Research Experience through IUSE —
This summer I have had the opportunity to work in Dr. Felix’s research lab. This has been a new experience for me, as I have not done research before this. In the few months spent doing research I have been faced with situations that have challenged me to persist, as well as learning many new skills in the lab. Research has also impacted me in working closely with another research student which allows us to benefit from each other’s ideas as well as learning different problem-solving strategies. I have also been privileged to have a student mentor to work with. She has assisted me through many steps in lab and it has helped tremendously to have access to the experience she has in research, as well as the support in trying steps that are new to me.
Throughout labs during the school year we were presented with the components of the STAR program, which transferred into the research lab this summer. In the lab we must communicate with each other for safety, as well as the sharing of ideas that could excel our work. Secondly, my mentor and I have been working on the same project and several times have collaborated our data and materials to have more supported work on the project. Foresight and planning play a large role in research as each day must be planned out so time is used efficiently. I have dealt with problem solving many times this summer while redoing reactions that did not work the first time and working through different steps to see where a problem could have occurred or where improvement could be made. This experience has taught me much about problem solving and persistence and has sparked my interest in research.