Going into the summer, I hoped that my research would not be entirely remote. I hoped I would be able to go into the lab towards the end of the summer. That I could go on a research cruise. I had no idea that the pandemic would get worse. However, I also was surprised by…
A Summer at Scrub Pocket
Hello everyone! I’m Julia Zabinska, a rising junior at Amherst majoring in neuroscience and French on a pre-med path. I’ve been writing for the STEM Network since February now, and I am a Summer Reporter for the newsletter. To give you guys a little background on my internships this summer, I started out working with…
Creating Videos, Becoming Politically Active and Adapting to Remote Learning
Hi everyone! It has been more than an entire month since my last/first post and since I started my internship! I cannot believe that July is over and that in less than two weeks, some of us might be back on campus, starting our classes, and preparing for a new and interesting academic year. Although…
Mammals of the Pioneer Valley
The following statement comes from Ainsley Mackenzie ’22, Sabrina Lin ’21, Nawoo Kim ’22, and Rachel Lovejoy ’23, undergraduate researchers of the Kristensen lab. As they monitor the population dynamics of black bears in Massachusetts, this statement discusses how they collaborate with Massachusetts residents to collect data and how you can help. Our lab seeks…
My Experience with Remote Research
Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken so long from my first blog post to this one, it has been a busy summer filled with lots of cool science. For my last two blog posts, I am going to talk about my experience with remote research and then in the second one what motivates me to…
Gwyddion, Graphs, and Goodbyes
Hi! This last post is about the last three weeks of my time as an Amherst College SURF researcher and, as such, it will be a long one, so be sure to read ‘til the end! Since my last post, I have finished my Illustrator and Igor training and have now moved onto performing research…
Modules and Motivation: Bringing Meaning to Remote Research
Updated: Jul 15, 2020 Hi everyone! It’s been an entire month since my initial blog post, and today marks the start of the final week of the SURF program. Much has happened in the past five weeks, and I hope I can share some updates on the lab’s research and document my own personal progress during…
Illustrator, Igor, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Updated: Aug 13, 2020 Hi everyone! This new blog post will be chronicling my first three weeks in Amherst College’s SURF program so far, I hope you enjoy this piece! As part of the Summer Reporters series with the Amherst STEM Network, I got the chance to do an Instagram Story Takeover; this meant sharing a…
Sleep, Summer, and Susceptibility: How Childhood Lead Exposure Impacts Sleep Patterns
Staying up until 2-3AM in high school studying for AP tests, putting together presentations, and sending out club emails, I always assumed I could catch up on sleep later that week (or at the very least over the summer). After joining a sleep research lab two weeks ago, I was shocked to learn how naively…
Using Lasers to Cool Things
Hi everyone! I’m Sam Schulz and I am a rising junior physics major. On campus I play frisbee and the jazz saxophone as well as spend lots of time in the physics lounge in the science center. I am currently home in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania having completed my first week of my summer…