Week 5 - Leigh

This week was quite disheartening, for a few reasons. The cells that are essential to my project became infected, meaning the weeks I have been waiting for them to grow have been in vain. I still should have some things I can write about for when deliverables come due, but it's still frustrating to have planned this project so extensively, only for an element out of my direct control to impede my efforts. Normally, this situation would be nothing more than an inconvenience, a delay in the start of my study. However, for a short summer program such as this, there is little time to begin anew anything that has gone awry.

I have to amend my introduction, as the second unfortunate event this week is not disheartening. I gave a presentation of the research being done in my group up in Ithaca, and didn't present as well as I could have. Am I holding myself to too high a standard? I don't think so. More I think I've been so frequently presenting to a certain group of informed individuals, either in lab meetings, classes, or other such environments, that I've lost some of my skill in giving broad-based presentations. Still, I amend my introduction because this situation is far from disheartening. Perhaps I am disappointed in myself for not adequately preparing, but I can only draw from this motivation to be better prepared for next time.