Wins from this quarter

1. I had a successful start to the o-chem sequence. After hearing horror stories about o-chem and my professor, I was nervous about how I would perform in CHEM 237. But the subject and my professor both ended up being fantastic and I'm glad I didn't let my initial fears ruin my determination to do well.

2. I started my first research project. After spending a lot of time training rats in fall quarter, my PI supported me in starting my own research project. I have learned a lot of new things in the process and I'm excited to continue growing as a student researcher.

3. I achieved my goal of raising my overall GPA. My goal for this quarter was to maintain or raise my cumulative GPA and I'm pleased to say that I did the latter as a result of obtaining my highest quarterly GPA to date. Being closer to my new target GPA, I'm definitely going into spring quarter with confidence.

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Starting my first research project

The big picture of my research project is placing electrode arrays in the spinal cord of a rat and using a recording system called Ripple to see how spinal cord injury weakens/therapy strengthens the connections between the cortex and the spinal cord, which is measured by the magnitude of the evoked potential. This came with a lot of firsts such as creating electrode arrays, shadowing a surgery, and visiting the Primate Center to observe how a different recording system is used with monkeys. My PI and I wanted to do a test run with this procedure first so I've been working closely with one rat – I'll refer to her as Hyeri in this reflection – for the past month. 

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After the surgery, I handled Hyeri whenever I came to the lab to get her used to me touching her head. I eventually realized that she liked sitting in my lap more than being held so I would let her just walk around on my lap for 10 to 20 minutes. As she got more comfortable with me, I acclimated her to the headstage. At first, it was difficult because her head is sensitive and I had to connect it fast enough while she was moving. But with enough practice and patience, it got easier for both of us. In the last few weeks of the quarter, my PI and I learned how to use and record with the Ripple system, which involved a lot of technical difficulties and testing multiple different headstages on Hyeri. Even though this project has a long way to go, I've already learned so much about what it means to be a researcher and I can't wait to see how the rest of the project turns out.

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Getting involved in the Honors community

Being an Honors Community Ambassador (HCA) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had at UW. For my first project, I worked with other HCAs to create a promotional video for students admitted into the Honors program; I ended up narrating the beginning and closing of the video which was exciting! I even brainstormed ideas for a quarterly peer mentoring program for Honors students, a new project that I will be leading in the spring. But the best part of being an HCA was getting to know the Honors advisers (hi Claire and Nadra!) and other Honors students outside of the academic setting. It reminded me why I was drawn to the Honors program in the first place: being a part of a close-knit community.

 

I also applied and was accepted as a Peer Educator, a position I'm thrilled about because I will have the opportunity to really step outside of my comfort zone. After reaching out to the other PEs via email, I was able to create a class Discord where we all got to introduce themselves. I'm excited to get to know everyone better in HONORS 397 and continue being a positive contribution to the Honors community, both as an HCA and PE.

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Goals for next quarter

1. Manage my time well. Time management is certainly a skill I have gained from taking classes online but it will be particularly important for next quarter when I have to balance taking CHEM 238 and 241, learning how to be a Peer Educator, leading an HCA project, and going to my research lab nine hours a week.

2. Apply for my first Honors Experiential Learning activity. I always thought my first Honors Experiential Learning activity would be related to research but I realized that creating the Honors Peer Mentoring Program is an activity where I can demonstrate leadership, so I plan to apply for this next quarter.

3. Work out consistently. I worked out almost every day during quarantine up until the end of fall quarter and I haven't really worked out since. This hiatus didn't seem to have any impact on my mental health but for the sake of my well-being, I'm planning to work out at least four times a week in the spring.