junior, Beatrice, Neb.
biochemistry and molecular biology major
I came to Wesleyan on one of their Prairie Wolf Days my junior year. I was sold. Don't ask me how, but I was positive this was the right place for me.
As a kid, I always wanted to know how things worked. I'd dissect toys, but couldn't always put them back together again.
There are very few algalvirologists in the world, but I want to be one more.
Junior year is finally here! Although scary as it is, I'm excited to get back. I have been all over the United States this summer visiting places for work and scholarship orientations. I absolutely love traveling.
When I wasn't traveling, I spent most of my time working in a research lab with large algal viruses at UNL-East Campus as part of a program known as INBRE. The entire research experience has been beneficial to me in several ways:
My most recent experience was spent at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota with Dr. Dale Benham and his LAS class, Necessity of Wilderness. I was accompanied by two fellow juniors, Drs. Duncan and Bricker and 13 amazing first year students.
The drive was long and the mornings were early, but I loved every minute of the wild north woods. Not only were the sunsets amazing to watch, but my group also enjoyed gazing at the sea of stars. Every night, we would lie out near the lake campground and watch the stars shooting overhead until our toes were unable to cope with the cold temperatures.
Seeing as I have grown up in Nebraska all my life where summer heat continues into September, I was extremely shocked by the temperature drop in Minnesota. When Dr. Benham put long johns as a trip necessity on the packing list, I thought he was just full of it. I thought, "Long johns, in the middle of summer?!?" I regret not bringing those, now. But needless to say, I returned alive and kicking from that week long excursion into the wilderness of the Minnesota and have decided that we need to get the Wilderness Adventure group up and running once again.
Well, I must be off… I have some last minute supplies to buy and an apartment to decorate. Don't worry though; I'll keep you posted on all the sweet things college is made of.
The first two weeks of school have yielded little but stress and frustration of trying to get back into the needed routine of time management. Even though I have actually incorporated my planner and PDA into one functioning tool, I have yet to completely grasp everything that needs to be done. I really hope I'm not starting to suffer from 'senioritis' seeing as I'm only a junior and have at least 6 more years of school to meet my goals of having a Ph.D.
In other news, I have been diligently working to prepare outdoor adventures with students from the Boundary Waters class. None of these have yet to be completed, but my roommate and I are planning an outing to Indian Caves to do some hiking this weekend. I think its going to be a great time because it'll just be us, out in the middle of no where, surrounded by the sounds of nature. No humans, no noise pollution and no light pollution. Just the way I like it when I need some time to myself. Sometimes we all just have to take a step back from the insanely busy life of an overworked and stressed college student to get away from it all.
I really shouldn’t procrastinate. Even now, as I’m typing this entry I’m procrastinating writing my Ethics paper that is due tomorrow. I do believe that this may turn out to be the fatal flaw of my collegiate career, but it’s just so easy to do when you have great people to hang out with. Its been nearly four weeks since I left for the Boundary Waters and met the people I choose to hang out with now, though it seems like I’ve known them for much longer. I’m not sure when I made the transition from being the TA of their LAS class to their friend, but I like it. Even though I’m not even a year older than most of the students, I believe they still tend to associate me a being much older than they.
In any case, I have spent the last week hanging out with these friends and some new ones that I have made just this year. Last Friday, in fact, we went out to eat at Fazoli’s, then spent the rest of the night being crazy college students. There was a high school football game that night, so the lights from the field provided us with enough light to utilize the practice field for a little Frisbee game. After that, we decided to stop getting eaten by bugs and go watch the first Bourne movie. We were trying to find a place that would have enough room to hold all of us, but also a TV that would provide a large enough screen. A small excursion to various lounges, yielded a wonderful spot on the very comfortable couches of the Johnson/ Pioneer basement lounge. I nearly fell asleep, and so I decided it was time to go bed after the movie was over. But as I was walking back to my apartment, I took the shortcut through Centennial and managed to get another burst of energy. In any case, we all ended up watching the second Bourne movie in the Centennial lounge. I don’t think I managed to get to bed until 5:00AM that night, which was fine with me, because I was with all of my friends, so it didn’t matter. I haven’t gone a day without seeing or talking to at least one of them and last night, after Chuck D, we all ordered pizza and made fools of ourselves in the small lawn between Pioneer and Centennial.
Every time I choose to hang out with these select few, I always seem to get the same question from one of them in particular: why it is that I choose to spend all of my time (whether it be free or from procrastination) with them. I don’t really have a great answer for that, but I think I may have found a fairly plausible reason. I want them to experience the things that I didn’t get to my freshman year of college. I was the timid girl who sat in her room doing homework rather than socializing with the other first-years. And as a result, I didn’t really get out of my little box to venture into the world of college until mid sophomore year when I went to Belize with Dr. Bricker in the biology department. Maybe at some point they’ll realize how lucky they are to have made such good friends so early in college, but I’m sure they won’t be able to see it until they have left Wesleyan for good.
P.S. We finally got our desks!!!
This week has been composed of the many tests that always tend to accumulate during this fourth week of school. Other than studying, I have had very little to do homework otherwise, which has been very nice. Tuesday night, however, was my only really busy day of the week. That night, one of my good friends taught me how to play racquetball. I discovered that I am not very good, but I’m sure with a little practice, I’ll be decent at the game. The only problem with learning a new sport is the muscles that you used during that particular activity tend to become rather sore. I like having the adrenaline running through my veins after exercise, but I definitely don’t like the lactic acid build up that always seems to settle in my muscles.
After racquetball, some of my other friends and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum at the Grand Theatre downtown. That movie is freaking amazing. So that means you should definitely go see it if you haven’t already. I love watching movies in the theatre, but the only problem is that it costs so darn much to go. I think I would go see a movie every week if I had a never ending flux of money. And trust me, that is definitely not the case, as any college student will tell you.
The evening concluded with a wonderful midnight breakfast at Village Inn and a slice of cheesecake. Needless to say, I didn’t get to bed until 2:00AM, which did not quite agree with my 8:00AM Physics class that morning.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the chronicles of a college student thus far this semester, but now, I’m off to get some shut eye!
Every now and then it’s nice to get out and release some built up energy and tension. Last weekend was just that time. And I must say, shooting people with pressurized, carbon dioxide accelerated paintballs is just that type of tension relieving activity. Of course using an automatic marker, like one of our group members, gives quite an advantage over those of us that don’t own our own markers. In any case though, I think paint balling is probably the greatest activity ever. Well ok, that I’ve experienced thus far in my life.
After that extravaganza, one of my good friends and I went traversing through the Nebraska country side to find a camp site for the night. We first traveled south on good ol’ highway 77 to Hickman. Wagon Train Lake was pitiful, no quiet camping anywhere. And Nebraska Game and Parks says that we’re supposed to pay $6.00 to camp there. I say screw that! So we left, and continued south through Beatrice and took a left on highway 136 to Rockford lake. This was a much better place and definitely worth the six bucks we spent. Our camp site was the right equation. Seclusion plus water plus a good friend to talk to equals the perfect outing. In any case, the night was absolutely perfect because it was warm with a beautiful full moon. The only exception was mooing cows in the nearby field. Darn cows, can’t they ever be quiet? When I came back home, I found the second exception to the perfect trip: 18 bites on my two arms which I’m pretty sure are from the same bug! Well I hope it had a good lunch at least. I like to think that I’m “giving back” to nature in my own little special way. I just wish that way didn’t include the use of hydrocortisone and Benadryl.
Other activities this week included playing in the rain on Monday, eating Mongolian at Huhot on Tuesday, and watching Ice Age and Grey’s Anatomy. Oh yeah, and I forgot the most important and therefore the most procrastinated activity… homework. I should probably get that done so I’ll catch ya’ll next week with the Chronicles of Megan’s overly uninteresting college life.
Ahh… fall break. What a wonderful time. I love being able to sleep in everyday and taking naps every afternoon. The only problem is homework. I made a vow that I would get all of my homework caught up and some scholarship essays written. But no, I have managed to sleep the past five days away and I really have nothing to show for all the planning I did.
The rest of this week is going to fly by very quickly. There is something planned for every night so that means I’m really not going to have a break again until Thanksgiving. As much as I want that to come, I wouldn’t mind if time would just slow down a bit. That way I could get all the things done that I want and still have time to relax.
Let’s go through the very busy rest of my week. Thursday, all in itself, has five events that I am supposed to be in attendance for: the Tri-beta speaker, the ACS speaker, my sister’s last half time show, Jake’s Women and finally my usual Thursday TV series such as Grey’s, CSI and survivor. Friday will be at least a bit better if I manage to get any sleep. I get to be Maggie’s date for the Cooper Center outing. We’re headed to Roca Berry farm for a haunted hay rack ride then a camp fire with ghost stories. I’m stoked. Then Saturday, Maggie and I are having a Halloween Party. (non-alcoholic for all the minors in our group i.e. me!) We’re going to watch Hocus Pocus and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Plus, there’s going to be lots of desserts because we are requiring all in attendance to bring some type of food.
So all in all, this week is going to be extremely busy, but it’s going to be fun all at the same time.
Last spring, I applied for a scholarship/internship that I thought I would never, in my faintest imagination get. But I did. It’s with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA and is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. I have to chuckle about that entire phrase because no one, not even the announcer at the prestigious award ceremony, can get the entire slew together in the correct order.
Just recently, the 100 nationwide scholars received a list of possible internship sites. I have been thumbing through all the possibilities, when I decided that I was going to select a site, first on the amount of field experience then on the location.
I have found two that I really like. One is in Seattle where I would be working out on a boat the entire summer tagging Chinook salmon in Puget Sound. The other is a molecular biology position with a bit of field experience in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both sound pretty amazing so I made a pros and cons list. The only con to Seattle is the size and the only one for Ann Arbor is the field experience. The thing is though, I am like the perfect fit for the spot in Ann Arbor, whereas the one is Seattle would require a bit of work.
So now I just wait and see which place I get accepted to, then maybe my decision will be a bit easier. Every person I talk to has a different opinion; it’s just all so confusing.
Nebraska Wesleyan is a place that should stimulate the intrigued youth of our generation to postulate questions based on topics that are not well understood. These questions as well as questions outside of the box are greatly encouraged by our faculty and staff. As I was walking around campus with my trusted roommate/associate, our curiosity was piqued by the pretty trees and the rather large backhoe stationed near the art building. As the wheels began turning, here are some of the many things we find confusing….
1. The Giant Hole next to the Art building
Wasn’t that there last spring? Or did those pipes spring a leak again? Not only has the hole returned, but it’s BIGGER! I just really don’t understand why..
2. Student mailboxes
Most combination locks, if you remember to your high school days, turn to the right first. So why do ours go left? Maybe it was meant to be an intellectual challenge, but I’d rather be stupid.
3. 8:00 AM classes
Whose idea was this?
4. The art work around campus
I’m not saying that the art work is bad, I find rather pleasant and intriguing to look at on my walks to class. But I really would just like to know what it is.
5. The Dali Lama
Why isn’t my name that cool?
6. The squirrels
Why are there so many and what are they smoking? I’ve always kind of thought they were high on pixie sticks.
7. The designs on the theatre programs
As I was sitting through my fourth viewing of Applause! Applause! 2, I began wondering where the theatre department gets the artwork they put on the programs. Why doesn’t it correlate with the show? Really, any suggestions would be helpful.
8. Blackboard
There isn’t one specific reason why this is confusing; it’s just the hell of communication.
9. The bell tower atop Old Main
In old photographs that I’ve seen of Old Main, there was once a bell tower. Where did go and why didn’t the restoration in 1988 put it back?
10. The American health care system
Seriously… do I need to comment on this one?
11. Hannah Montana
Why would you pay thousands of dollars to see a show with the offspring of Billy Ray Sirus?
12. Grey’s Anatomy
How is the show so bad and the soundtrack so good?
And the most confusing and frequently asked question of all time… what’s for dinner?
Over the past three years, I have found that Christmas break continually seems to go by faster and faster. This break, for instance, seems like it was merely a distant dream as I have been concerned with finishing my Goldwater Scholarship application. I’ve also been trying to get caught up with my research project that involves a molecular examination of virus restriction patterns. For you non-science people out there, I just mean that I’m comparing virus DNA. That’s really the simplest way to describe it.
Unfortunately for me, I have managed to contract bronchitis or something of the sort. I believe the doc called it ‘Reactive Airway Disease,’ that sure is a great way to make a non-medical school major kind of freak. This problem was only amplified by me being the stubborn person that I am because I refused to go the doctor. For some reason, I had the idea that I could simply conquer a successful virus with my mere, inadequately human immune system. What a misconception! I know that fevers are typically considered a bad thing—but when you’re body is fighting infection a fever lets you know that its not giving up. I, however, was running a 101( fever for 4 days. No wonder I was tired. I would also like to say that corticosteroids make a person feel ten times better than they should. After my first dose of those things, I was ready and rearing to go do something. That was also a bad idea because I crashed like a spiraling plane into a densely covered mountain. Ouch! Thus far, my cough has slowly gotten better… slowly. Oh well though, that scholarship is finished, submitted and finalized. Now I just have to wait to hear the results in March. Maybe by that time I’ll even have my research caught up!
The third week of school has come and gone. Typically by this time, I am fully acclimated to my new schedule and classes. But for some reason, this semester seems to be throwing me for a spin. I know where all my classes are held, the work that needs to be done—but it all seems surreal, like I’m living in a dream. I keep thinking that sooner or later, I’ll wake up and be somewhere else, doing something completely different than going to class and doing homework.
I can’t honestly say that I’ve even had that much work to do, maybe that’s the problem. Or maybe it’s the fact that I no longer have a roommate—she’s left me for Poland… I’m glad she has this opportunity though. I think everyone who has the time should go. I, myself, would have gone had I had the time. Biochemistry is just one of those majors that will not allow for schedule flexibility unless you want to stay at Wesleyan for an extra year. I’m not saying that would be a bad thing. It’s just when you’ve been here for four years graduation provides the opportunity to move on to the next chapter in your life. I have found that most people are ready to go.
I haven’t decided where the next chapter of my life will begin, but I’m thinking New Zealand sounds like a good option. There’s a program known as AustraLearn that allows students from foreign countries to study or work in Australia or New Zealand. In fact, I have a friend that’s going down there next year, so I’ll have to get the 411 from her when she gets back. That’s all for now… I actually have to write a presentation.
I am so ready for spring...but mother nature seems to be teasing me with the beautiful warms days that are quickly converted to cold, wet mornings that make me want to stay curled up in my bed sleeping for another three hours. This is a problem for two reasons: 1) sleeping all day depletes the limited number of sun-shining hours… if there is a sun and 2) I am naturally bound to be outside doing something. Over the past few weeks, my travel buddy and I have been preparing for our hiking/camping trip to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas this spring break. We thought that it would be a good idea if we were outside, moving about with weighted packs, but ran into a problem with the weather and ice. Though the temperatures have been above freezing the past few weekends, there still remains to be about a 100 yard section of the Mopac trail that is covered by a massive ice sheet that is 4 inches thick. My hiking boots were not built to travel on such surfaces and so I, as well as my friend, have had much trouble walking on it. I think I have had more trouble that she because I have managed to fall on my hind-end twice with a decently heavy pack. I was just not meant for that kind of hiking.
We’ve also gotten on this kick of watching sunrises and sunsets. One particular day, I believe it was a Friday, an absolutely gorgeous Friday I might add, we decided to hike about for a couple of hours. I took my photography equipment and thought that we may be able to find a nice spot to watch the sunset. We ventured onto the horse trail of the Mopac because it was grassy and a bit more fun than the flattened gravel path. Not too far along this particular mowed trail, we ran into an old friend, Mr. black and white kitty. This is a farm cat that lives in the area, but whenever we go walking, he always seems to find us and follow for a bit. Today however, he was particularly inspired to follow, or rather stalk us, along the trail. When we returned to a high point on the trail to watch the sunset, which wasn’t that spectacular I might add, he watched it with us. I never realized how fast the sun sets, but when you’re two miles out on the Mopac, it gets dark very quickly.
In other news, I have been putting a lot of time into research. I don’t think I’m ever going to get any results for this stinking project. I have also completed applications for three scholarships. Unfortunately, I won’t hear back from the scholarship selection committees until April. It would be amazing if I could get at least one of those scholarships. I put so much work into them that it would be nice to have just a bit of a reward.
Homework is calling my name… gotta run!
Nebraska Wesleyan is a place that should stimulate the intrigued youth of our generation to postulate questions based on topics that are not well understood. These questions as well as questions outside of the box are greatly encouraged by our faculty and staff. As I was walking around campus with my trusted roommate/associate, our curiosity was piqued by the pretty trees and the rather large backhoe stationed near the art building. As the wheels began turning, here are some of the many things we find confusing….
1. The Giant Hole next to the Art building
Wasn’t that there last spring? Or did those pipes spring a leak again? Not only has the hole returned, but it’s BIGGER! I just really don’t understand why..
2. Student mailboxes
Most combination locks, if you remember to your high school days, turn to the right first. So why do ours go left? Maybe it was meant to be an intellectual challenge, but I’d rather be stupid.
3. 8:00 AM classes
Whose idea was this?
4. The art work around campus
I’m not saying that the art work is bad, I find rather pleasant and intriguing to look at on my walks to class. But I really would just like to know what it is.
5. The Dali Lama
Why isn’t my name that cool?
6. The squirrels
Why are there so many and what are they smoking? I’ve always kind of thought they were high on pixie sticks.
7. The designs on the theatre programs
As I was sitting through my fourth viewing of Applause! Applause! 2, I began wondering where the theatre department gets the artwork they put on the programs. Why doesn’t it correlate with the show? Really, any suggestions would be helpful.
8. Blackboard
There isn’t one specific reason why this is confusing; it’s just the hell of communication.
9. The bell tower atop Old Main
In old photographs that I’ve seen of Old Main, there was once a bell tower. Where did go and why didn’t the restoration in 1988 put it back?
10. The American health care system
Seriously… do I need to comment on this one?
11. Hannah Montana
Why would you pay thousands of dollars to see a show with the offspring of Billy Ray Sirus?
12. Grey’s Anatomy
How is the show so bad and the soundtrack so good?
And the most confusing and frequently asked question of all time… what’s for dinner?
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My sister, Beth Ann, and I at my cousin's wedding last November. |
| Scuba diving certification at Sandy Channel outside of Kearney, NE. This was for Belize and was well worth it! If you see me somewhere on campus, ask about the bull shark. |  |
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This is me at the Mayan ruin of Caracol. It's absolutely amazing to be able to walk on history! |
| Emily Morse, Alicia Dallman, and I at Uncle Sam Jam last Fourth of July. We thought we would be patriotic! |  |
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Rachel Steadman, Richie Nelson and I at the Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Conference in Grand Island in August. I hate giving presentations, but the conference was so much fun. |