Tag: Day 8

DAY 8

There were a lot of meetings this morning, so I was kind of on my own.  I spent most of the time writing and working on my presentation for tomorrow.  I also spent quite a bit of time talking with some of the financial people again in a more informal setting.  It was nice to see them a bit more relaxed outside of their normal “work” setting.

This afternoon, I took everyone in the office to lunch as a thank you for the past two weeks.  Each of them was incredibly kind and helpful to me and I wanted to pay them back for that.  Though lunch was a small gesture, it was nice to get everybody together one last time.  I also had never been with everyone in the office at once, so it was cool getting to talk to each of them outside of the work environment.  The food was fantastic and it was a good bonding opportunity both for me and for them with each other.  They’ve had several new employees who have come in in the past couple months, and it was a good chance for them to really get to know the other employees better.

The second part of the afternoon, I went around to the different locations again with the office manager.  I really enjoyed going around last week so I was happy to do it again.

I finished the day by speaking with Shawn West, the head of the office.  We talked all about his business model and how he got into this profession, and it was a nice way to end the experience.

I had a fantastic two weeks over here at RMA.  Everybody here is so incredibly kind and above all, good at their jobs.  I will definitely remember this experience for a long time.  I’m sad to see it end!

Day 8- Conclusion

To cap off my experience in Dr. Ade’s research group, I watched the conclusion of Jonathan’s most recent experiment, wherein he took measurements of the new chips he made to test if his hypothesis was correct regarding a certain mixture of polymers. As it turns out, it was only partially correct, as some of the results followed the predicted trend, while several key measurements started to vary wildly once the specimen began decaying in oxygen. As it turns out, lab work is hit or miss.

Jonathan removing the final sample for some tests.
A finalized sample.

Looking back on my two weeks of observation and experience in labs, I have been given very valuable experience. As I am seriously thinking about research as a career, this time has allowed me to actually understand the scope of the field in which I may one day be employed. Experimental physics, especially, is absolutely nothing like the classroom experience I have had. I barely saw a single equation while I was here, and the whole process was very inter-disciplinary. Computer scientists, theoretical physicists, chemists, and engineers all worked together on this one project alone. As I prepare to enter college in just a short year and a half, and as I look towards garnering research experience like several of the undergrads in both of my work experience labs, it will be immensely beneficial to my own view that I already understand the patterns and realities of lab work.

In reflecting, I have also come to realize how unplanned lab work can be. Far from predictable, one off conclusion or half a micro liter of a forgotten chemical can drastically alter results, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. I, of course, always understood that a lot of this work is trial and error, but these past two weeks truly cemented this idea that mistakes are truly helpful, and that science is simply just problem solving, but with fourteen thousand dollar equipment and a lot of computer software.

Day 8

After a busy eight days, our time at FHI 360 has come to a close. Our last day, was, as usual, full of meetings planned for us. In the morning, we got to sit on the CTID team’s monthly update meeting, and then after a brief break, we presented one of the projects we had been working on for the past 2 weeks – an app based on the challenge presented to a hackathon a month ago in San Fransisco. The original challenge given to us was to improve the data collection process about teen contraceptive preferences, but in the meetings we’d attended we’d heard a lot about user-centric and woman-centric design, so we modified the challenge a bit. Our final product not only collected data through a would-you-rather format, it also ~matched~ women with their perfect contraceptive method based on the data – it was user-centric and researcher-centric. I thought our project would just be something for us to do in the short span of 2 weeks, but the CTID team liked the idea so much they are pitching it to the winner of the hackathon and seeing if they can get funding to combine our ideas into one app/program that could actually be used – we are so excited!

After two weeks at FHI 360, I not only know more about contraceptive methods than I ever thought I would, but I found a work environment I really loved.  It was really empowering for me to work with this group of women, many with PhDs and MDs, who are so passionate about their work and mission, and who de-stigmatized contraception + women’s health for me and have really inspired me to think about my future career path. To all the members of the CTID team, thank you for an amazing experience.

Day 8

Our last day started with Aaron Hill, the manager of the web development department. Mr. Hill presented to us a PowerPoint about web development and explained exactly what it is and what it means specifically to SAS. Our host for the rest of the half of the day was Brian Lape who is a web designer. He took us to Starbucks in building C to grab coffees and teas and then talk about his career choices and what we want to do eventually. Brian was the first person we met who said that their job was not where they’re “supposed” to be or what they’re super passionate about. I enjoyed how honest was about trying to balance getting paid and doing what you love. After our chat over coffee, we headed back to his office where George and I got to design and build our own web pages. He taught us some simple techniques and stressed the importance of knowing basic coding in business. Next we met Michael Tourmey for lunch who also explained to us what he does at SAS and how he fits into web development. After lunch we went to his office where we saw the programs and websites he uses to track activity on SAS websites. Next we went to a conference room with a colleague of his to discuss how they work with marketing to ensure the success of sales and also talking about college choices in general. I am sad to leave SAS, but I am grateful to have had such an eye-opening experience!

Day 8

I am so sad that my work experience with FHI360 has ended. Today was a very memorable day. We started off by attending the monthly meeting of the CTID department. It was very inspirational and empowering to listen to so many women share their news and challenges with all their different projects. My experience at FHI360 showed me that I should not be embarrassed by being female and by what is going  inside my body. I hope to continue de-stigmatizing the field of reproductive health. I learned so much from the women and men I worked with, and I loved seeing how passionate each and everyone of them are. I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone!

 

Side note… quote of the day: “I have a tattoo of a big eagle on my leg that’s devouring a house and holding a candle that is burning on both sides because I’m deep” – one of the fabulous FHI360 employees

 

Day 8

 

Representative Martin!

My final day at the General Assembly began in the car, as I heard over the radio that the Governor had called for an Extra Session where the House was supposed to convene to draw up new districts, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling. When I arrived at the General Assembly, Rep. Martin explained that although it was an order from the Governor, the House could simply adjourn and because Republicans have a super majority, it can be done. But until the Extra Session, which was scheduled for 2 pm, there was the regular Session where the focus of discussion would be on the omnibus gun bill that passed its second reading yesterday. There was some debate before it was eventually passed, and now it has to go through the Senate. After words, between the two Sessions, Rep. Martin held a staff meeting where each staff went over each project they were working on. Until now, I hadn’t realized how much was going on in the office at once. There were constituent issues, where Rep. Martin’s staff guided people through the bureaucracy to find the right people to help them, and there were multiple bills that he was sponsoring or helping to construct that needed work. The Extra Session was eventually, as Rep. Martin predicted, adjourned. A Rep stood up to make a motion to adjourn on the grounds that the Governor’s order to convene was unconstitutional, and the motion was passed and it was over. A Session that should have taken weeks was over in less than 10 minutes. Soon, it was time to leave for the last time. The past two weeks have been super interesting and entertaining. I’ve learned a lot and am grateful I got the opportunity to work with a great Representative and staff.

Day 8

Today was a fun last day because we got to talk to someone new named Hannah about something we hadn’t heard much about, which was social media marketing and tracking. Hannah showed us a software she used called sprout, which essentially tracked and collected data from all of the brand social media accounts she controlled. What was pretty surprising to me was that she ran accounts that got thousands of comments and likes on every post, and she actually goes through and reads/responds to all of them. She talked about how keeping engaged with customers on social media, even if they are complaining, is a good way of promoting the brand and keeping public relations positive. She talked a lot about changing the minds of consumers and influencing people’s opinions based on how you interact on social media. After we met with Hannah we met with Hallie, our main supervisor, and she showed us a report she was doing using some larger analytical data from various social media accounts that she ran. It was cool to see how much they could actually track, like how many times a link was clicked, or how many people viewed a post without liking or commenting. It was a very eye-opening.

Hallie showing us her analytics report

Day 8- IT

It comes with great sadness that this is my last work experience post. The good thing is, today was by far our favorite day. We were at IT, and at first, we learned all about SAS behind the scenes. The coding is what makes up SAS, and although it was very confusing, it was very interesting. At the end of the day for about an hour, Thuc and I used VR, and it was such an amazing experience. The technology that goes into virtual reality is unbelievable, and we got to experience it first hand. The work experience program with SAS was like no other, and I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

Day 8 – The End

Sadly, today was our last day at TVRH. Although it was upsetting to leave, we were really excited to spend yet another day there. The staff didn’t fail to make this day memorable. Today we watched 3 surgeries: An orthopedic surgery, a mass removal on a tail, and a toe removal. The last two surgeries mentioned were done on the same dog. It was pretty gory to watch a toe being cut off, but it was nothing I’d ever seen before. It was so cool to watch something being amputated because I’d always wondered what that would be like. The mass removal didn’t take very long. The surgeon just cut the bottom of the tail and removed the mass which wasn’t located very deep in the tail. It was a great end to an amazing WEP and I’m really glad I could experience all these interesting things during it. I hope I can go back and visit the TVRH staff who made us feel so welcome while we were there and continued to allow us to watch about everything they did.

In the picture below are two amazing vet techs, Laura and Steve, giving a dog anesthesia to prepare him for surgery.

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