This week, we were required to attend a campus seminar in the STEM field. This task was fairly intimidating being a first-year who hasn’t even declared their major yet. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to understand everything the speaker said, or what kind of seminar I would even find interesting. Luckily there were many seminars to choose from and I ended up going to one hosted by OSU’s Chemistry Department titled, “Scalable Multifunctional Nano-architectures for Energy Storage”. Because it was intimidating, I decided to go with one of my friends to make me more comfortable. I was a little nervous, but I was also excited to see how much of an advanced topic I would be able to comprehend.

The seminar wasn’t too far away so we got there with plenty of time before it started. There were more people than I had expected, and we were certainly the only undergraduates in the audience. Although we felt a little bit out of place, we weren’t leaving until we learned everything we could about scalable multifunctional nano-architectures for energy storage. The speaker, Debra Rolison, was introduced by a younger researcher who described her many feats. Among many other achievements including prestigious awards and honors, Rolison got her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently the head of the Advanced Electrochemical Materials section at the United States Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. She started off her talk in a very casual manner, speaking in a way that made us feel very comfortable about the information she was about to present. She also started off the presentation itself in a way that almost eased us into the more “research-heavy information”. This really helped me focus and stay attentive to the presentation.

The information that Rolison presented on was fairly advanced, and I won’t lie, I didn’t understand most of it. Despite this, I did understand the big-picture of the talk, and I did come away with more information than I came in with. The premise of the talk was developing a new type of battery to replace the dangerous lithium-ion batteries that can be found in cars, our cellphones, and many other devices. At the Naval Reseach Laboratory, Rolison and her team have changed the normal style of battery to make it more energy-efficient, cheaper, and safer. They have done this by developing a sponge-like material with pores inside. The anode material and the cathode material are formed into the pores in a way where the reaction has the most amount of contact points, making it much more effective than the standard. She also described the difference between many materials used to create batteries such as nickel, argon, lithium, silver, and the suggested material, zinc. Overall, it seems like Rolison’s team is on the path to successfully banning lithium-ion batteries for good.

I found the information that was presented very interesting. Although much of the theory and research behind the main points were unfamiliar to me, I was still able to get something out of this seminar. I think that I will also be attending more of these seminars in the near future. As undergraduates, it seems productive to involve ourselves in things that are more advanced such as these seminars. There are always new things to learn, and new connections to be made.

Initially, I did not know what I wanted to visit for the Campus Resource Post. But at the beginning of the semester, I injured my shoulder and I saw a perfect excuse to visit one of OSU’s campus resources, the Wilce Student Health Center. I was very nervous about visiting the Wilce at first. I did not know how to schedule an appointment, what I would do when I got there, or who I was supposed to talk to. Luckily, the Wilce Student Health Center website walked me through every step of the way. First, I had to set up my Student Health Services account and submit the required documentation. After that, I was ready to schedule an appointment. Even the appointment-making process was easy to do. The website narrowed down my symptoms to a specific doctor that I should see for my specific injury. After viewing his availability, I booked my appointment with the doctor.

I managed to get into the Wilce fairly quickly, all things considered. I scheduled my appointment on a Thursday and got in to see the doctor on the following Monday. That was hardly a wait at all. My hope for this appointment was to learn about my injury and have a specialist recommend what I should do to help heal it. And that’s exactly what I got during my visit. The receptionist was very friendly when I walked in and she guided me exactly where I needed to go. After waiting for a short time, I got to see the doctor. He too was very friendly, and he informed me that although my injury was not as serious as it could have been, I should seek physical therapy to make sure I do not reinjure it. Following the appointment, I was able to schedule two weeks of physical therapy for my shoulder. Just like the other times, scheduling these appointments was just as easy to do with the help of the Wilce’s employees.

Just this week I have finished my last week of physical therapy at the Wilce Student Health Center. I can honestly say that the experience was better than I could have ever expected. Twice a week, for four weeks, I visited the Wilce to see my physical therapist, Andrew. Andrew was very helpful and friendly, helping my shoulder not only during the sessions, but also outside of the sessions by giving me at-home exercises to do. I have been to physical therapy in my hometown before, and I can truthfully say that this was as helpful as any other I have been to. I am far into recovery for my shoulder and I am still getting better every day. This is what I love about Ohio State. I honestly do not think that OSU is lacking in any campus resources. The fact that I can just walk outside and get the exact help I needed is incredible. I feel comfortable knowing that if I need anything, be it mental health care, campus safety resources, escort services, or more, I will not have to look far at all.