Speakers
The four day conference was set up so that during meals, everyone would listen to a speaker or panel of speakers while they ate. My favorite speakers were the McNair alumni panel, Dr. Traki Taylor, and the Dean's panel. Dr. Taylor gave an inspiring and moving talk about her journey through graduate school and how she overcame those struggles. At the end of her presentation, she put on her robes from receiving her PhD as she talked about her parents walking across the stage with her. I almost started crying at the end, and she received a standing ovation. Hearing her journey of being a first-generation college student while facing adversity made me feel motivated in my own journey.
The Dean's panel gave a lot of insight into the process of admitting students to graduate school. It was composed of three Deans from different universities, and they talked about different criteria colleges look for in graduate admissions. I was able to ask a question to this panel! I asked, "What should I take into consideration when looking at graduate schools?" I knew a few things to look for, like funding, research opportunities, and specializations, but I wanted to see if they would add anything to it. One Dean informed me to look for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) offices or organizations on campus and to reach out to students listed on the "current students" section of the website. I would have never thought of the EDI point, so I am grateful for the chance to ask about it. I was also able to talk a bit to the Deans after the panel ended, which gave me the opportunity to make an impression.
Lastly, the alumni panel gave insight on how to navigate graduate school. The panel had three alumni from the McNair program who had all earned PhDs. I related to one person on this panel, Dr. Javier Rivera Guzman. He is a professor of Biology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. His PhD is in Microbiology and Immunology, and although that isn't the field I want to go into he gave me a lot of good information. I chatted with him for a while after the panel, and I got his email to keep in touch as well.
Research Presentations and the Graduate School Fair
Throughout the conference, there were two research events and a graduate school fair. For research, there were poster presentations and oral presentations. The poster presentations were set up so everyone could walk around and learn more about what research was interesting to them. I talked to a few different researchers, including someone from Arizona doing a similar research project to mine. I loved seeing all the researchers talk about work they were passionate about.
For the oral presentations, there were 15-20 minute blocks where the students would give their presentation and then answer audience questions. I was only able to go to one because of time, but it was really cool. The students were from Michigan and they were researching circadian rhythms in butterflies. They were very open to the audience and admitted some mistakes that were made, along with talking about how most of their butterflies died. Both research events reassured me that I'm not alone in my anxieties about presenting research.
Every student at the conference was getting ready to apply to graduate school, which is why they had the graduate school fair. This was my favorite part of the conference because I found two programs that are now at the top of my list. First I visited the table for Rutgers University in New Jersey. The representative told me about their pharmacoepidemiology MS program, which I had never heard of before. Pharmacoepidemiology is the study of the uses and effects of drugs in populations. This is something I would love to research, which is why Rutgers University is now in my top three schools! The other program I discovered was at John Hopkins University. They offer a Science Masters in epidemiology with a research track in genetic epidemiology. I got emotional when the representative was talking to me because this is exactly what I have been looking for. This program is my number one because it combines the two areas of research I am interested in!
Exploring the D.C. Area
While in College Park, Maryland, we had about 2 days worth of down time to go and explore. We took the metro system into D.C. and our group dispersed to go wherever we wanted. I went to the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian National Zoo.
The zoo was amazing. I spent almost three hours walking around the 163 acre park by myself, and it was nice to just walk around and see animals I've never seen before. My favorite exhibits were the pandas, the elephants, the lions, and the seals. In fact, lions are my favorite animal, so seeing one in person was emotional.
The Air and Space Museum was surprising to me. I went to most of the space exhibits, and saw models of the Apollo 11 command module, the rovers from various expeditions, and satellites used in space. This museum opened my eyes to how complicated yet marvelous space exploration is, and how massive our solar system is. I want to go back to this museum again just to see these models.
Lastly, the Natural History Museum was my main interest when going to the D.C. area. I have always loved fossils, and this museum has a viewing area where you can see their employees actually uncovering fossils in real time. I took so many photos of the dinosaur fossils and the diversity models that my phone ran out of space! I also discovered an epidemiology exhibit that had different spaces for COVID-19, Ebola, and HIV. There was even an interactive game where you diagnosed a disease based on incubation period, symptoms, and contagiousness. I really loved being able to read about how epidemiologists handle these epidemics, especially with COVID-19 being so recent.
Overall Thoughts
I really enjoyed this trip. As I mentioned in my last post, this was the first time I flew on a plane, and there were so many other firsts that happened on this trip. Everything went well and although I was exhausted and had blisters from walking so much, I am grateful. A lot of the schools I'm looking at are on the east coast, and this trip helped me relieve some fears about traveling that far. I also loved the trip just because I got to get away from Wisconsin for a little bit and go sightseeing by myself. Without the McNair program, I don't know what I would do.
