On Tuesday, we heard about Dr. Pearson's career and research journey. On Thursday, we learned about the importance of networking and how to leverage tools like LinkedIn for that purpose. We also got to paint our projects and presented what our paintings meant to each other. Us scientists have some real artists among us!
On Tuesday, we learned about Dr. Stanifer's career journey and research. Due to the 4th of July Holiday, we enjoyed the rest of the week off and look forward to returning to our normal scheduling next week!
On Tuesday, we learned about Dr. DeVries career journey and research. On Thursday, we had a career planning session where we learned how to put together resumes, CVs, and personal statements. We then collected soil samples from all around campus to measure and analyze lead levels in different locations!
On Tuesday, we heard from Dr. Tsyusko-Unrine about her career journey and research. On Wednesday, we worked through a community building circle on mental health and also learned about how similar we all are to each other. We then learned about environmental exposures to neurotoxicants such as lead and methylmercury, worked through case studies for each exposure, and even worked through simulations of common symptoms of these exposures! We also got to show off some of our final products of our tie-dyed lab coats.
On Tuesday morning, we met Dr. Patrick Hannon. Dr. Hannon told us about the professor who changed his career plans from being a vet to becoming a reproductive toxicologist. He also described why identifying why phthalate esters negatively impact female reproduction is a complex and fascinating problem to be solved.
On Wednesday, we learned about the origins and uses of medicinal plants and got to pot them in the planters we designed last week.
Our SURES activities started on Tuesday morning with Dr. Cetewayo Rashid. He told us about how he got inspired by scientists and the key people in his life who played important roles in his career journey. He also talked to us about his research on organophosphate flame retardants and their contribution to metabolic dysregulation.
We also met other undergraduate researchers, had some Kona Ice, and played lots of Jenga!
On May 27th, we welcomed our seven SURES participants. They came from several universities: the University of Kentucky, North Carolina A&T State, University of Puerto Rico, and Washington College. After getting acquainted over lunch, we learned about hypothesis testing and how to keep a good laboratory notebook. On Wednesday, we talked about data, how to be a good mentee, and research ethics. We had a great time on our scavenger hunt and getting more familiar with the University of Kentucky campus. We said "Hi" to Bowman and got laboratory safety goodies from the BioSafety Team. On Thursday, we each found our labs and got started learning about our summer projects.
