End of semester

The semester I wrapping up and consequently I am rather busy; however, less busy then I would have expected. I have one more week of physical biochemistry lecture then a final on May 7 and I’ll be finished with that class. In my structure class I have a final project, which is to make a Wikipedia page on a topic related to protein structure. If one desires they can see my page here: Click here. It is a work in progress and is not due until mid-May. After I’m done with these two classes I will not have to take a class ever again, at least not a canonical class. I am taking a ‘class’ in the fall I am quite excited about. It is a one-on-one tutorial with a faculty member. I will be working with my PI, Dave Richardson, through the concepts of protein crystallography. ‘But Bradley,’ you might ask, ‘weren’t you in a crystallography lab for three years and haven’t you taken numerous courses on the subject?’ The answer, of coarse, is yes, I have. However, I still am having trouble grasping the concepts at the level that one needs if one is to get their PhD in the field of crystallography. I am pretty excited for this one-on-one tutorial; it’s a unique opportunity.

Not much else has happened besides school. I did have the opportunity to participate in the day of service put together by the LDS church. I could have chosen from about a dozen different locations but settled on helping out at the Piedmont Wildlife Center. There were several volunteers; we were split into groups and helped out on a variety of projects. The team I was with was given the assignment to erect a three-walled structure to hold a compost pile. We did this by building a three-sided square (one side was open) log cabin. The hardest part was digging the postholes. I then went into the woods where I helped clear out an area for a sitting area where children visiting the park could sit and be instructed. It was a great day; I felt I was back in Utah as there were equal amounts of children and adults .

That’s it. The next time I write I’ll be done with my classes, woohoo! After classes I’ll be researching full-time.

‘Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.’
--Brian Adams