First Year Experience
My first year at UC was incredibly exciting. I got to meet loads of new people and experience some new things. Below is an overview of my first year, divided into four categories; exploring my majors, passion for teaching, interest in community service and environmental health, and possible hobbies to pursue.
Exploring Physics and Mathematics:
Research Assistant for University of Cincinnati Department of Physics
I worked over the summer in the physics department studying materials that could be used for nanotechnology. I was able to do this research through a program at UC called WISE (Women in Science and Engineering). WISE is meant to give undergraduate women an introduction to full-time academic research. I conducted my study on MoS2 and WSe2 with my partner, Tiange Liu. The slideshow below contains pictures of the labs I worked in and data collected during my stay. The first picture is of Sam, a grad student, and Liu in the laser lab. The next picture is a better depiction of what the laser lab looks like. Following this is a picture of me and Liu in the ERC Clean Room. We used this lab space for cleaning our samples and preparing the silicon we used to map our samples. The final picture is a product of our data analysis. The graph depicts different intensities of transmitted light from the laser at changing wavelengths of light. The graph compiles data from voltages 0-100.
Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics
The pictures below serve as a good representation for the conference as a whole. During the event, I was able to talk to many different professionals with degrees in physics through panels and socials. One of the most informational events at the conference was the panel they held about different tracks in physics. Similar to the panel set-up below, we had five women talk about their own experiences in the field. This panel was extremely important to me; especially in feeling more comfortable in my field. The experiences that many of the women shared made it easier for me to relate to them, and consequently relate to the field. In addition to the panels, info sessions, and socials; I was able to attend a poster session hosted by the other undergraduates at the conference. This was an interesting part of the conference for me because I was able to see the work of older undergraduates and reflect on research I may want to pursue. As a whole, the conference allowed me to feel more connected to the physics community, learn more about opportunities within the field, and think about what branches of physics may be most interesting to me.
Undergraduate Rep. for Women in Physics and Beyond
In my first year at University of Cincinnati, I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Undergraduate Representative for Women in Physics and Beyond (WiPAB). WiPAB at University of Cincinnati works to build a network of support for the female students in physics and other STEM programs in order to maintain enrollment and make for better educational experience. Our meetings are built around discussions with guest speakers. The pictures below are from our first meeting of fall semester.
Performer in the Traveling Physics Road Show
Near the end of my first semester, I was approached by one of the physics professors who is involved with the public high schools in the area. He partnered with
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Honors Calculus-Based Physics for Majors
This is a picture from the lab associated with my honors physics course. In this experiment, we measured the transfer of momentum and kinetic energy between transitional and rotational motion by filming the movement of the pucks, tracing their position, and modeling their motion through best-fit graphs in Mathematica. The honors seminar I took in physics convinced me of my love for the science. The lecture itself was different from the other science seminars I have taken. Instead of just presenting equations and giving us scenarios in which to use them, Dr. Esposito showed us how the equations were derived. I had never been exposed to this kind of thinking and am very grateful for the fact I was shown so early on. In addition to the new creative mathematics I was shown in lecture, the lab introduced me to programming and how it can increase the precision of data. We conducted a number of experiments with kinematic ideas behind them in the first semester. The picture below is of a lab where I was most impressed by the power of our computer program. Even with motion recorded on a video camera, Mathematica (along with another video-program) was able to translate movement on the video into workable equations of kinetic energy. Honors calc-based physics for majors gave me a better idea of what it is like to actually work as a physicist.
Honors Multi-Variable Calculus
The picture below is of a quiz we took midway through the semester. The topic for the quiz was matching three-variable equations with the graphs that they generate. This is a good example of the general idea of multi-variable calculus. Calculus III was similar to the first two courses; it just integrated more variables into the processes we'd learned before. I really enjoyed honors multi-variable calculus because it helped me better understand some of the operations I'd learned earlier on a deeper level. I also became more comfortable with changing laws and equations to solve specific problems. By the end of the course, I could take a process I'd learned in my first calc class, convince myself of its relevance to my problem, and modify it to help me solve. In addition to my new found confidence in my calculus skills, I gained confidence in my choice of major. Being able to apply my math skills in a meaningful and exciting way, as well as seeing the relevance of multi-vari in physics, only worked to support my choice to add mathematics as a second major.
Exploring Teaching and Education:
Peer Tutoring at the LAC MASS Center
After my first semester, I was eligible to apply for a tutoring position at UC's Learning Assistance Center. For my first few months, I worked as a Peer Tutor where I got to meet with students one-on-one to help them with concepts and material from class. Once I had established my role as a peer tutor, I was able to move on to leading study tables at the MASS (Math and Science Support) Center. Here, I hold something similar to office hours where students can come talk to me about math, physics, or chemistry. I love working at the Learning Center, not only because it strengthens my understanding of material, but also because I feel like I'm positively impacting my community at UC. Working in this position has enforced my love for teaching and my feeling of connection to the university.
Tutoring at The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
During my first semester, I worked as a Homework Helper for Cincinnati's public library. My first couple of weeks were spent at the main library downtown, where the picture of the donut-eating contest was taken. One of my training weeks occurred close to Halloween so I got to help host a party for the students. The other two pictures were taken at the Corryville Branch. This is where I spent the majority of my time working with my three main students; Lapoems, Clara, and Ricardo. This was a great way to connect with my community while continuing to teach.
Teaching at Central Ohio Engineering for Kids
Over my fall and winter breaks, I returned to Columbus to work at Central Ohio Engineering for Kids. EFK focuses on helping kids to become independent and creative thinkers. Many of the projects that our kids worked on involved fabricating creative solutions or improvements to things we use every day. The picture below was taken at the Winter Break Camp. At the camp, the kids are introduced to many areas of engineering including mechanical, electrical, industrial and computer. I took the picture below during our electrical day, where our students were given Electrical Snap Circuits to build any device they could think of. Jacob, the 9 year old boy pictured below, built a device to launch fan wheels and illuminate 2 light bulbs at the same time.
Volunteer Teaching for Engineers Without Borders
During my first month on campus, I became involved in an organization called Engineers Without Borders. The purpose of this organization is to use engineering and related science for the development of international countries. This is a national organization that UC is involved in through its chapter on campus. The main project that EWB is was working on my first semester was to improve accessibility of water in Nyambogo, Tanzania. Although much of our chapter concentrated on the Nyambogo Project, I joined the Community Outreach Committee for my first semester. This was right up my ally because the committee concentrated on STEM education and community development. Below is a picture of the mousetrap car that we used for a project example at Hughes STEM High School. This was the mechanical engineering project that I designed for the students to work on. In addition to the class taught at Hughes, the community outreach chapter helped with both Happen Inc. and Habitat for Humanity.
Volunteer Tutoring at Hughes STEM High School
Every Tuesday afternoon, I walked over to Hughes Stem High School to aide Mr. Frecker in running his after-school study tables. Here, I walked around and answered questions that students had about concepts and material from their assignments. This is where I first
Exploring Community Outreach and Environmental Efforts:
Crew Leader for Clean Up Cincy
In my second semester, I joined a student-lead volunteer effort at UC called Clean Up Cincy. CUC was a great way for me to both get involved in the community and to practice my peer-leadership skills. We had over 2000 volunteers in Spring of 2016 come out on a Saturday morning to pick up trash around the area. My job as a Crew Leader was to recruit my team, keep supplies, and lead our effort down the streets on the west side of Cincinnati. My team of 27 people filled 82 bags of trash in 3 hours! It was an awesome experience for me, as it allowed me to make new friends, get out in the community, and strengthen my leadership skills. I plan to continue involvement in CUC throughout my college career.
Sustainability Summit Conference
In early October, I spent a weekend at Shawnee State Park for the summit conference. The purpose of the summit is to connect people with interests in furthering environmental and social sustainability. Over the course of the conference, I was introduced to all of the great things students concerned about the environment and social equality are doing on campus. I walked away from the weekend with a further developed understanding about the impact I can have on my community.
Sustainability Summit Conference
In early October, I spent a weekend at Shawnee State Park for the summit conference. The purpose of the summit is to connect people with interests in furthering environmental and social sustainability. Over the course of the conference, I was introduced to all of the great things students concerned about the environment and social equality are doing on campus. I walked away from the weekend with a further developed understanding about the impact I can have on my community.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity works to bring hope to struggling families by uniting the community in building houses for them. During my first year, I worked on a few different locations. The house showcased below is located in Pleasant Ridge just outside of Cincinnati.
National Residence Hall Honorary -- VP of Finance
Toward the end of my first year, I became very aware of the impact that the UC community had left of me. I enjoyed my first round immensely and realized that much of this had to do with the services and programs that UC offered me. Because of this, I applied to represent the school through UC's NRHH Chartering Committee. NRHH recognizes excellence on campus and works to support Resident Education and Development at UC. We inducted our first year of participants for the fall in April and look forward to making an impact on campus next term!
Exploring My Hobbies:
University of Cincinnati Women's Chorus
During my first semester, I took advantage of the talent and programs in CCM and joined the chorus. The picture on the left is of me and Annabel, one of my best friends from high school. We were excited to continue our choir friendship into college. The picture on the right is of our director, Alex Sutton. He is conducting the combined choir in this photo. We performed in three different shows over the course of the fall semester. The sound from the combined choir is amazing!
Sets on the Beach
During the fall, I played volleyball at the rec on a competitive co-ed team. I was excited to play with this team because I knew most of the players from grade school. We had a great time!