Hey readers,
The first weekend into Trimester 3 -- it's been a wild ride. Let's start off with the Super Bowl -- yeah, I wanted the Falcons to win, and just after I snapped everyone a picture saying it's over and rejoicing at the fall of the heinous Patriot villains, the Falcons's secondary crumbled. Matty Ice turned stone cold.
But, hey, at least I am not a sore loser (except...just ask Kimy and Divya).
Since the Super Bowl went into overtime for the first time ever, the theme this week is OVERTIME!
After I submitted my lit review/methods combo to Mrs. Haag on Thursday, this weekend I worked on a paper with Dr. Herbots for Biointerphases journal, lit up the dance floor at Sadie's (except not at all), and finished analyzing the simulations from RUMP. The RUMP analysis actually serves two purposes, as it is part of the data for our paper and helps me plan for my experiments/data analysis in the next two weeks.
Right now, I am feeling super motivated to work on and finish my data collection especially since the nature of my research (collecting data at an actual laboratory) makes it easy to fall behind and hard to catch up. Because of this my biggest struggle will be to stay ahead of schedule and communicate very effectively with Dr. Herbots. Undoubtedly, we will face some obstacles (e.g., particle accelerator down for a day, contaminated sample, etc.), but having a flexible schedule and working as much as possible to get the research done should help me face them head on.
My primary objectives while getting my research done is to balance the interests of the lab with the time constraints of my research project and get the best help from Dr. Herbots. My weekly meetings with Mrs. Haag (Tuesday mornings are lit) should maintain the urgency to collect data in the lab and not get sucked into other experiments or projects at ASU. Moreover, working closely with Dr. Herbots will ensure my research is rigorous and up-to-par. Not trying to suck up, but I am definitely super lucky to have both of them as amazing mentors.
The first weekend into Trimester 3 -- it's been a wild ride. Let's start off with the Super Bowl -- yeah, I wanted the Falcons to win, and just after I snapped everyone a picture saying it's over and rejoicing at the fall of the heinous Patriot villains, the Falcons's secondary crumbled. Matty Ice turned stone cold.
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| At least the memes are still dank as ever... |
Since the Super Bowl went into overtime for the first time ever, the theme this week is OVERTIME!
After I submitted my lit review/methods combo to Mrs. Haag on Thursday, this weekend I worked on a paper with Dr. Herbots for Biointerphases journal, lit up the dance floor at Sadie's (except not at all), and finished analyzing the simulations from RUMP. The RUMP analysis actually serves two purposes, as it is part of the data for our paper and helps me plan for my experiments/data analysis in the next two weeks.
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| I did it though, Dwight... I did it! |
Right now, I am feeling super motivated to work on and finish my data collection especially since the nature of my research (collecting data at an actual laboratory) makes it easy to fall behind and hard to catch up. Because of this my biggest struggle will be to stay ahead of schedule and communicate very effectively with Dr. Herbots. Undoubtedly, we will face some obstacles (e.g., particle accelerator down for a day, contaminated sample, etc.), but having a flexible schedule and working as much as possible to get the research done should help me face them head on.
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| Like Tom Brady dancing... |
I am super super excited to get some concentrated work done in the lab without having to go after school, so I do not see laziness as being an issue. After all, it's more time with the HemaBaes...
So, overall I see complications with the lab equipment/scheduling as being potential pitfalls, and staying on top of my schedule and communicating very actively with Dr. Herbots and Mrs. Haag will make sure I can maximize the time I spend in the lab, so I can start data analysis as soon as possible. Performing the simulations before the RBS, as we have, also will give us a great starting point for our experiments. Also, having the pairs of samples prepared already gives me a great head-start for our bulk measurements of surface energy and RBS. There will be a lot of repeat measurements, so once we get rolling, collecting the data will come in bursts. And, if anything happens, I'm not afraid to work OVERTIME (looking at you, Atlanta)!
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| Apparently, pitfall memes are a thing in Pokemon? Well, we're not falling for it! |
By avoiding these pitfalls, I should be on track to finish collecting data by February 20th, with 1 week for data analysis. I can also analyze data as we get it to speed up the process (e.g., 3LCAA images of slides to measure surface energy). Now that we have the samples prepared, the goal of this week will be to perform 3LCAA to get the surface energy of the samples (independent variable). Then, once this done, the uniformity test with elemental composition can be performed with RBS.
If you're wondering what else I've been up to, I have started taking some MIT OpenCourseWare classes for math and computer science to stay sharp. Also, my tutoring game is going strong. The goal for this week is to make it to the gym every day and work on my chess game too!
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| I guess this applies to this blog, not Facebook... |
Things are looking up! I will keep you guys updated about my progress this week. Tomorrow, I am going to the lab for the first time since I've been released from captivity (aka BASIS). But, Tuesday, I go back to meet with Mrs. Haag (jk...that is gonna be lit).
Signing off... cheers to another great week of research!
Yash
(756)
P.S. Miss you, miss you!
Hey Yash! Love your blog - so funny! Anyways, I'm happy to hear that not only are you on top of your research, but you have been enjoying your extra time out of school by playing more chess and taking classes. As far as your potential pitfalls, I agree that maintaining a strong system of communication with the lab and Ms. Haag is your best bet. You said that you will have all your data collected by Feb. 20th, but the official deadline is the 19th, so just make sure that Ms. Haag is aware if you need that one extra day. In terms of potential suggestions for what you should plan next, since you need to analyze your samples for uniformity once they are all collected, I would also start planning a schedule for result analysis after Feb. 20th to ensure that you can interpret all your results and write a good results section before March 5th. Sounds like you are very organized though, so keep up the great work and good luck continuing your research! :)
ReplyDeleteYash -- glad you're looking forward to our LIT Tuesday mornings. I agree that having weekly meetings where I expect progress will help maintain the urgency necessary to keep forward progress on your project. I am curious, though, where are we in terms of what's actually done in this moment and what still needs to get done? Are we on par to have everything done (in terms of raw data collection) by February 19th? Have you broken up the days into small, accomplishable tasks? We'll review your schedule when we meet this week to ensure that you've broken up this large task before you into smaller ones.
ReplyDeleteHi Yash,
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome to see how you are managing and balancing your time between classes, social activities, writing papers, and doing your research! Wowza! It just shows you haven't lost your motivation or discipline and you are definitely going to be on track to finish getting the data you need.
I agree that it would be nice to see what exactly your data organization/collecting consists of, as I do not think I have read that on your blog yet but you probably mentioned it earlier. Also what form will the data be in and how do you plan on sharing it through your results?
I agree with Audrey about the Feb 20 deadline, did you just mean you have it done by Feb 20 and thus turned in Feb 19 or need an extra day. I am glad you have more time to go to the lab and you should definitely keep asking Dr. Herbots if you can spend as much time as possible in the lab!
Other than that, you are doing great work!
Hi Yash,
ReplyDeleteI agree that timing is everything, especially in an experimental based operation. Multiple samples in multiple trials seems tedious at first. But when you put on I got the keys in the background, suddenly you go into OVERTIME mode. Just buckle down and go for it.
Coordinating with busy, smart professors is a tough task. I agree with your sentiment that persistence is essential to getting the trials and samples necessary for data collection. Even today, Dr. Ozkan was so busy she came in at 2 o'clock, swamped with work. Be prepared for the unexpected, and clear your trials before disaster strikes.
But other than that, you seem to have your game plan created. Now make sure you don't blow a 28-3 lead in the second half.
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Ashwath V.