Last week the trainings and discussions we had 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?

Last week, I enjoyed listening to the graduate student mentors' stories about how they became interested in their research. As a chemistry major, I'm more familiar with the process of scientific research than humanities research. Before joining Laidlaw, I hadn't thought about the differences between the two. The graduate student mentors' stories showed that a research project in the humanities could originate from a lived experience rather than a specific academic interest. This led me to consider how my research would be more meaningful if I could connect it to both a personal experience and an academic interest. 

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

I need to learn how to use the machines in the lab necessary for my project, as well as experimental techniques. While this process will give me valuable research experience, I won't see progress in my project until it is complete. A challenge for this summer will be balancing learning experiences in the lab with experiments for my project.