18KrishanG – CA Work Experience Program

Final day at FHI 360!

During our final day of FHI 360, we presented our Water Wellness project to the entirety of the CTID team. Our project was about how instagram can be used to promote the global health issue of water. We talked about how the app can be used to not only educate users, but also gain feedback and connect with others. All of the members of the team seemed to thoroughly enjoy our project, and found it very interesting. I find it funny how we spent the whole week learning things from members of the CTID team, but we were actually able to teach them something for once: how to use Instagram!

Overall, I had a very exciting Work Experience at FHI 360, and will forever remember this profound experience!

Day 7 @ FHI 360!

Today at FHI 360 we had a very busy day! We had meetings with many people at the organization. We met with the procurement team, who works on providing products for various projects that FHI is involved in. An example is special Toyota Land Cruisers, which are used for projects in developing countries. This team gave us some yo-yos from one of their sponsors, which we thoroughly enjoyed playing with!

After this, we met with Hannah Goetz, who is a C.A. alum herself! She told us all about her path from Cary Academy to FHI, and needless to say, it sounded like quite the journey!

Next, we learned about in field studies (specifically in India) from one of the members of the FHI team. We got to look at books given to adolescents in India, which were very interesting.

A collage of the book given to adolescents in India.

Finally, we met with the team from regulations, and learned about how studies performed by FHI are properly regulated. Honestly, I didn’t know there were so many rules!

Day 6 at FHI 360!

Day 6 was just as fun as the rest of the days! Today, we learned a lot more about contraception, including some new innovative technologies that are in the works. One of which is an implanted contraceptive device that can be controlled wirelessly. The purpose of this is so users can decide whether or not they want to use contraception for a certain month. In other words, it is basically birth control that can be switched on or off from a mobile device- pretty futuristic, huh?

Different contraceptive/contraceptive-like devices and their properties.

After this, we walked down to Main Street in downtown Durham and had lunch at a small pizza restaurant called Pie Pushers. While I personally did not get anything, I tried a slice of RJ’s margherita pizza, and it was delicious! Sadly, I do not have a picture of the pizza, but I do have the picture of the restaurant- it had a very aesthetic interior!

Lastly, we had some free time to work on our projects, which we are almost finished with! All in all, it was a very informative, fun-filled day, and I cannot wait for tomorrow!

FHI 360- Day Five Fun!

Today at FHI, we met first with the leader of the CTID group. This meeting was very interesting, as he told us about his very circuitous path from a tiny high school in Ohio to working at an HIV prevention organization in Durham. One of the key takeaways from this event was that one’s path in life isn’t always straightforward, and it is important to not be afraid of whatever life throws at you. I will definitely remember this as I go into the next stages of my life after high school!

After this meeting, we went out for sushi at Basan (a restaurant right by FHI). I had the chicken teriyaki, which was quite delicious, and also had a Spicy Tuna roll. I also tried some Wasabi relish, courtesy of my pal RJ, which suffice to say made my nose hurt. Like, really bad. All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and highly recommend you check out Basan next time you are in downtown Durham!

Then, we went back to the office, talked to a few more people, and celebrated at a retirement party for one of FHI’s employees. The desserts were phenomenal!

Day 4 at FHI!

We started out the day walking around downtown Durham. We found a Belgian Waffle food truck, and went to get some waffles!… but the truck had run out of waffles. Oh well, at least we got a nice picture!

We had a fun time at the Belgian waffle food truck!

After our waffle-less waffle run, we returned to our conference room. I must say, today at FHI 360 was arguably one of the most intense days we have had! While we did not have as many meetings as we’ve had the past few days, we did work on our individual youth health project for quite a few hours. I guess all of those alumni were right- even though junior year is over, THE GRIND NEVER STOPS! All in all, though, we did accomplish quite a lot, and are most definitely looking forward to sharing what we did with the rest of the CA community!

Finally, we learned from FHI employees the importance of ensuring that all research studies are ethical, which I personally did not realize was such an important facet of global health. Well, now I know!

Third day at FHI 360!

Our third day at FHI360 was a very interesting when. Today, we went to the company’s lab where they test their products for quality. The main items that the CTID group produces is contraceptives, so we learned all about how contraceptives are tested before being shipped abroad. In other words, we saw condoms get blown up! The purpose of this was to test the greatest volume and pressure that a condom could withstand. We also saw them get filled with water to be tested for holes. After learning about all of the various quality tests performed on condoms, we learned about the more chemistry oriented side of the process. At the lab, scientists used various devices and tools to analyze oral contraceptives to ensure that they contained the desired amount of a certain substance. Surprisingly, I actually understood a lot of what they did- thanks Mr. Rushin!

All in all, it was a dry interesting, informative day. Looking forward to the rest of my time here!

Second Day at FHI 360

In the beginning of our second day at FHI 360, we jumped in full force. We began the morning with an intense lecture on the process of human procreation, or in simpler terms, sex ed. It was quite interesting, and needless to say, I thought I knew much more than I actually did.

After this, we went up to the fourth floor balcony for a nice lunch and also had a chance to walk around downtown Durham. The Durham Bulls were in the middle of a game, so we had a chance to watch!

After our break, we met with various scientists and researchers at FHI to learn about disparate methods of contraception. We learned about the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of various types of contraception, as well as how each of these factors differed depending on a certain culture. All in all, it was a very fulfilling, educational day!

The various types of contraception used around the globe.

First Day at FHI 360

My first day at FHI 360 was a very fun, fulfilling experience. While there, we toured the buildings and met a lot of very cool people. One of the things I find most interesting about the people at FHI is that they all seem to do totally different jobs that all relate together in some way.

We also had a pizza lunch with members of the CTID, or Contraceptive Technology Innovation Department, and learned about various projects they do.

Lastly, we learned how to use various online software like NoodleTools to complete research papers and will be using tools like Mendeley and EndNotes to do so.