Artifact 2

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Recently for our STEM Scholars class, we were tasked with writing an essay compiled of interviews with an upperclassman, a grad student, and a professor. I chose to interview Dr. Jeffrey Parvin, who is involved in the biomedical sciences grad program here at Ohio State. He has mainly worked with breast cancer throughout his career, and continues to do research here in his lab. Once the interview commenced, I found myself astounded as he offered me a position in his lab. I had never expected to have this sort of opportunity available to me so early in my collegiate career. Although I have not started yet, I am attending my first meeting with Dr. Parvin and the rest of the students working in his lab this Friday.

Besides opening many doors, this experience has illustrated to me how if I put myself out there, exciting opportunities may become available to me. This lab position will not only offer experience in my field, but it will also give me experience working and figuring out things on my own. I believe that it will offer opportunity for me to grow both as a person and as a scientist.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

Welcome to Nicole Swanson’s e-Portfolio! This is the perfect place to see her progress at Ohio State as she traverses through her undergraduate years. More about her background and reason for choosing STEM can be found in her About Me Section. The Artifacts go through her pieces of work and experience, the GOALS that center around the Honors and Scholars program, and her Year in Review. If you see her wandering around campus, don’t be afraid to say hello!

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

In order to guide Ohio State’s brightest towards a more well-rounded and impactful life, the university created five facets for their Honors and Scholars to follow. These facets, called GOALS, stand for Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. While all should be applied to one’s life, I believe that the two pillars most applicable to my future are Global Awareness and Academic Enrichment.

Ever since day one, the Global Awareness aspect of the University’s GOALS has stood out to me the most. I have always had a passion for travel and for exploring different cultures the world has to offer. Currently, I’ve only visited Croatia where I have family. I’ve learned so much from my exposure to this culture, but I cannot help wanting more. While I am here at Ohio State, I soon hope to have the chance to study abroad and do research pertaining to my major, Biomedical Engineering. One option for this would be a study abroad program that brings students to India to visit a clinic that manufactures prosthetics (while also saving time to explore!). Past my undergraduate career, one of my goals is to find research abroad. As BME becomes more and more popular, there are ample opportunities opening up worldwide that utilize the field’s practices. Ten years from now, I hope to have cemented a job. While this may put travel on the backburner, that doesn’t mean that it will be impossible. Plus, I will have gained a myriad of experiences through my exposure to diverse cultures and people. Seeing how things differ worldwide will provide me with a more well-informed and open-minded mentality.

On the other hand, the Academic Enrichment aspect of GOALS is something that I have been incorporating into my life since high school. In my freshman year of high school, I did not challenge myself whatsoever; by senior year, though, I had completed numerous AP and honors classes. I’ve always been proud of the fact that I had pushed myself to try better and learn more. I continue this trend through my major/minor and the current classes I’m taking. Every time I tell someone that I am in BME, they usually scoff and wish me good luck. Added with a minor in professional writing, my coursework over the next four years seems challenging to say the least. However, I’m committed to excelling in my field and its accompanying courses. Not only do I hope that a successful and impactful career will be waiting for me after graduation, but I also hope to gain as much knowledge as I can through the plethora of studies I’ll be undertaking. Outside of classes, I’m also beginning a research position. This will give me experience in research (which I want to do professionally), as well as offering me a unique learning opportunity that I would have missed out on otherwise!

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifact 1

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Through the STEM EE Scholars program, I was able to volunteer for the WOW, or Wonders of Our World, program. This program is centered around providing kids grades K-5 in Columbus-area schools with STEM based experiments. Thus far, I have instructed kids on how to build spaghetti marshmellow towers and how to guess what’s in a mystery box. This menial activities have not only allowed me to communicate my love for STEM onto our next generation, but they also have given me a much deeper appreciation for elementary school teachers!

I have always adored working with children, whether in classrooms like this or through babysitting, so this program has given me the opportunity to do what I love once a week throughout the semester. Even more, the program has made me think about being a teacher; I have loved these past few Thursday afternoons so much that I could definitely see myself continuing them for years to come!

About Me

Nicole Swanson is a first year undergraduate student from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She is currently in the College of Engineering and plans to apply to Biomedical Engineering at the end of her first year. Through the STEM Exploration and Engagement, she hopes to do research and community service. Growing up, she had always wanted to be a writer or politician, but when her math and science classes began to delve deeper into their topics, her interest in the STEM field sparked. Career-wise, she aims to go into research with either cancer or stem cells. Her daily schedule mainly consists of classes, reading, jamming out to Hamilton, and late night homework sessions with friends. Even though she is still lost on some Ohio lingo, Ohio State has swiftly become her home!