Month: August 2019
Academic Support
I went to the MSLC (Mathematics & Statistics Learning Center) several times during the week before my first midterm for Calculus I. I was nervous upon entering the tutoring center since it was my first time utilizing academic support at the Ohio State University, however, upon entering the tutoring room I felt immediately at ease. The room was full of people that I recognized and people that I had never seen before and I realized that there is no shame in needing help with academics. I am thankful that I went to the MSLC before my exam because a tutor explained a topic to me that was review from high school that I had not been taught before, and it ended up being necessary for success on my exam. My process of seeking help consisted of me asking tutors for help with practice problems. Rather than giving me the answers, the tutors guided me to the correct process until I eventually found the correct answer. I appreciated the tutor‘s investment in each question that I had, because it allowed me to understand and learn the concepts I was struggling with, rather than just having answer to a single problem. This allowed me to apply these concepts on future problems even if they were formatted in different ways. After my experience at the MSLC, I decided that I will return there in the future before exams and when I am struggling with topics in my math courses. Based on my personal experience, I would make the claim that tutoring correlates to student success. After attending the MSLC my scores on practice Calculus I midterms improved drastically, and I ended up receiving a score that I was happy with. I measure student success as improvement rather than based on high scores. Therefore, tutoring in my opinion does provide students with the opportunity to become successful by helping students learn and understand topics that they are confused with. I think that I would enjoy tutoring other people, because I believe it would be rewarding to be able to help people understand concepts that they are struggling with. One hesitation that I would have with becoming a tutor is that I would be concerned with my ability to answer all questions that students have. Sometimes I have questions about concepts in math that are not essential for solving problems, but rather improve my understanding, and I’m not sure if would be able to answer similar questions for confused students. If I were to tutor a subject, I believe that I would be the best at tutoring Calculus I. I took this course my senior year of high school and I am enrolled in it currently as well. Calculus I was not a subject that I struggled with in high school and since this year is a review of concepts I have seen before; I do not find it too difficult now. A friend of mine is in business calculus which covers similar topics and I often help her understand concepts that she struggles with. After my experience with helping my friend I feel confident that I could tutor other students on the same topics.
Seminar
Going to a Campus STEM seminar was an interesting experience for me. I attended the “Physical Chem Seminar: “’Exploring the catalytic mechanism of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase with EPR Spectroscopy.’” I went alone and felt nervous walking in at first due to my uncertainty of what I was about to encounter. I was one of the first people in there and as people filled in the chairs around me, I immediately felt as though I did not fit into the audience. Everyone appeared to be older than me, which I gathered from people asking about other children along with their outward appearances. I also noticed that the majority of people who attended seemed to know several people in the room which made me curious about the reason that everyone else in the lecture hall attended this seminar. Was this a requirement for them too, or do they share common interests? I was also curious if I stood out to them. Did I look like I had initiative, or did it look like I was in the wrong room and had not realized it yet? Once the seminar began, I liked the presenter immediately. He was humorous and engaging through utilizing fluctuation in his inflection. When he began discussing his content however, I was unable to decipher what he was presenting. He discussed Phenylaline Hydroxalaes, which are enzymes that regulate the number of amino acids in the liver. He went through his research that he conducts at Michigan State and I was unable to grasp the topics that he was covering. After recognizing my confusion, I became even more intrigued by my fellow audience members. I wanted to know if others were just as lost as I was, or if they have received several years of higher education which made this presentation easily understandable to them. After the presentation was over, there was time for questions, and my questions about the audience were quickly answered. Several people asked very complex questions that not only discussed what the presenter mentioned but also expressed curiosity for what results would occur if different methods or amino acids were used in his experimentation. The question and answer section of the seminar made me realize the amount of knowledge that the majority of the audience, as well as the presenter, had on the topics discussed, and it made me feel inspired to learn as much as I can so that one day I could understand a complicated seminar like the one that confused me so much at this point in my academic career. This seminar was similar to what I expected research to be like in the STEM field, however, I expected to understand more of the information that was being presented than I did. Due to my lack of understanding, I do not feel as though I learned anything from this seminar. However, it did make me self-aware of where I am currently in my academic career and the possibility of how much more I can grow academically became evident to me.
Student Organizations
Last Thursday I attended the Biomedical Engineering Society meeting. This club sparked my interest at the student involvement fair because I thought it would be very beneficial to me as a pre-biomedical engineering major. I feel certain that I want to pursue biomedical engineering, however, I thought this club would help me solidify my plan by providing advice and insight on the major and career. I went alone to this meeting and was nervous at first, however, we were put into “families” and I instantly met three people who all had similar interests as me. With our families, we participated in three competitions including engineering a marshmallow tower and using teamwork to keep balloons from hitting the ground. It was a very fun experience and I got to learn more about the club and the fun plans that are set for this semester. Since this club is only once every two weeks, I am not concerned with the club becoming a conflict. I plan to get my homework done during my breaks throughout the day so that I will be able to attend meetings in the future. The leaders of this club initially were introduced to me during my survey class a week before this meeting. Their exciting attitudes towards the club and the events that they described made me immediately want to join the club. At the meeting, the leaders carried the same energy as in my survey class and made the environment fun and comfortable right off the bat. Their use of making small families for the semester bonded the group right away and I now feel excited to go to the next meeting due to the way they planned and carried out the meeting. Due to the fun attitudes of the leaders, I could see myself enjoying a position as a leader in the upcoming years. I would like the opportunity to help show students about biomedical engineering in order to help them with their plans, just as I hope this organization will do for me. I am attending a Society of Women in Engineering this upcoming Thursday, as well as play in my first intramural soccer game right afterward. Two weeks ago, my team participated in a practice game. I had a great time meeting my teammates and a hard time getting used to playing soccer with very fast boys. This game made me excited for the season because I miss participating in sports as I have my whole life and now I no longer have to miss it. I don’t feel the need to create a new club because there are more than enough student organizations that I find interesting; I wish I had more time so that I could attend more student organizations. I admittedly felt overwhelmed at the student involvement fair due to the hundreds of tables that covered the oval with different clubs. After walking around, I realized that I am grateful to go to such a big school due to the endless opportunities that it provides me I believe that anyone at could find a student organization that is interesting to them, and this is a unique attribute that only large universities can provide.
About Me
Hi! I am Hannah Mullany, I was born in Munich, Germany and grew up in Chicago. Germany has been important to my family since we’ve lived there. We have returned to see our old home and I am grateful to have grown up learning about the German culture and meeting people with different backgrounds from me. I took German classes outside of school until middle school and then began to take classes at school through high school. Unfortunately, my class schedule does not permit me to take a German course at this time, however, I hope to study abroad and take a German course in the future to continue to learn about the German culture. Traveling has been a big part of my life and I am excited to explore new places on my own while studying abroad to broaden my horizons. I am pursuing Biomedical Engineering for my major and hope to possibly further my education in graduate school. For my career, I am unsure of the specific route that I would like to take, but I am interested in working in a lab to solve medical issues. I hope to get a research opportunity in the near future to help me explore possible career choices. At the Ohio State University, I joined the Biomedical Engineering Society and Society of Women Engineers to help me carry through my career plans. For fun, I play intramural soccer to get involved in the school and to continue playing the sport that I love and have played since kindergarten. Skiing is another one of my favorite sports and I hope to go on trips with student organizations this winter. I also have played piano since I was six and hope to continue practicing that skill throughout my life. My family consists of my parents, two older sisters, one younger sister, and my dog Brodie. Growing up with older sisters as a guide has helped me be more confident in trying new things as well as showed me that I want to follow their example. Having a younger sister has given me the responsibility to lead by example and to watch out for her. I am grateful for this because I have learned how to take care of my reputation and to be responsible. Running is very important to me and was introduced to me by my father. My dad has run every morning for years and has inspired me to pursue it as well. My sophomore year of high school I joined cross country and continued the sport through my senior year. After the first season, I had a desire to run more and signed up for the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon. After training all summer I ran the 13.1 miles with my best friend and my dad. It felt amazing to work towards a goal and accomplish something that I was not certain I could finish. The following two summers we ran it again and brought my mom, two of my sisters, and my neighbor with. This is a brief overview of my life; I am excited to see how the Ohio State University contributes to it. Go Bucks!