Enthusiasm Can Bring You Far: ECSC ’13

One thing I learned this weekend when I went to Providence College with friends, peers, and professors is that enthusiasm can bring me to unexpected places and great people.

This past Saturday, I had one of the best, well-spent, and enjoyable days I have had so far here at Wagner College.  Never would I have imagined that a science conference was as exciting as it was at Providence College on April 20, 2013.  I had been preparing for this conference since February.  I saw all of my long hours in the microbiology and chemistry labs pay off when I proudly presented my poster at the 67^th Eastern Colleges Science Conference.  A group of about twenty Wagner College science students attended this conference and presented their work through oral presentations or posters.  The keynote speaker was Dr. Ken Miller, a renowned evolutionary scientist who is famous for his biology textbook used throughout high schools all over America, as well as his activism in defending the importance of science in and out of the classroom.

I met many enthusiastic students who were passionate about their research, and exchanged ideas and learned from many people from the colleges who participated.  It was incredible to meet students who met my level of enthusiasm and passion for science and research.  On the bus ride to and from the conference, I was able to talk to my peers from Wagner about their research experiences both at Wagner and from the internships they have participated in.  I was fascinated at the multitude of interests of the science students on the bus, as well as the different topics of research that were conducted during the course of the year.  Attending this conference was a new experience for me, and I not only learned how poster presentations are supposed to be given, but I also learned that conducting research at Wagner is something that I should treasure because at some colleges, research is only offered to upperclassmen.

Now is the final stretch of the semester.  We have about three and half weeks until summer is here.  There is still lots of unfinished business I have to attend to before my summer begins, so I hope you keep following up on my blog and hear the finale of my second year here at Wagner!