It's a Busy Life

Life is staying busy! My job is still going well. I did break my first piece of equipment (a pH meter probe) but other than that there have been no other mishaps. My project is going well, and Stephen and I are learning a lot about the product/process we’re investigating. As I mentioned before I’m working on a green project. I can’t talk about specifics (I feel like I’m in the CIA!) but in general terms I’m helping to develop a method of producing one of Shepherd’s products in a more “green” way that reduces waste and uses a cheap, green raw material. Right now Stephen and I are working on small-scale batches in the lab, but the next goal once we confirm the most efficient method is to trial the process in the pilot plant. We have a process that looks like it is giving us the correct specifications, but when we discussed how we’d scale up the process to the pilot plant (where we’ll immensely increase the amount of product being produced) we realized that we might not be able to control the reaction as finely as we can in the lab. Going from the lab to the plant is such an interesting thing to be a part of.

I’m also keeping busy by getting involved in community activities. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been training at the Cincinnati Zoo to be a Volunteer Educator. I have finished my training, so I’ll be starting to man the Educator carts on weekends in April. Each cart is located near an exhibit/zone, such as the Night Hunters exhibit or Jungle Trails. As a Volunteer Educator I will lead educational activities related to the zone at the cart to help teach the visitors about the animals in the exhibits. That will be very fun! I’m also going to start volunteering with the domestic cat colony in the CREW (Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife) department at the zoo. I was really excited to help out with lab research at CREW, but unfortunately they only work Monday-Friday during work hours, and I work a full-time job. They will keep me on the volunteer list for when they occasionally need weekend help, but in the meantime I’ll help with the domestic cat colony, which houses cats that are used to develop conservation techniques, such as in vitro fertilization, for wild cat species. I will be helping with cleaning the rooms, litter boxes, food bowls, etc. as well as socializing the cats. I look forward to getting started!

I’ve also joined the Cincinnati Ohio Wesleyan Young Alumni group and will be helping to plan Young Alumni events in the area. I’m excited to meet other OWU alumni in the area. The final thing I’m getting involved in is a local gym. I joined FitWorks three weeks ago, and have been going after work three to four times a week. I’m determined to stick with it. I go to the group classes, like Zumba and kickboxing, and also small group training sessions with a personal trainer. It’s intense but that’s what I want! Here comes a new and improved me!

Several weekends ago I made the drive up to Cleveland to visit my college friend, Meredith, who was back in the States from Guam for a week for grad school interviews. Before I go any further, congratulations are in order for Meredith: she got into her top choice of University of Minnesota! Awesome job Meredith! I hadn’t seen her in almost two years, so I was beyond excited. While I could only see her for one night (I went up Friday after work and she was flying back to Guam on Saturday morning) it was of course well worth the drive. While we are two years older, nothing really had changed. We were still the good college friends we’ve always been, except with different stories and problems than back at school. I can’t even express how great it was to catch up. I took Meredith to the airport Saturday morning, which was a hard thing to do. I was fine until I was watching her walk away through security. I then realized I wouldn’t see her for probably another six months or more. I just have to remember that there’s always Skype! On my way home from Cleveland I stopped in Delaware to visit my OWU advisor, Jed Burtt, and a good friend, Joe. I also took time to walk around campus and I admit I had a yearning to be back in college. While some things had changed (there’s a new fountain on the JayWalk, one of the dorms has been completely remodeled, etc.) it still smelled and felt the same. The Science Center stairwell still had that odd musty(?) smell that reminded me of so many Vertebrate Anatomy, Organic Chemistry, and Ornithology labs; I could still imagine myself getting lunch in Ham-Wil; and I could envision myself walking back from class in the Science Center to my dorm to take a mid-day nap. I really do miss college life. I miss the environment in which you’re constantly surrounded by people your own age. I think that’s the thing I miss most, besides the academic/learning environment. It makes me realize just how much I look forward to starting grad school next fall...

 

 The new fountain on the JayWalk.

 

A bat decal in the Science Center stairwell! 

 Saying goodbye to Meredith at the airport. :( 

My other exciting news is that I’m planning to attend the 16^th International Bat Research Conference/43^rd North American Symposium on Bat Research in Costa Rica in August, which will be the largest bat conference since the last joint meeting. I haven’t registered yet, but I’m saving up to go. It will be a perfect opportunity for me to present my Australia Fulbright research and also meet potential grad school supervisors, and of course have fun catching some tropical bat species! I also need a new laptop, but I’m putting that off to save up for the conference. A girl’s gotta have her priorities!

My first hockey game ever! And we (the Cyclones) won. Yay! (Yes, the ice is pink to honor breast cancer survivors).