Cloudy with a Chance of... Spicy Thai Basil Noodles?

It feels a bit weird not having posted in a while. But I guess a major reason why I'm posting now is to, of course, procrastinate a bit. And to reflect on the past semester and what's to come.

I've luckily had some great news this past week, finding out that I was accepted into the 2012 Oral Health Sciences Summer Conference at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in Ann Arbor. An all expenses paid, two day conference, I was highly doubtful and extremely unsure of whether I would be accepted, as it seemed pretty competitive. But thankfully I did!! And I'm extremely happy, because this would not only be my first conference, but also, I get to explore the UMich campus and finally really get a better look at the world of dental research in terms of a dual degree DDS/PhD Program. Unlike other conferences, as a participant, I would not present research, but would rather listen to the current research being conducted at campus, and get to ask questions about the dual degree program.


 I also recently became a part of the Class of 2013 Senior Research Forum team. In order to fully appreciate what the forums would be like, I joined the rest of the potential group at the 2012 Senior Forum. It was really exciting to hear about the research Macaulay Hunter students have performed. It was the first time that I ever listened to an English research project being presented, which has definitely helped me to expand my understanding of the scope of research. In a warm, business conference setting with great company and academic conversation flowing, I am really excited to be a part of the team, and I cannot wait for the research that will be presented at future Forums!


 As the semester is boiling to an end, I am trying to juggle a paper, finals, and tying the loose ends of my marine biology oyster research project at Baruch. Its sad to know that I will be leaving the lab before summer starts, as this is when the bulk of fieldwork is performed. Having had done statistical analysis and cleaning through my data over the past few weeks on the different energy budgets of aquaculture and wild type oysters in the city, I missed the hands nitty and gritty field work and lab work. My wish to move away from the computer for a bit was fulfilled when I finally got to shuck some final samples for the project. Boy, these wild type oysters can be pretty big and full of ectosymbiotic organisms!! Not only are there algae on oysters, but I found snail eggs, miniworms, other oysters,tiny clams, and a huge array of microfauna invisible to the eye. Oh yeah, and of course, dirt. A lot of dirt.Below, you can see a picture of an oyster. Yes, an oyster, not a rock.

I'll be transitioning into research at Cornell over the summer, where, instead of oysters, I'll be working with mice. I'm really excited to be working with a different organism, moving from E.coli and fungal based research, to oysters and clams, and now to mice. Maybe bigger creatures in the future of research for me?


 Today is so humid, my hair is crying. I really just want all this frizz to get done with, so that I can enjoy possibly one good hair day this week. Ah, at least I had left over Thai food. What more can I ask for during the end of the semester?