Four weeks into the NEWT REU program and I feel like I’m finally starting to find my stride. After flying out to Houston for orientation at Rice University, work back at ASU started up straight away. Our project is based around using UV light to disinfect bacteria through optical fibers. Thankfully, back at Phoenix College, my research was focused around similar bacterial samples and techniques, so I was able to get up to speed quite quickly in that respect. However, using and coating optical fibers was a whole other situation. I’m very greatful that my mentor has been extremely patient and accomodating while I learned so many concepts. Thus far, our experiments have yielded very promising results and we look forward to seeing if the early trends continue.
Outside of the lab, I’ve been able to catch up with my old friend Roberto, who I was on a research team with back at Phoenix College. He is a large part of how I heard about and joined the NEWT program. In some of our downtime, we’ve been able to explore ASU a bit, especially some of the space exhibits throughout campus.
Thank you for sharing, David! Glad to see you’ve been able to hang out with Roberto and that you’ve explored some of the cool places at ASU! Looking forward to seeing your dead bacteria in a couple of weeks!