QUOTATIONS REFLECTING ON THE 2013 NCAS ANNUAL MEETING Collected by NCSU and Maria Santisteban Excerpts from NCAS Reflections – NCSU Quito Wang: “I hope I can stand there and present my own research one day!” Arushi Wadhwa: “I absolutely enjoyed the NCAS conference, especially since it was my first scientific conference. The experience gave me exposure to research being conducted within the scientific community... I thought that this was a great first time step into the scientific world, and I can now say that I’m truly excited to be conducting and presenting my own research next semester.” Justin Veeder: “I got a lot out of NCAS. I enjoyed being part of the “Scientific Community” for one day. It showed me what the final product of hard work and long hours of research gets you. I liked speaking with the different presenters, asking them questions about the research they had done. I also enjoyed talking with the other students and adults that didn’t present. This meeting excited me because I could see myself presenting my own research at a similar event at some point down the road. On top of that, hearing recent discoveries was really cool and the keynote presenter was great.” Taylor Urban: “After reading scientific literature and writing a lit review, I now realize the amount of background work that must go into working on research experiments. I used to think you just picked a topic and worked with it, but to obtain funding, have a successful experiment, and obtain results, you must have previous knowledge on the subject and that is gained through reading scientific literature and writing scientific papers.” Sophie Tucker: “This may be selfish but what I think I got out of going to the conference was a bit more confidence to prepare myself for my own poster presentation/literature review presentation. I tend to be a very anxious presenter for no apparent reason and seeing the wide variety of presenters at the conference was strangely calming. I was able to witness some great presenters, who sounded confident about their research topic as they spoke and were able to answer the audience’s questions quickly and to the best of their knowledge.” Hannah Taylor: “I enjoyed the conference because I learned. I realized what makes a good scientific presenter and what to expect from these types of conferences. My favorite part was attending the workshop that discussed graduate school because I plan to attend medical school. The panel of four people really gave great advice about starting now to get a job related to your future goals and the importance of building relationships with professors that are not related to his/her class. Hearing their opinions gave me the push I need to end the year strong in order to prepare for medical school. I am glad I attended so that I will be better prepared for future events.” Abbey Suelter: “After going to NCAS, I realize that research is more than just working in a lab and working to be the first to publish your work in a journal. While it is good to gain experience and become recognized in the scientific community, you have to be excited and passionate about research as well.” “Overall, I really enjoyed the conference because I got to surround myself with people who were interested in similar topics as myself. It also felt really good to be around people who are just as motivated to provide the community with our knowledge. I felt that going to the conference made me become more aware of what can happen during the research process. For example, the girl who was working with E. Coli and didn’t use a buffer but had to go back and do her experiment with a buffer. It made me realize that what you want to happen in your experiment will not always happen, but at least you will have learned something and feel accomplished. It also came upon me that research isn’t just about working in the lab and getting the job done, it’s also about being able to present your findings to the community. This conference also kind of prepared me to go to the Undergraduate Research Symposium. At the end of the day though it was like my head had been filled with too much science, but at the same time I was super satisfied and felt more motivated and excited to do my own research and share my own knowledge.” Vinita Su: “I really enjoyed the conference! I thought it was a lot of fun to listen to other students’ passions and research efforts. It really drives me to do some research, something of which I did not know I liked before this class. I came into this program with the goal to figure out if research was for me, but it was really NCAS that was the turning point in which got me really excited about research…. It was so cool to actually go to a real conference! Lynde Ring: “I enjoyed NCAS! It was very cool and inspiring to see how these students inquired on a single idea and had a role in expanding that area of science. From NCAS I understood that delving into research requires time, commitment, and passion about your one idea. NCAS made me very excited to see what’s in store for next semester.” Tolu Oyelowo: “I really enjoyed NCAS overall. It allowed me to interact not only with professionals in science fields, but also students from other universities who are interested in/already conducting research. I was able to network with students studying Biomedical Engineering at NC A&T, and those connections can be beneficial throughout my undergraduate career and beyond.” Taylor Osborne: “My experience at NCAS made me a lot more confident in my ability to not only give presentations but also to join the research community. I am very glad that I was able to attend NCAS.” Michelle Nigro: “Attending the North Carolina Academy of Science (NCAS) was an experience I will never forget. I learned so much from watching the other students present their research, and it got me very excited about science! From attending NCAS I learned what makes a good science communicator and researcher.” “After my experience in this class and at NCAS, I view research differently. To me, scientific research used to be something that could only be obtained by having a degree. Now I see research as something that is obtainable through hard work and perseverance. It seems more realistic to me and it makes me eager to start research of my own. I also realize now that research comes in all different forms. For example, one presentation I attended was experimenting on the ability of bacteria to breakdown diesel fuel. There was another researcher who monitored rabies in bats, and another researcher who looked into the effects of vitamin supplementation on horses. From all of these presentations I realized there are infinite things that a person can research, one just has to be curious of the world around them.” Carter Long: “Overall I did enjoy the conference. I really liked the variety of options for the talks, but wished that we could walk in late to them since there was no time in between to get from a different room. What I got out of this conference was a sense of relief, some confidence for next semester, a syringe pen, and an awesome tote bag that I can fit my laptop in.” Amanda Lafferty: “I thoroughly enjoyed the conference, I feel like I got a lot out it with the time we had there. I made it to many undergrad presentations, often I just stayed in the same seat and listened to them back to back. I also attended the Human Microbiome project which was fascinating; I thought it was incredible how much microbes influence our lives. I was impressed with the speaker’s background in science and that she was wiling to answer questions and was comfortable speaking to the audience like it was a classroom. I would definitely attend again because I thought the keynote speaker was very knowledgeable as well and it seemed like a great place to meet scientists in your field of interest.” Brandon Klapheke: “I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. I learned what makes a good scientific communicator, and I got to observe the accomplishments of students at similar places in their scientific careers. It was awesome to see some of the opportunities available to me, and where I could be in just a few years. I hope to be able to present at NCAS next year, and maybe even more times throughout my undergraduate career.” Grace Jou: “Attending NCAS, I felt that I was overflowing with research by the end of the day. I realized how much science has shaped our world and how integrated it is in our society. Everywhere, people are conducting research on everything from microbiomes to the effect of light wavelength on embryo development… In the whole scheme of things, I think everyone is working towards a bigger goal of understanding the complex, yet intriguing, world around us. I thoroughly enjoyed NCAS and the opportunity to spend time with others who share the same passion of science and having the chance to talk and get excited about real research without having to worry about sounding nerdy or weird.” Kaytlynn Heroux: “I really enjoyed the conference. It was the first time I had experienced research after the science had been done. It was a real learning experience to see how researchers could take their research and communicate it and its importance to an audience… It was really inspiring to see that undergrads could accomplish so much. It gives me goals to aspire to. I’m excited to see what I can accomplish in my undergraduate career.” Fatima Hedadji: “The best part of the NCAS, in my opinion, was the fact that we were all there to listen and exchange discoveries with each other. It is definitely something I have realized I love about the scientific community. Because of this value of gaining and sharing knowledge, I brought back so much information and lessons with me from the conference.” Will Hartley: “Yes, I enjoyed the conference. Out of it I received new appreciation for the scientific community and for the academics that go behind research. Also, I think that it was neat that people that knew nothing about research symposiums (like me) could go in and it be like a scientific playground, where you could walk around and explore and ask questions and find out something new.” Michael Cartwright: “The conference was a very enlightening and pleasant experience. It helped me meet the rest of the class, meet different people, and see the types of research undergraduates are able to do. It really helped me understand how tough research is but also how rewarding it is. The key note address really made me realize the complexity of the scientific community and how there are so many factors that influence it: socioeconomic, religious, political and academics are just a few of the motivating factors. Though I now know that I do not want to be in a lab as a full time job, going to the research symposium has enabled me to better understand the scientific community’s many motives, and it has helped me to understand the large network of past and present scientists that I belong to.” Courtney Bachman: “I thought the conference was really fun and I liked it a lot. I enjoyed meeting people from other schools and seeing the wide variety of topics being researched. It was also really cool to see the middle school presenters with their posters because they had really interesting research and it was impressive considering their ages. I am going to take away the idea that you can really research anything and there’s a possibility that you’ll be able to present it one day at a conference and that it’s important that you pick something that you like because your audience can tell if you are passionate or not.” Quotes Collected by Maria Santisteban: “I loved this meeting! It was my first one and everything from the speakers to the food was excellent! I
learned so much!”
“The meeting was excellent as expected. I truly enjoyed the plenary address and the networking
opportunities. I am a community college student and I plan to continue attending until I complete my PhD.”
“Speakers were extraordinarily good, a level above what we have had at past NCAS meetings. I also
appreciated having the Native American Music at the banquet.”
“I wasn't sure what to expect when I first heard of this conference, but I was pleased with the speakers and
meeting in general.”
“I liked the general outline of events. The oral sessions were without general complication. I really enjoyed
Saturday's keynote speaker on eugenics.”
“The poster session was well attended and enjoyable to presenters and attendees. Good food! “
“The poster session with heavy hor d'oeuvres was a great mix and the food throughout was great.”
“The poster session Friday night was excellent. Good mix, good layout.”
“Poster sessions were good. Food was good”.
“I attended the afternoon break out workshop on the microbiome and Gene Solver and found it to be
excellent. Kept my attention - good mix of science and classroom ideas.”
“I enjoyed participating in the panel discussion”
“The workshops were very helpful! I enjoyed them so much.”
“My graduate student gave a presentation and everything went smoothly. The room facilitator kept everyone
on time and was professional. I also attended one of the afternoon special session on the human
microbiome project. This talk was interesting and informed me about the activities at the new science center
in Raleigh. Enjoyed it.”
“There wasn't anything that I truly disliked. I would like to suggest allotting more time for panel discussions in
the graduate break-out sessions.”
“My husband and I thought it was one of the best. The food was great (box lunches are never expected to
be "good"), everyone was helpful, the facilities were truly wonderful! My congratulations to you all! What a
wonderful use of the local culture on the cover of the Program and in the gifts that were presented to the
speakers! I have never seen the local culture used as effectively as in this meeting.”