A New Perspective

So this week, I have spent the majority of my time stressing and hoping to do well on my two examinations coming up for biology and chemistry, along with attending labs, lectures, and classes, of course. Not to mention that I have a biology lab practical the following week. No pressure since it is my major, right?

On Monday, I was able to attend a seminar that involved my minor, which is, at the moment, medical humanities and health science. I had the opportunity to listen to German-born Dr. Corina Delkeskamp-Hayes speak about her paper “End-of-Life Decision Making: The German Debate.” It was interesting to say the least, and I really enjoyed listening to her thoughts and also liked her style of speaking. She was very educated and informative.

And just yesterday, I attended a seminar about the IU Medical School-Kenya partnership. Honestly, it’s quite amazing to see on film and hear from those who have been there what is taking place and the advances that have been made in the world of HIV/AIDS. The AIDS pandemic is just devastating, but some of that devastation is alleviated knowing that something positive and productive is being done to slow things down.

I work in a molecular plant biology lab with a wonderful mentor by the name of Dr. D. Crowell, and next week I will be performing gel electrophoresis by myself. I am quite excited. For the time being, I have been making media (liquid used to house and grow bacteria) for bacteria and learning how to use the autoclave and things of that nature.