Starting 2021 Off Strong

After weeks of leisure and relaxation, the first week back from winter break has been hard to adjust to. However, I made efforts to get back on track and start off the new year strong. I finally realized how close the end of the year and the end of ISM really is. I want to ensure I get the most out of ISM and complete my ISM goals by the next few months.

I started off the first week back with an interview. I met with Dr. Kolber who is a Neuroscience professor at the University of Texas at Dallas and oversees a research lab. I gained a lot of insight and a new perspective from this interview as I was initially speaking with only medical doctors. Now, a whole new world of neuroscience is open to me. Dr. Kolber recommended an interesting neuroscience book I will be reading soon as well as encouraged me to look into computational and molecular neuroscience. Although I learned a lot, this is not likely going to be a mentorship opportunity for me this year. Due to COVID-19, positions in the lab are scarce, and Dr.Kolber’s workplace has a policy against one on one conversations with high schoolers. These conditions make it unlikely for me to conduct further meetings with Dr. Kolber. However, he did tell me to reach out to him next year as an undergraduate student as he may be able to give me an opportunity. Although I have not found an opportunity for this year, I believe this interaction can be very beneficial to me next year.

Since I am yet to find a mentor, I will be focusing my efforts on contacting and meeting with more professionals in the next few weeks. In addition to this, I intend to conduct my own research and learn more about my field independently. This will allow me to grow my knowledge in the field of neuroscience so I can complete a well-crafted original work.