Bradley's Pad

I had a very busy December both with school and in the lab. That is why I didn,t post anthing in December, plus when I did have free time I didn’t want to write a post. It was nice to get school done but, unlike previous years, my work was just beginning as I finished my last final. I am writing a program to assist structural biologist, as myself, build models of proteins. As this is not a scientific blog, I'll spare you the details.

I had four of my friends come and stay at my apartment for two nights. We did a lot of sledding on Old Main Hill. We went down on tubes and a large piece of plastic; its not the safest thing to do but fun nonetheless. I took two of the boys on a small tour of the campus; we didn't go far because it was snowing so heavily. I was able to show them what we do in our lab, they were fascinated, it was cool to see their excitement. We then went to the USU vs. Utah basketball game where USU won in a very close game.

I went to my parents house for Christmas on the 23rd. While at there I mainly spent time with the family doing puzzles and eating; that sums up every Christmas. I was able to spend a lot of time with my sisters and their families which is always fun. The weather over Christmas was pretty snowy; I think it snowed most days with some days heavier than others.

I am currently applying to graduate schools. Here is a list of where I have applied thus far: SUNY Buffalo, Harvard, U of Pittsburgh, U of North Carolina, Duke, U of Virginia, U of Utah, UC San Diego, and UCLA. GOOD NEWS: I got an interview with the University of Pittsburgh in about three weeks! I fly out there on January 22 and fly back on the 25th! I am pretty excited. I have yet to hear from any other schools but they usually don’t start reviewing applicants until mid January. We'll have to see where I end up!

I will be graduating this May; to do so I will only need to take 5 credits. I will be taking molecular genetics and a class known as senior seminar. However, I am also the undergraduate teaching fellow (UTF) for biochemistry 2 and, of course, I'll be busy in the lab. I have already started my UTF duties; I will be assisting the professor (Joanie) in teaching the class. I am currently helping her get ready for teaching the first section of material and preparing the first research problem (basically homework) for the class. This is going to be a great experience!