1. What are you most excited about as you start your Laidlaw research summer?

Enjoying the city over the summer excites me the most! I'm a huge soccer fan, so being in the city during the World Cup is perfect timing for Laidlaw. I'm also hoping to go on nice runs here and there. The opportunity to gain experience in undergrad research is also something I'm looking forward to. 

2. This week, the discussions we held about research cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?

Naturally, being exposed to such driven people passionate about different things raises my interest for other fields. I'm expecting conversations and interactions to continue deepening my understanding of areas I'm unfamiliar with. I'll aim to dive into these through classes, extracurriculars, and other opportunities throughout my college career.

3. As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?

I've had a hard time with my research project so far --- finding useful sources has been rough. But reaching out to the professor I'm working under has helped me progress. Prof. Phillips has been an invaluable resource, and I'll continue leveraging communication with him when finding roadblocks.