11.26.18 -12.2.18

ORIGINAL WORK RESEARCH

It has been a few weeks since I've written a weekly report, so this report will encompass a bit more than a week, as there is quite a lot that needs to be caught up on. As noted previously, interviews this year have been seeming very difficult to obtain. However, I finally have one scheduled! Furthermore, progress on the original work product has begun and is going strong.

In regards to interviews, close to thirty professionals have been contacted at this point, via email and phone calls. It is frustrating to feel like I am being ignored by professionals, and I find I am receiving less responses this year by far. However, some success has finally been obtained by email; one professional from UT Southwestern has replied yes. An exact time still needs to be set. Although the interview is not definitive until a time is set, I have hope. Hopefully this professional will not break off contact completely before a time is set, as is what happened with Tom Mayo. It seems unlikely this professional will do that, as his response times have been quick and willing to work with me. Therefore it seems likely I will have an interview in the near future.

Beginning and working on the original work has been exciting. As previously mentioned, I am researching the opioid crisis and how to fix it. The first few steps have been taken towards learning more. This includes looking up other similar reports to get an idea for content and formatting, and researching addiction and opioids specifically. I also watched a one hour documentary on the crisis and other people's proposed solutions. As of now, I need to take steps to catch my original work log up, but I am excited to continue research.

Although one interview is in the works, this does not mean I can stop the search for interviews. If my success rate remains the same (1 out of about 30) I will need to keep calling and finding more professionals to call, as fast as possible. This could be a possible mentor, but I would like to have more options, so I will keep looking and working. Furthermore, I have some progress that needs to be made regarding the original work, and I will need to review my research presentation,