Achievement

V. Peters, NSU -- In my first year as a graduate student and IGERT trainee, I developed a proposal combining materials and biological sciences, learning quite a bit about other fields while researching my topic. My proposal was evaluated by IGERT advisers and trainees, which assisted me identify my weaknesses as a writer and learn how to overcome them. The writing process made me familiar with requirements for proposal writing. Having multiple opportunities to present my ideas allowed me to practice becoming a better speaker and to work on confidently presenting technical information. During our winter retreat at Cornell, I took part in experiments involving microfluidics and the synthesis of C-dots. It was enlightening to learn about new materials and techniques, which I hope to incorporate in my future research. The diversity of the trainees’ educational background and institutions enabled us to learn a great deal from each other and grow together as we discussed our research ideas.