St. Olaf College

CURI summer researcher

June - August 2021 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I was able to be very involved in the research project I was on and feel like I was really contributing to the research in a meaningful way. I was also able to participate in a poster presentation to gain even more experience.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Researcher

June - August 2021 • Northfield, MN

What I liked

I loved being able to do contemporarily applicable science in the realm of sustainable chemistry. Our project involved development of a new chemical procedure which was a really interesting challenge. Additionally, we got to use problem solving skills to analyze complicated data. One of the most rewarding things was a when a particular characterization method returned the expected result, verifying that the compound I theoretically made was, in fact, present in the sample.

What I wish was different

At times, our lab was somewhat crowded (five people working full time, at the same time, using the same resources). If there was more time and/or more space, that would definitely have made for a more productive and enjoyable summer.

Advice

Don't be afraid of the experience! I remember I was incredibly anxious of imposter syndrome and worrying people weren't going to like me and whatnot, but doing summer research was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far!

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