Although there was not much work actually due for ISM this week, there are quite a few deadlines coming up, so this week was very busy. I had my fourth informational interview, which went very well, and I worked on my research speech, research showcase invitation, and original work proposal.  

 

My interview was probably the highlight of my week. I had been looking forward to the interview with Dr. Phillips for quite some time, and it was as interesting as I had been hoping. Dr. Phillips was willing to talk for over an hour, and shared a lot of her research and insights into the field. She even shared one of her models of a protein enzyme she had been working with. She did more with structural chemistry and biology, which I actually found very interesting. She invited me back to meet with the rest of her lab, which I hope to schedule soon. I finished her thank you note and I am hoping to ask her to be my mentor soon. I still have one more interview left, however, but I think she is my favorite so far.

 

In addition to the interview I used this week to work on my speech and presentation for the research presentation on 11/14. It is not completely done, but I am confident about my progress. I am relying more on the presentation to shape my speech, as of now. I have also gotten my physical portfolio mostly together, which I am very excited about. It is nice to have a physical copy of all the work I have done so far this year. I also worked way ahead to create an invitation for the research showcase. While it was not a have to do, it was fun to do and a nice way to take a break while still getting work done. Finally, I started my original work proposal. I am sticking with my idea regarding the flu vaccination, as I feel it is a relevant and interesting topic. I plan to spend the next week on writing my interview assessment, finishing my speech and presentation, and finishing up my original work proposal.