Nicholas Massenburg, Entry #6, The Final Stretch Part 2

I realized in the last two weeks of my work at the Jordan-Sciutto lab that I have had barely any time to speak one on one with the namesake, Kelly, our PI. Our lab is on the larger side of about 20-25 people, and often times because there are so many projects, Kelly gets roped into grant writing or traveling to receive support on the lab's behalf. She additionally serves on the board of several science foundations, which consumes much of her time to do any lab work herself anymore. Usually the ones who grab any time with Kelly are the Lab Manager/Second PI Cagla, The Post Docs, or lucky doctoral students. But I finally got the chance to chat with her for about ten minutes, which gave me a lot of insight into the field of HIV-neuroscience research, and laboratory science as a whole.

When I have too much free time on my hands, I start to reflect on really sappy or embarrassing things, so it was only pertinent for me to begin to reflect on my opportunity this past summer. In talking with my associates over lunch, I realized many of them had none of the same opportunities as teenagers that I have had even in my freshman year, and most definitely not through EXP. They have really been surprised by my knowledge of their fields of study, largely thanks to AP Bio (and Biotech) and the reading that we had to do for EXP assignments. Because of this, I was extended an invitation to come back to the lab in the event that I am accepted to my #1 choice of college, which is UPenn. I am really happy to know that, even if I decide to work elsewhere, I have an organization already waiting with open arms for me to potentially return.

This last week will be dedicated to me shaving off some of my  poster for EXP, finalizing any results we obtained, and making sure to express gratitude for everything this lab has taught and done for me. Here's to one more week.