For my STEP Signature Project, I participated in the Integration of Biology and Materials REU program at Penn State University. The research I worked on over the summer was about creating materials that had photocatalysts bound to them that were capable of being antibacterial. This research consisted of completing literature reviews, learning and completing experiments in lab, and analyzing data. At the end of the summer, I gave a presentation about my research and participated in a poster session.
My poster from the end of the summer
I completed this project the summer before my senior year of college; I wanted to get research experience before deciding if I wanted to pursue graduate school or a career in industry. Before beginning this project, I was not sure if I would like research, which is the primary component of grad school. I was worried I would not like the slow pace of research, or the topic of research itself.
While completing my project, I realized that even though the pace of research was slow, it did not always feel like it because there were tasks to complete each day and frequent experiments. However, I learned that I did not particularly enjoying learning about the topic of research itself. My major is Biomedical Engineering, but the research I was participating in was in Chemical Engineering, so I had to learn a lot of chemistry. I prefer learning about biology rather than chemistry. This taught me that if I decide to attend graduate school, I want to do research that is in Biomedical Engineering or a related field like kinesiology. I also learned that everyone who goes to grad school does not end up in academia; lots of people go into industry.
Different photocatalysts bound to cotton
This project was my first research experience. I learned a lot of laboratory techniques throughout the ten weeks I was at Penn State, such as gel column chromatography, Steglich esterification, and how to prepare and analyze nuclear magnetic resonance samples. Learning these techniques and being hands-on in the lab was interesting and made me like working in a lab.
One of the activities during this REU was a panel of guest speakers who all had PHDs and worked in industry or a national lab. This was very interesting to me because I had previously assumed most people became professors or went into other areas of academia once they got their PHD. Some of the guest speakers talked about how they did not have a straightforward career path and changed career directions multiple times. In addition to showing me that I could still go into industry with a PHD, this event taught me that I did not have to have my entire career figured out already.
Throughout my time at Penn State, I met many other undergraduate students from different universities who were also working on research. I interacted with them every week at professional development workshops and meeting. Some of them I became friends with, and we would explore the State College area when we were not in lab. These relationships helped me see the community you would be a part of at grad school, making it more appealing.
What I learned through this experience will be valuable to me as I figure out what I want to do after I graduate from Ohio State. Before this summer, I was questioning whether I wanted to apply to grad school. Now, I am more confident that I do. I learned that I can easily go into industry after I get my advanced degree. Additionally, I learned that it is normal if my career goals change, and that my career path may not be straightforward.
I also learned what area I would like to get an advanced degree in. I learned I would rather go to grad school for Biomedical Engineering rather than Chemical Engineering. This experience also taught me to look at other options. Kinesiology with an emphasis on biomechanics is another field that interests me and that I will potentially look at for grad school. Overall, this research experience has helped me decide what I want to do after I graduate from Ohio State.