Alphabetical Questionnaire.

I am taking full advantage of Spring BREAK. I haven't done much work, although I have midterms and lab reports due next week. Rochelle from Rochelle Approved posted this fun little questionnaire last week and I wanted to participate. You know... since I'm on break and all. ツ

A. Age: 23
B. Bed size: Queen at home; twin at school.
C. Chore you hate: Washing pots
D. Dogs: I’ve never owned a pet.

E. Essential start to your day: Devotion! Prayer and reading a passage of scripture from the Bible.

F. Favorite color: Various shades of green. I like other colors too, but I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite.

G. Gold or silver: Gold. I think it compliments my skin tone the best.

H. Height: 5’7”-ish
I. Instruments you play: In middle school, I played the clarinet. I would love to take that up again… seriously.

J. Job title: Student, soon to be Research Scientist I or II (I hope!).
K. Kids: None

L. Live: in Philadelphia, PA. Currently residing in Connecticut for graduate school.

M. Mom’s name: Bev
N. Nicknames: Gel, Jelly beans, Persimmon (Percy), and Beaker (Beaks).

O. Overnight hospital stays: I don’t think I have stayed overnight in a hospital.
P. Pet peeve: Pre-mature anger and exaggerated sneezes, among others.

Q. Quote from a movie: It’s really hard to pick just one favorite movie quote. Luckily, I’ve been harvesting movie quotes for a few years now. Here is one of my faves: "I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is" -Forest Gump-

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: Two older sisters, named Opal and Dahlia.

T. Time you wake up: Around 8:30am.

U. Underwear: I used to wear an undershirt (camisole/tank top) with every outfit, even in the summer heat.

V. Vegetable you dislike: Asparagus and okra.

W. What makes you run late: Hair mishaps and waiting until the last minute to shower and get dressed.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Breast (ultrasound).
Y. Yummy food you make: I make a lot of yummy foods. Specifically, my shrimp fettucine alfredo and pan seared pork chops are really yummy.

Z. Zoo animal favorite: Pandas, peacocks, elephants, tapirs, and any primate species.

**All but two photos are from here. Others are my own.**

Plans for the Summer!

That's me! ... and my neurobio professor in lab last year (2010). (Source)

I am pretty darn excited for this summer!

{No! Not for the disgustingly humid city weather...}

I am excited because I have been on my grind lately, trying to find a research or laboratory internship and it's all coming together!

My interest in a career in the research and development field (R&D) sparked at the latter end of my sophomore year in college. I realized that med school was not what I wanted after all. I liked working in the lab more than anything and I actually looked forward to going to lab every week. Whether it was dissecting rabbit muscles, trying to develop a vaccine against Staph aureus, or harvesting neurons from fetal rats, I loved every bit of it.

Now, for this summer, I have chosen to directly contact a few researchers to petition a summer internship in their lab. Preferably, I would like to have a paid internship. However, I desire to gain experience more than anything, so I have also petitioned for volunteer positions (with hopes of finding a little part-time gig to save up for my second year of grad school). I strongly believe that any position will help me to refine the skills I've gained during my undergraduate career and teach me new ones. With Philly as my 'permanent home', I have a wide variety of research organizations (i.e. GSK, FCCC, Wistar Institute, etc.) and universities (i.e. Drexel, Temple, UPenn, PCOM etc) in range that I can work with.

I have my first interview next week! ツ

Photo sharing: Drew U surely brought out the science lover in me! Enjoy these pics...

Ferns grown from tiny spores (freshman year).

Dissecting bunnies (sophomore year).

DNA fragmented by agarose gel electrophoresis (junior year).

DAPI-stained DNA microtubules during interphase (junior year).

Anatomy & Physiology lab (junior year).

The effects of glutamate cytotoxicity on neurons (senior year).

Trip to the Bronx Zoo (sophomore year).

**All photos are my own**

Video of the Day

I remember watching this portion of the People's Choice awards in 2009 and thinking "Wow!"... Now, everytime this song plays via my iTunes, I think back to my first time hearing this song, and this performance.... Watch!...

"I Know You Won't"
by Carrie Underwood