Week 10: When One Door Shuts, Another Opens

Week ten got lonely at times, with most of the other interns gone. With my poster finished and my final paper mostly complete, I had nothing to do but dive back into my experiments. Then again, I never really stopped experimenting in the first place. Mostly I worked with magnetite, the fourth and final iron oxide suspension for my project. I also worked on background tests to prove that the probes are actually doing what we claim they are doing. By eliminating certain components from my reactions, I could show specific roles of certain variables (such as pH or syringe filters).

My summer here went by very fast. Perhaps my business has something to do with that. I wish I could have accomplished more. That said, I'm hoping that my project helps out Dimin (my mentor), because it certainly feels like I accomplished a lot. I've changed my perspective on research and, more specifically, redox chemistry!

The CMOP community expressed from the beginning that they wanted to see us (interns) take our experience and carry it far beyond the doors of Hatfield Research Center at OHSU, and even beyond the crashing waves at the mouth of the Columbia River estuary. Only time will tell, but as the door closes behind me here at OHSU, I know that others have opened. I now have broader research experience, new lab and computer skills, and sharpened presentation skills. I made my first poster, which I hope to present at a conference at some point. Lastly, I've made connections here that, if nothing else, will inspire me to keep on pursuing a higher education.