Last week was another week with very few concrete assignments due for ISM. I spent the time making cold calls, going on another interview, creating the rough draft for the original works project board, and writing an interview assessment.

 

My second interview was with Dr. Mamta Jain, a M.D. working with HIV clinical trials. This interview was very different from the last one because Dr. Jain is an M.D., not a P.h.d, and her research is more patient based, as opposed to in a lab. Dr. Jain was very polite, and she gave me plenty of things to write about. I was able to finish the interview assessment that night.

 

The biggest issue I encountered this past week centered around finding more interviews. While the interviews at UT Southwestern have been very beneficial, UT Southwestern does not accept high school students to work there because of liability issues, making finding a mentor through Southwestern impossible. Therefore, I have been making cold-calls to other institutions such as UTD, SMU, and Baylor Scott & White. Most of these calls, however, end with a voicemail. I am planning to follow up on these calls in the coming week, and contact someone my father knows to see if they can provide anyone willing to interview with me. I also plan to see if there are any private companies with people willing to interview with me.

 

Finally, I have begun to think about the original works. I am thinking about research the flu vaccine. I want to know how many people get it locally, and why they may or may not receive it. I would also like to create a plan to make the vaccine more accessible based on what I learn about why people are or are not getting the vaccine. I am continuing to keep my options open, but that seems like the most promising idea so far. I talked to Dr. Jain briefly about it, and she too seemed to feel it was a project worth looking into. In order to begin the project, I created a rough draft of the display board this week. I incorporated my colors as well as the required information. I was a little confused on what exactly was required on the board, but I assume I will figure it out as I do more research for the project.