Tag Archives: keck science

A Non-Traditional Chemistry Thesis

Posted on by
Reply

Hello to my fellow Scrippsies and congratulations on making it to the (almost) end of the semester!! It’s crazy how fast this semester has gone by, and I can’t believe that I’ll be back in Claremont this spring. I’m definitely getting sad about leaving Dublin, but am very excited to rejoin everyone on campus and, let’s be honest, enjoy some of that SoCal sunshine. Hopefully everyone is practicing some good health care routines this finals season and I wish you well on your endeavors.

This past week has been exciting for me, as I have officially confirmed with my professor that I will not need to do lab research this summer in order to write my thesis.

For those who do not know, chemistry students often complete their thesis by conducting research in a lab setting and then write about their findings. As I know that I do not want to go to graduate school for chemistry after I graduate, I asked my professor what other options I might have for fulfilling these requirements, and he assured me that I would not have to complete research in a lab if I feel it didn’t pertain to my future goals. As a result, I have been thinking about ways to combine my love for chemistry and other fields that I hope to pursue in the future.

If you have been keeping up with my posts, you know that I spent time teaching science classes to elementary school kids last summer, and that I absolutely loved it. When I learned that I wouldn’t have to do research in a lab this summer, I immediately thought about going back to teach at this school. When I emailed my professor, asking if he thought there might be a way to include teaching in my thesis, he gave a resounding YES. At Keck, there is something called a library thesis where students have the opportunity to do research outside of the lab, on a chemistry topic of their choosing. I am not sure of the details yet, but if I wanted to teach, my professor told me that I would be able to write a library thesis. This is exciting for me, as teaching is something that I’ve always seen myself doing in the future, however distant it might be.

He also mentioned that a professor at Keck has done work in pedagogical studies, and I have since reached out to her in order to get more information and to see if it would be something I might want to do my thesis on. Either way, I have options as to what I will be doing for my research and I am very excited about both prospects.

I often feel that other fields within chemistry, or that involve chemistry, are forgotten amidst the multitude of graduate programs, so I’m happy to be branching out and finding some overlap between two things I love. If anyone has any questions for me regarding STEM classes, thesis, or ways to combine science with other disciplines, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Good luck on finals, and I will see you next semester!

STEM Abroad

Posted on by
Reply

I know that most people are looking forward to fall break, but I am in the midst of my third week here at Trinity and am just getting settled into my classes, or so I thought. Prior to coming to campus, I intended on taking two biochemistry courses, which were approved by the department head at Keck and by the SAGE office at Scripps. I was excited to have the opportunity to take science courses at a larger university and experience a different environment in lectures and in labs. What I found out after registering for the courses, was that the courses were designed specifically for international students and would not have any lab portion to them. 

At first, this was exciting news! I wouldn’t have to take any labs, in addition to my lectures, which would mean more free time during the week and less time in class. What I began to realize as I mulled this over, was that I might have a harder time getting these courses approved by Scripps, now that I had this new information.

For science courses, they generally need to align with another course at Keck in order for them to transfer and replace a specific course. I was hoping that my course entitled “Protein Structure” could take the place of “Biochemistry” at Keck, but would only cover about two thirds of the content at home, so would not be eligible for a direct replacement. The other course, entitled “Cell and Membrane Biology” was similar; there was not enough overlap between it and “Cell Biology” at Keck. Additionally, there is a lab portion required for the course at Keck, but not for international students at Trinity. In any event, I ended up having to drop these two courses, trading them in for two English courses, which I am very excited to be taking. The moral of this story is that often, study abroad programs are not tailored to science students, and there are very few places where the expectations for assessments and labs will match up with those at Keck or other universities in the United States. That was another factor in my decision to drop the courses. At Trinity, you take one final at the end of the semester, and that decides your entire grade. To me, that sounded very stressful, and quite frankly, I am glad that I don’t have to go through that experience.

As of now, my schedule is much more free, but I know that I will be very busy fulfilling my major requirements when I come back in the spring. Although it may be stressful to be taking more science courses at the same time, I think that it would’ve been more stressful to try to adapt to the system that they have over here, in regards to assessments.

Studying abroad has presented many challenges already – getting used to a new registration system, learning the ins and outs of navigating a larger campus, and learning to feel comfortable with 150 other people in a lecture hall – but I’m excited by the opportunities I have had so far and am interested to see how I feel about science after a semester off from it.

Breathing in Breathtaking Claremont

Posted on by
Reply

Being at a place like Claremont has me in constant awe: constant awe of the beauty on the campuses, constant awe of the passion my professors possess, constant awe of the above average cafeteria food (okay maybe not constant)…but definitely constant awe of the intelligence of my peers.

In classes I am enlightened by fellow eighteen to nineteen year olds. That, my friends, is rare. The different backgrounds and unique ideas coming from each individual make for extremely interesting class discussions. I gain insight into new topics that I have covered and I’m delving into new concepts I have yet to explore. Sometimes in class we discuss a wide array of topics with no input from the professor. On these days I learn more from my classmates than from my professor. I enjoy going to class and I cannot iterate how inspired I am by the intelligence around me. Claremont sets and meets high standards.

Yes, we all know that Claremont is a special place. It IS the city of trees and PhDs, but at Keck Science Center, the collaborative science center shared between Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pitzer College, I have seen first-hand the quality work that students are producing. Keck’s faculty and resources truly cultivate smart people who are doing interesting things.

Philip Paulson ’12 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Kathleen Purvis-Roberts prepare a gas chromatography experiment in the W.M. Keck Science Department.

Philip Paulson ’12 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Kathleen Purvis-Roberts prepare a gas chromatography experiment in the W.M. Keck Science Department.

I saw a few fascinating projects my peers were engaged in last Wednesday when my science class offered an extra credit opportunity to go and listen to senior thesis proposals. In the deep, dark, basement of Keck I made my way to Burns Lecture Hall. The three individuals that I listened to were working in labs with test specimens ranging from cold-sensitive plants to fruit flies and writing their senior theses about their results. Listening to my peers–just a few years older than I–was inspiring but intimidating. These people are doing such cool things, and I am highly impressed, but it brought upon a lot of self-reflection. Should I be working in a lab already? How do I even begin that process? Will I ever gain technical experience? And it all culminated into the big, overarching question that I have been consistently asking myself in these first two months of college: What am I going to do for the rest of my life? (Notice how when in panic mode your mind jumps twenty to thirty years ahead in time.).

At that point I took a deep breath. Claremont sets the bar high, with people achieving things I can only dream of, however, Claremont provides the resources to excel. If I express interest in working in a lab I can probably get a position at neighboring Keck or at another lab nearby. With enough drive, persistence, and hard work, I guarantee opportunities will arise. My professors are here to guide me, my peers are here to help, and I am determined.

The awe-inspiring atmosphere at the 5Cs makes me strive to achieve great things. There is still time to figure things out; I am still adjusting; I just need to take a deep breath. We all need to take a deep breath. Who knows, three years from now maybe another girl will be writing a blog post on my senior thesis proposal presentation.