completely sure of what we have. We are going to synthesize more membranes, slightly varying the technique, and see if we are able to get any results. I need to start working on my poster soon. It is hard to believe that the summer is going by so quickly!

Anyways, another good week in the lab :)

Week 5

It is hard to believe the REU is already half way over!

The summer is flying by, and after filling out my midsummer evaluation it is encouraging to see that I've made progress, but still have some ways to go in completing my original goals for the summer. The experiment I performed this week could possibly have large implications, but I haven't been able to go use the SEM and TEM to find out for sure. My intuition tells me that I'm going to have to make a few adjustments before I get the desired results. DB and Scott were in Charleston, SC until yesterday, so I enjoyed sitting out in the sun most of the week . . . No, actually I was in the lab with Noah most of the time, and it was nice to get to know him a little better. We also have a new high school student working in the lab, so I'm no longer at the very bottom of the food chain.

So all things said, another great week!

Week 4

Another good week in the lab.

This week was somewhat of a transition week. DB is back from Norway, so on Wednesday we had a group meeting, where I gave a "blackboard presentation" on what I've done so far, as well as what I intend to do. Next week Scott and DB will be gone to Charleston, SC for a conference, so today my goal is to get the protocol done for my experiment next week so they can check over it before they leave. Yesterday I got to go with them down to use the SEM to check for nanoparticles on my membrane, and we think we saw some, so that was cool.
I've enjoyed working with Scott, Noah, Jason, Vasile, DB, and a new high school student named Lexsa. Everyone is extremely nice and a pleasure to be around.

Well, I think it is about time to go eat some pizza!

Week 3

Well I finally feel like I'm pretty well accustomed to the lab. So far everything is going fairly well, and I'm hoping that the experiment I'm working on right now will produce some good results. We ran sort of a trial version of it, and the results were good enough that we decided to go ahead and do the experiment and hope for the best. I'm working on a report right now to send to DB in Norway about everything I've learned and done this far, and I can honestly say that I think I've learned quite a bit, but obviously still have a lot of learning to do.

Overall I have truly enjoyed the experience so far this summer!

Week 2

Another good week!

It has been nice getting acquainted in the lab and further getting to know my lab mentor and advisers. Now that DB is in Norway we pretty much just goof off the entire time (just kidding). I have actually almost completed two experiments now, have figured out the goals for the summer, and am waiting to hear back from DB as to what he thinks of my powerpoint to be presented Monday. I can't believe how fast these weeks are flying by already, and I am looking forward to pizza this afternoon.

First Week

So far so good!
After having a week under my belt, I can honestly say that so far this has been a great experience. I have a lot of interest in DB's work, and I have enjoyed getting to know him and Scott Lewis. He already told me that he is going to throw me in way over my head, and he certainly has, but I've been able to come up for a fresh breath of air just often enough to keep things exciting. I'm looking forward to a great summer, which I'm sure will we full of challenges, some failures, and hopefully a lot of learning.