Accepted

I have been working in Dr. Damer's lab for a semester now and it has been an extraordinary experience. Unfortunately with all of my classes and studying during this semester I could not complete nearly as much research as I had hoped to do. I am looking forward to taking part in more research this semester because as a member of the McNair Program I was asked to limit my credit hours so I could devote my time to conducting research.
Dr. Damer is one of the most dedicated, helpful, and happiest research scientists I have ever met. She meets with her lab members at least twice a week, an individual meeting to discuss weekly progress and future goals, and a group lab meeting to learn of our coworkers progress. I feel very fortunate to be able to discuss not only my performance and observations in the lab but my educational goals and what I can expect as a graduate student. Dr. Damer is much more then the director of this lab, but a mentor and a friend. Dr. Damer confided in me that she often wondered if she had made the right career choice and questioned if there was not an easier path she could have taken but in the end she cannot imagine being happy doing anything else. As I question my future and the choices I make I can only hope that one day I am as happy as she is with my career choice.
The other students I work with are all very intelligent and dedicated to performing research. I was surprised to learn that their dedication to hard work is only surpassed by their loyalty and friendships with each other. Scientists have a reputation of quietly and independently making discoveries while avoiding social situations and the conflicts of the outside world. I have learned that the depiction of isolation and seclusion made popular by books like Frankenstein and on the movie screen is absolutely false. In Dr. Damer's lab, everyone is very good friends and have had the opportunity to bond with each other over the summer and spend time together outside of school. The atmosphere in the lab is always relaxed and full of good humor. Their friendships go beyond school work and laboratory research and that is what makes this lab special. They not only support and encourage each other as they face the challenges of difficult experiments and unexpected data but congratulate each other’s new discoveries and success.
During our first laboratory meeting after the Thanksgiving break, Tasha, a graduate student employed in the lab, looked over the table at me and said “Helena, Dr. Damer said that you had some very exciting news to share with all of us," and I did, I told them how I had found out over break that I had been accepted into the McNair Scholars Program and everyone congratulated me and applauded. I smiled at that moment because I felt like I had truly become a member of Dr. Damer's Lab.