RECAP_Day 1

RECAP (Research Experience in Chemistry and Physics) is a summer program for rising seniors that NCSSM coordinates. Glaxo in North Carolina funds this program, and it allows students to do graduate level research. I was chosen to do research in chemistry with Dr. Jeff Johnson at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Today we all moved in, back to the NCSSM campus, and this was an exciting event. I not only got put on a hall different from the hall I live at, but I get to use a double room all by myself. This means I have two desks, two dressers, and two closets. After my parents helped me unpack, I went to a quick meeting where we discussed the basic schedule of the camp and deadlines for our research. This is when I realized how independent we were and it was pretty much like any college or graduate student work.

Now I am in my new room, with no schedule until tomorrow morning. I could go off campus, study, start writing my paper, just surf the internet, or just go to bed. With all this time on my hands I feel like I should spend my time wisely this summer so I have been making a schedule of how I will be spending my time. I am planning on studying for SAT subject tests, reading the bible, and starting my college applications. We’ll see how this goes.

I am also very excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we will be going to my professor’s lab and starting my research. I am nervous to be working in an actual college lab, but excited to see what I will be doing.