Month: October 2018

University Hospitals Volunteering as a Lecturer for Senior Patients

Image result for ohio ahuja hospitalImage result for ohio geauga medical center

Throughout the summer before my senior year of high school, including the entirety of my senior year, I volunteered at the Ahuja Medical Center and the Geauga Medical Center, which are University Hospitals locations in Northeast Ohio. As a part of the Age Well Be Well program, I was tasked with providing informational lectures on the basics of the internet, which included the following concepts: devising search terms, using the search bar, creating and accessing an email account, avoiding spam or scam emails, discerning viable online threats, and gaining access to technology and ultimately the internet. My role was that of the primary lecturer, so while other volunteers would peruse the room and help senior patients through the current objective, for example searching their favorite animal, I would communicate the information in a way that delivered the information in a manner that was clear and did not berate the limited knowledge of the patients. Having to teach an audience the basic structure of a resource that people of my generation use (sometimes exploit) with relative ease was an eye-opening opportunity to become aware of the necessity to consider the backgrounds and experiences of different people when interacting with them in a professional setting. As such, the enriching feeling of providing aid, in any form, to a collective that requires my specific take or knowledge of a certain topic or procedure was repeatedly fulfilling, and I look forward to continuing my ventures into volunteer opportunities that allow me to lighten the confusion or struggles of diverse groups of people. Appropriately, the patient-professional relationships is vital in the dental field, and I accordingly place great value in creating meaningful bonds with people now so that I can foster the development of myself in a way that best prepares for amicable and respectful interactions with patients.

Expectation of Dr. Jason C. Slot’s Guest Lecture

On October 25, 2018, Dr. Jason C. Slot will be visiting my Biology 3401 (Integrative Biology) class and giving a guest seminar with the following title, “Reading the genome of microorganisms to form ecological and evolutionary hypotheses”. The topic actually invites a peculiar view on the entire profession of dental, medical, and any form of health care, specifically in the necessity of understanding evolutionary changes in microorganisms, which is the topic of the seminar, but also of humans. Many of the biological studies done on animals, and some on humans, analyze microorganisms to evaluate key vectors of concern or safety towards the tested variables of that study, wherein results usually impact medicine development or treatments to ailments. An understanding of the evolution of microorganisms can facilitate the growth of a more detailed view on the future of public health and dental care, as well as create a more educated physician or dental professional community. Furthermore, the theoretical exploration into the evolutionary patterns of microorganisms can extend to the analysis of the development of human and animal features over time in response to external stimuli, and can help garner the propagation of ideas that aid professionals in examining patient history and explaining the presence of features that would not be easily understandable without proper historical context. A followup post will be created to reflect on the information from the seminar, and what lessons can be applied to dentistry specifically.

Onur Kardzhala’s OSU Freshman Year in Review

Recollecting all of the memories and experiences of my time at OSU during my first year, I have realized a heightened characterization of myself that expands upon previous preconceptions I had toward my own capabilities and future prospects. First and foremost, it is important to establish the foundation of my academic journey at OSU, which was primarily focused on an arrogant headfirst dive into mathematics, a strategy, that in hindsight, cleared my vision of my true interests in biology (more specifically dentistry). However, at the time, my commitment into advancing my knowledge of different fields and aspects of mathematics compelled me to visit several Reading Classics sessions hosted by Dr. Vitaly Bergelson, which were short lessons given my students and teachers about the historical context, as well as definitions and explanations, of popular mathematics theories and conjectures. Furthermore, I attended several Radical Pi meetings, which were guest lectures sponsored by the math department that taught interesting topics not covered by most university classes. Unfortunately, my effort to delve into mathematics quickly allowed me to realize that I didn’t feel a sincere connection with the content and applicability of what I was learning, and instead became enamored with the inquiry and experimental level knowledge required for my chemistry classes.

While mathematics was usually my most highly cherished academic subject, biology and chemistry had always been a close second only due to the restrictions on high school curricula with regard to the sciences. Although I was intently focused on academics and educational extracurriculars, I made time for a club called “OSU Tough Mudder”, which was an obstacle course racing club that allowed me to accomplish one of my goals of staying fit, as well as enjoying an opportunity to run a race in North Carolina. (Picture below shows me going through one of the obstacles)

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Returning to my development of interest in dentistry, it was actually a conversation I had with my parents, one of which is a dental hygienist, after completing my research project for Chemistry 1920H (please refer to the experience tab for more information) that allowed me to definitely decide upon my ideal future in dentistry. The research I began to conduct at the end of the year, which included medicine and law at the time, spurred me to pursue my addition to the Honors Collegium, a group that I believed could enhance my ability to make up for a year of purely exploratory education and begin working towards my career prospects. Learning of my acceptance over the summer, the strenuous journey of my first year came full circle, and I truly basked in the wide array of possibilities that I opened up by finally committing to a career that had been slowly gaining ground through my upbringing and experiences in volunteering. At this point, the focus now shifts to applying my newly developed drive towards dentistry in the specific course work I complete, the volunteering experiences I do, and the offices I seek to shadow and intern with during the summer and school season.

Sophomore-Year Introduction to Onur Kardzhala

Hello! After accumulating a wide array of academic knowledge and practical career information throughout my first year at The Ohio State University, I have determined that a career in Dentistry most closely aligns with the experiences I have been exposed to and the interests that motivate my personal determination and drive. My initial introduction to the dental field was actually at a very young age, as I would visit the dental office that my mother worked at quite frequently, which at the time was in the city of Budapest, Hungary. Since the days of adolescence, I have had the opportunity to observe the inner workings of dental offices that would normally occur unbeknownst to most patients, which in itself has given me a predisposition to entertain a career in dentistry.

Furthermore, having volunteered in multiple locations such as Ahuja Medical Center, Geauga Medical Center, Taste of Bainbridge (local restaurant endorsement event assisted by Kenston High School Math Club members), and Chagrin Valley Athletic Club, I have had the freedom to exercise my abilities in communicating to patients and those who rely on my knowledge to progress through the respective events. Not only have the different occasions of volunteering given me a chance to develop my skill in practical communication and leadership skills, but to also realize that I truly enjoy the action of serving any population of people that require guidance to improve their lives or progress through a desired activity or event.

Now, with a series of academic classes rigorously drilled into my toolbox of applicable resources and skills in real-world situations, I strive to continue applying myself to the search for opportunities to better the lives of others in some way, which I believe will require that I begin participating in Internships and Shadowing positions. Consequently, I am currently extending my reach to, and would be gracious to hear from, dental offices and clinics that require undergraduate Biology students, with a focus on Pre-Dental studies, who would learn valuable lessons only obtainable from the work in an actual dental environment.

Chemistry 1920H Research Project Approval and Completion

During the 2nd semester of my freshman year, I had the opportunity to develop a research project with a small group of 2 fellow chemistry students, 3 including myself. The objective was to conduct research that focused on the impact of perovskites, which are a class of chemical compounds with a similar structure to that of CaTiO₃ by definition, but more importantly possess favorable photovoltaic properties at a fraction of the cost of most prevailing silicon-based solar cells. Due to progressive developments in solar technology, with respect to the use of perovskites, the class tasked students with conducting research on how to possibly improve upon the leading compound in the world of perovskites, which is a methylammonium lead halide perovskite. As the chemical name so subtly suggests, there is a presence of lead in the most optimal solar cells that utilize perovskite technology, which poses an obvious toxicity hazard to people that handle the technicalities of installing the hardware to locations.

Faced with one of the first real-world applications of chemistry as a student, the entirety of the project was rewarding in its ability to foster the growth of independent creative thought, professional collaborative work, and production of feasible, or somewhat meaningful, results in a real laboratory environment. However, the difficulty of creating a scientific investigation into the future of solar cells was humbling, especially in the amount of individual research that was required to handle the information of the industry and implement relevant concepts into our project. Having struggled to establish a cohesive first draft, which was accepted without significant revisions, there was a notable feeling of excitement from the success, as well as the opportunity to work under our own initiative. Furthermore, completing the work and having the opportunity to present it to Dr. Moga and the entire lab group was an excellent experience in the communication of scientific research. Overall, the journey of experiment synthesis and completion was a useful foray into the complexities of working in the scientific community, and will serve to ground myself in the expectations of my future work in the technical field of dentistry. Finally, the presentation of my groups specific research will be provided in the form of a link at the bottom of this entry, wherein there are summarized descriptions of all the new experimental techniques our group learned and the results we calculated for analysis.

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