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This was my first week back at Penn State to begin my summer research in Hematology. I started working in Dr. Paulson’s research laboratory in fall, and I begin preliminary work on my Schreyer Honors College thesis in spring with two other girls that entered the lab at the same time as me. However, this week was the first week that I was truly doing thesis research independently. I had no one else to double check my procedures or calculations with which was an odd adjustment for me as a researcher.

Everyone that knows me knows that I always have a question. From the time I was in fifth grade, my parents were getting reports from my teachers that I never stopped asking questions in class. I always want to know as much as I can about a topic. This has decreased slightly as I have progressed through my schooling because I have learned to ask my questions after class, but I am still always eager to learn more about a topic or clarify something about a procedure.

This is very easy and critical to do in laboratory classes like CHEM 213W where one mistake could set me back several three-hour lab sessions. However, working independently as an undergraduate researcher is an entirely different story. As a researcher, there is not the same amount of pressure to get everything right on the first try. I have quickly grown to discover that laboratory classes are nearly the exact opposite of how research actually is in the real world.

Working alone in the lab for a week has already taught me that I need to trust myself in doing procedures that I have done only a few times prior because it is an expectation that I can perform them independently. It is a lot of responsibility, but I can handle it because I have taken meticulous and detailed notes from the two previous times I have performed similar procedures. Additionally, it has taught me that it is normal to be unsuccessful with certain things. Research is about trial and error. I will learn from any mistakes that I make, but I need to keep trying because research is about perseverance. Overall, I am slightly nervous about my newfound research independence, but I am ready to embrace it. I am also excited to officially dive into my thesis research.