Thursday, February 23, 2012

Colorado Awaits!

Well, I figure its about time I update my blog, I don't feel like working on my homework right now, so this is the next best thing. It lets me think through whats going on, and keep a journal of sorts. Life is grand, its been a crazy last semester, but its working out alright so far. I am enjoying most all of my classes. I really like my introduction to literature class. Its been an excellent diversion from my 10 credits of chemistry. My FA 100 class has also been interesting. I've enjoyed most of the events that I've attended so far, its been helpful that I've attended most of them with a good friend, Tess. I've had a lot to do with my chem classes. I'm starting work on my independent labs, in one of them I'm going to determine the amount of nitrite in lunch meat, in the other I'm working on a complicated synthesis of a compound for my professor. They should both be pretty interesting. I may be presenting my research in a research and creative works conference at the end of the semester. I'm still trying to decide wether or not I will do that. I've kept up the trend of going cross country skiing. I've gone the last 4 weekends in a row, all to different places. I went to Grand Teton National Park for one of them, and I also went to Harriman state park with one of my chem professors, and I also went to Mesa Falls and skied all the way to the upper falls with Tess. It made for a great way to relax on the weekends, as well as get some good exercise, skiing about 10 miles most of the days I went. I'm sad there hasn't been more snow in Rexburg, otherwise I would have headed out and skied most days after classes. Its been great to get out on the weekends though.
I guess I should also say that I found my internship. I'll be going to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and working at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. I'll be doing research on developing an assay to test for the presence of T-cells that are attacking the hosts insulin producing cells. I'll be learning a lot of molecular biology techniques and am excited to go and work there. I'll be starting my internship mid may, right after I take the MCAT.