During this summer, I worked as an undergraduate intern under the supervision of Dr. Kalb, researching organic photo-redox catalyst reactions. I was researching with a very small team of myself, Chris Zimmerman, 25′ and Dr. Kalb. Working with this small of a team was a great experience and allowed for an internship that felt personal and helped me learn a lot. Over the summer, while getting to know these two, I felt more comfortable asking questions if I was confused, and it allowed me to grow and learn a lot more rather than just going through the motions. It was a great experience to work with these two wonderful people, and I look forward to continuing this research throughout the school year.
This internship allowed me to build confidence in myself as a chemist, as it solidified many fundamentals of chemistry, lab techniques, and lab safety. It also pushed me to become a better scientist and think of things differently. While I am still determining what career path to pursue after Wabash, this internship helped me feel more confident in finding a path that suits my interest after college. I recommend this research, or any research on campus for stem students, as this sort of experience can help build a launching pad for you to spring into your classes or careers with confidence.
I want to thank Dr. Kalb for allowing me to participate in this research and Chris Zimmerman for being such an excellent sport to my shenanigans and being a great partner that helped push me to improve. While this was only the first year in Dr. Kalb’s research, I look forward to seeing how it develops over time, and I hope this opportunity grows to be much larger and grab other students’ interest. I am thankful for this opportunity and looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus soon!
