In preparation for my qualifying exam (which I passed on March 1st!!), I signed up for every single opportunity available to me to present in front of a live audience. In the 10 presentations I gave in the month of February, my favorite by far was the one where I engaged with students from other STEM departments – Science Open Mic Night.
Started by the Chemistry and Physics departments in Dornsife, Science Open Mics are open to any graduate student and feature students from the founding departments, as well as all areas of Biology and Biomedical Engineering. Because I knew the founders and several of the other presenters in the first few events, my department organization, Graduate Students of Biomedical Engineering, joined in. Therefore, for the past few Open Mics, there has been a BME presenter!
Luckily for me, there was still a spot open for the fifth one of the series, so I was slotted to present last. Ahead of me were two amazing presentations: one about how superfluids spin, and the other about marine microbial systems within the north pacific gyre. Over 50 people attended, snacking on pizza and drinks funded by Graduate Student Government while listening in on our research.
I truly enjoy events like Science Open Mic Night because the students attend to learn and ask real questions. All of them are there because they are genuinely interested in the proposed topics. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, our next Open Mic is on Wednesday, April 3rd from 6:30-7:30pm at DRB145! Come learn about the amazing research happening right here on campus.
Published on March 11th, 2019
Last updated on April 1st, 2021