No matter how much we want to learn things by ourselves, it is never wrong to learn from the people around us. With this purpose, I searched for an upper classman, a graduate student and a professor from Ohio State University. Some of them I found through connections. However, a professor with whom I shared a common interest (research, studies, etc.), was hard to find. I found my professor after searching for several hours on Scopus, and was almost about to give up. As soon as I found him, I wrote to him. My professor responded in a heartbeat, and we met on the same day. As I had said, my upperclassman and graduate student weren’t so hard to find, since they were either connected to me by STEM EE Scholars or by a club. My upperclassman, was my STEM EE mentor, Megan Broughton. I met my Graduate student, through a marine biology club called “Current”. I choose each of them, because I found that I could gain very important and amazing things from each of them.

I chose the professor I interviewed, because his research subjects are immensely interesting to me, and I wanted to learn more about what he did and how his research worked. As I kept on reading about him, I also found out that he was the professor in charge of a lab, in the Mechanical Engineering building (my major’s department). What made me sure that I wanted to interview him was, that my heart felt fireworks when I read of what he did at the lab, and his research in it. Secondly, there is my STEM EE mentor. We had only met each other the day of the welcome event for Scholars, but then we met a second time, because I wanted to get to know her more. That second time, I felt that she had a lot in common with me, and I also learned of a lot of amazing things she had done at OSU. Lastly, there was my graduate student. I met her when I attended my second meeting for “Current”. She went to that meeting to talk to us, about her journey throughout her undergraduate and graduate degree. Everything she said, made me dream about my future, and what I wanted to accomplish. Because of that feeling, I decided to ask her for the third interview. Like that, I had the three people who I wanted to interview.

Megan Broughton is my STEM EE mentor. I could go on forever on what I learned from my mentor, but I will mention the most important. One of the things that Megan shared most with me, was about studying. She said three important tips: the first one is to find a place to concentrate, the second one is to not fear studying in groups, and the third one would be study breaks. Regarding these tips, she mentioned good places to study: 18^th Avenue Library (open 24/7), the H&S House (very quiet and empty most of the time), and many others. Regarding group studies, she said that they are very helpful, since they can help review, teach or give new perspectives on a lot of material in hard classes. Megan gave a lot of emphasis on taking breaks. Breaks can help you think clearer about difficult material or problems, or even help you not miss home as much. As she said, “Our mind needs breaks”. For this, she said she takes time while walking from classes, to sit on a bench and relax (read, etc.). Additionally, she recommended clubs and research (honoraries, etc.). Both can help our futures and help us understand our goals clearer, but they are also good study breaks.

Heather Glon was the graduate student that I interviewed. She is a Marine Biologist, and is currently doing her PhD in a research with marine anemones here at OSU. She is really inspiring. She has done a lot of things, and maybe some mistakes a long the way. But the good thing is, that she knows that without those mistakes, she wouldn’t have learned what she did, and she wouldn’t be where she is right now. She didn’t know that she would be doing her PhD right now. When she entered college, she only wanted her bachelors. But as the years passed, her interests grew, as well as the many opportunities she looked for. She’s even travelled to many faraway places, because of her passion. Even though she is working immensely hard, she told me she wouldn’t change it for anything. Because everything she did, and worked for, helped her grow and get to where she is.

Before interviewing my professor, I read through two of his scholarly articles. The articles had to do with studying gases and plasmas (Supersonic Flows). The purpose of this studies is to understand the behaviors and conditions that vehicles at ultra-sonic speed in the atmosphere, can be faced with. This research helps save money, since they are done with simulations in wind tunnels (in a lab). The articles were difficult to comprehend. One of the main reasons for this is, that we don’t have a lot of experience in the fields that they are based on. Therefore, the vocabulary that is used, can be really challenging. This brings me to what I discussed and learned from my professor, Dr. Igor Adamovich. He was an amazing person, and inspired me to one day join his lab. But there were conditions and tips, which correlate with how scholarly articles are understood better. He said, that the more experience I gained in the topics and field that had to do with the lab, the more helpful it would be for when I applied to join the “Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Laboratory” that he manages. The reason for this is, that with whatever situation I’d be faced with in the lab, or even while reading a scientific paper, I would have more ideas of how to face and resolve them. Because I would have faced similar things in my practice to gain knowledge. Even though it might take time to get the experience, in the end it would pay off.

I learned an immense number of things from this interview project. It helped me get to know amazing people better, or how I should face the difficulties that are in the future. It also opened roads to research I am passionate about, and helped me gain friends. This project gave me a clearer view of the very indefinite path that is ahead of me. However, it also gave me new tools that can help me walk through that indefinite path, even if I might fall sometimes. I learned that the world isn’t as perfect and easy to be in as it seems, but that’s why its special and that’s why we need to work hard for our goals.