Princeton professors are incredibly willing to take the seed of a research idea and help make it into a full project. Near the end of last summer, I proposed an independent study project to Professor Barry Rand, whose lab I'd been working in during the summer. I wanted to do some type of analysis about the potential for rooftop solar energy in the U.S., but I didn't have a fully formed idea. When I asked to speak with him, I wasn't sure if he would think my idea had any merit, and I wasn't confident he'd take me on as an independent study student for the fall. When I proposed my idea, though, he was enthusiastic and encouraged me to pursue it. He pointed me towards the Google Project Sunroof database, which became the main dataset upon which I based my analysis.

Throughout the summer and fall, I carried out my project as an Independent Study course, with input from Professor Rand and Professor Wagner to guide me. As my project took shape, I asked Professor Rand if he thought I could present my work at an academic conference. I was looking to share my work to others, and I wanted to see what other types of solar research were happening. He suggested the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference. I checked out the website and saw that last year's conference was held in Philadelphia, and that the 2023 conference would be in... Puerto Rico. A bit farther away! This conference looked like the right fit for my research, but who would pay for me to go?

Fortunately, when students have a vision of an independent project they'd like to pursue, Princeton will truly make the funding for it available. I logged into the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE) to see what I could find. After inputting some information about my project, several options popped up. One of them seemed ideal: the Undergraduate Fund for Academic Conferences. (Who knew there was a fund specifically for undergraduates going to academic conferences?) I filled out a short application form detailing my project and planned itinerary. Several days later, I heard back—I'd been awarded a grant! The grant would cover half of my travel expenses. I then returned to SAFE to search for funding for the other half. I decided to apply for independent project funding from the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Again, after a short wait, I received notification that I would be awarded the funding that would cover the other half of my expenses. After I return from Puerto Rico, I'll submit a short report about my trip to each office telling them what I learned and gained from the experience.

Princeton ascribes a high value to undergraduate original research, so they really make funds available to students to pursue their research and the experiences that will enrich it, like conferences. I was surprised and pleased at how straightforward the process was to secure funding for the opportunity to present my work, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm incredibly grateful that Princeton sees the value in making it possible for students to travel and gain greater context and insight about their research fields. Look out for a blog post this summer about the solar conference!

If you’re a prospective student, you may have heard of the (in)famous senior thesis—a year-long independent project that incorporates original research, relating to your field of study. In my department, that often means a research paper on a form of literature, but there is a lot of freedom and seniors often choose creative and fun themes. 

I still have several months to go on my own thesis, but I’ve just returned from my research trip and would like to share my experience. I went to Czech Republic, visited the central depository for the National Literary Archives, and viewed original manuscripts and other writings.  

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The first step in the process was to find an adviser—and a topic. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to focus on an author from Eastern Europe. Back in high school, I had applied to Princeton specifically because the Slavic Languages & Literatures department here offered more than just Russian language. During my time here, I’ve taken three different Slavic languages (Russian, Czech and Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian). With the help of my adviser, I decided on Czech author Ladislav Fuks.  

Next, I had to apply for funding for my research. Using the University’s funding engine, I described my topic and proposed research. The University granted me the money to pay for my plane tickets, lodging, local transportation and meals. 

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Then, of course, came the trip! I flew from Denver International Airport in my home state of Colorado to Prague. I then traveled to the city of Litoměřice in north Czechia, where the central depository was located. I stayed in a small apartment I rented over Airbnb that was close enough to walk to my work site. Each day, I walked to the depository and signed in. The amazing director of the Litoměřice archives spoke with me about my research and brought me boxes of material from the depository. In the research room, I sorted through hundreds of folios in the boxes to find papers and writings that would be useful to my research. I scanned and saved those that I could use, and repeated the process over the two weeks of my stay until I had gone through all of the material. 

I’m now back on campus, and am excited to start writing my thesis. I feel lucky to have a real, independent archival research experience as an undergrad. The senior thesis might seem scary, but when you hit upon a topic you’re passionate about, the process can actually be a lot of fun!

Deep within the C floor (one of three below-ground levels) of Firestone Library, you’ll find my favorite aisle, QL. This aisle is home to books on some of my favorite subjects: zoology, wildlife conservation and natural history. Sometimes I’ll find myself wandering down there to check out a book or two, just because. 

I like to think that there is an aisle in Firestone for everyone, regardless of your academic or personal interests, whether it be French cinema or feminism, cellular immunology or ancient Chinese texts. With over 70 miles of bookshelves –– if you laid them end to end they’d reach from Princeton to New York City –– you can always find something to spark your curiosity here. 

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Aside from the extensive variety of genres held within Firestone’s walls, there are several other aspects of the library that I think make it really special. As a Firestone Tour Guide, I give tours of the library to prospective students, and I like to share some of these lesser-known discoveries with my tour groups whenever I can. 

• Personal librarians: Every undergrad at Princeton is matched with a personal librarian. This is someone you can go to with any questions regarding your research or book-finding needs at Princeton, whether for writing a paper for a class or compiling sources for your thesis. I’ve gotten personalized emails from my librarian every semester checking in on how I’m doing, which always puts a smile on my face.

• ReCAP / IvyPlus: Princeton students have access to ReCAP, a storage facility located near campus that holds 17 million volumes. If there is ever a book, manuscript or journal that Firestone doesn't have, chances are it can be found at ReCAP. Requests submitted to ReCAP are often fulfilled within the same day. Princeton is also part of the IvyPlus network, which allows students to have materials sent from Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Stanford and other universities in the event that Princeton does not have them. 

• Data and statistical services center: This center can help with any data processing or visualization needs you might have in any research you do at Princeton. They have specialists on staff you can meet with about any and all questions you have relating to data. 

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• Collaboration Hub: This space on the first floor of the library has Apple TVs, soundproof collaboration rooms with floor-to-ceiling whiteboards and more. I think that this space really reflects the attitude of collaboration over competition at Princeton; working on projects or studying together is common here. 

• Dixon Collection: Something that I think is fairly little-known on campus is that Princeton students have access to thousands of e-books and audiobooks of pretty much any genre for free. Whether you’re looking for a good beach read or the next crime thriller, you can find it here! 

• Special Collections: This is definitely one of my favorite parts of Firestone. The special collections is home to Princeton’s rarest and most valuable books and manuscripts. Through a student tour of the Scheide Library within special collections, I've seen a Gutenberg Bible, an original Bach manuscript, and a recipe in Emily Dickinson's handwriting. Many rare items are available for Princeton students to request, handle, and research, which I think is pretty amazing.

I hope I’ve convinced you that there really is something for everyone in Firestone (or, one of Princeton’s eight other libraries!). Who knows, with enough exploration you just might find a favorite aisle of your own.

 

One of the facets of the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree at Princeton is that you are required to complete junior independent work (in addition to the famous senior thesis). Some departments require two, one for each semester, while others only require one for the academic year. As an East Asian Studies concentrator, I have to write two junior research papers, the first of which is written in conjunction with the mandatory junior seminar (EAS 300) and under the guidance of the designated faculty adviser –– the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the department –– while the second is written with any available adviser of the student’s choosing. 

For East Asian Studies, there are no set parameters for our projects for either semester, meaning that we are genuinely allowed to write about anything that interests us. The freedom is both liberating and daunting, especially since I now had to consider my certificate requirements in my independent work. Two of my certificates: Gender & Sexuality Studies and Translation & Intercultural Communication, require me to write about a topic related to my certificate for at least one of my two junior papers. I remember walking into my classroom on the first week of the semester and sitting in a semicircle with the rest of my classmates when one of the first questions our professor asked us was, “Why don’t we go around in a circle and talk about what your junior paper topic is?” My mind went completely blank. I had a vague subject matter I wanted to research, but one that was nowhere near the stage in which I could share it with other people. I blurted out that I wanted to write something about the feminist movement in Korea and then sat around nervously as my peers described (what seemed to be) well thought out ideas for their independent work. 

However, as the weeks passed, my favorite part of the seminar soon became seeing how other people’s junior paper topics changed and evolved –– and how mine did as well. Now, I am writing my junior paper about the historical legacy of the patriarchy in South Korea, comparing the government response to the Gangnam Murder Case of 2016 with that of the general public, namely women. 

Although my junior independent work is far from finished, here are a few tips I have gathered from the past semester:

• Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm! 
  • The more you brainstorm and think about your project, the easier the writing itself will become. 
• Work a little every day, whether it be 5 minutes or 5 hours. 
  • You will have accomplished more than you think by the end of a few weeks. 
• Ask questions, and ask for feedback.
  • Find a few people to bounce ideas off of and tell them to ask you questions to test gaps in your logic. 
• Don’t be scared!
  • I spent weeks putting off working on my Junior Paper (JP) because I was overwhelmed, but once I started that it really is an enriching experience once you take it one day at a time. 

During fall break, I had the opportunity to travel to Greece with the Humanities Sequence. After dedicating much time and energy during our first year at Princeton to the rigorous reading schedule and thought-provoking discussions of the HUM Sequence, my peers and I were ecstatic to pursue our individual research questions during our sequence sponsored fall break trip to Athens.

Upon arriving in Greece, I was struck by the extraordinary view of the Acropolis from my hotel room balcony. Our days were filled with guided tours, museum trips and excursions. While we spent most of the break in Athens, we were lucky enough to venture out to visit the Archeological Site of Delphi and to swim in the Aegean Sea at Nafplio.

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During my research day in Greece, I visited the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum. I came to Greece hoping to study the Parthenon Marbles and to get a sense of Greek opinion on the marbles’ ownership debate. I cannot fully describe the sense of awe that flooded me when I finally arrived at the Parthenon. As a Classics student studying Greek, I found myself trying to translate every ruin I saw. This trip held extreme significance for me, and I was moved by the museums, ruins, sites and the homes of the authors whom I have dedicated myself to studying at Princeton.

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On the flight back to campus, I remember reflecting on the entire experience. I was overwhelmed by an extreme sense of gratitude––for the opportunity to travel to Greece, for the hospitality of the Greek people and mostly for the community fostered by the HUM sequence. The HUM sequence has been a defining element of my experience at Princeton, and I highly recommend that anyone who has an interest in the humanities or literature consider it. While abroad, I grew closer to my classmates and professors. Later this week we will all come together and present our projects from the trip.

Over my summers, I've performed research at Princeton through internships funded by the High Meadows Environmental Institute. I've really liked both experiences so far, but they've been incredibly different, not only being in different departments but requiring very different skill sets. Two summers ago, I worked remotely from home with the Interfacial Water Group in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department running simulations of contaminants in water and air. I connected to the Princeton computing clusters from my laptop, and Professor Bourg taught me over Zoom how to create files to run and submit to the supercomputer. This past summer, I worked in the Rand Lab in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department to try to create energy-efficient OLEDs. This work required using specialized equipment like the spin coater and thermal evaporator located only in lab B427. The two internships have been useful in allowing me to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of coding lab work and manual lab work.

For both types of research, there was a steep learning curve at the beginning. For molecular dynamics simulations, I had to become familiar with the coding language of the software LAMMPS, in order to create input files to run, and with the scheduling language "slurm" as well as the Linux command line for submitting files to the supercomputer. In the Rand lab, a different set of abilities are required. The lab demands physical dexterity that is not required for running simulations, such as being able to insert my hands into the gloves that enter the nitrogen glovebox (easier said than done) and handling the fragile glass substrates with tweezers through the thick glovebox gloves. It also demands a certain vigilance, as one wrong move could spill an acid onto the floor or disturb someone's multi-day experiment.

I like the convenience of running simulations, in that I can work at it whenever I choose and from any location with a VPN connection. And at an earlier point in my OLED internship, I'm was much more familiar with running simulations than working in the lab, therefore simulations felt much more comfortable to me than the newness of the Rand lab. But there is something rewarding about seeing tangible and physical results that I achieve in the lab, like handling a shiny and finished OLED or viewing the color transformation of a compound I synthesize. I don't get quite the same feeling from seeing a display on a computer screen of a simulation I run as when I can hold the physical result of my work.

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There are other similarities between the two types of research aside from the learning curves. For instance, both lab groups hold weekly group meetings where a few members of the group give updates on their projects, asking the Head Principal Investigator (PI) and the other group members for feedback. There is a strong sense of community among the different graduate and undergraduate students in each group, revealed in the thoughtful advice they offer to one another. For instance, at a group meeting I spoke about my attempt with my mentor, Jesse, to synthesize a certain solution to use as one of the layers of our OLEDs. I described our problem getting the powder to fully disperse in alcohol. One of the graduate students mentioned that she knows several researchers from a group in France who work specifically on synthesizing solutions like the one we're attempting to create, and she offered to put me in contact with them. I'm really grateful to have had the chance to work in two very different fields.

This summer, I'm working on a sustainable energy project creating OLEDs to power photocatalysis through a High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) internship. This means I'm living in Princeton, and I was initially worried that it would feel a little lonely to be on campus when classes aren't in session. When I was speaking with friends about their summer plans, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how many would also be in Princeton this summer. A few of my friends have other HMEI internships that take place in labs, while others have research internships through the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment (ACEE). Contrary to my worries, campus is still humming with activity in over the summer.

There's a community of about 50 HMEI interns on campus, and we recently had a group dinner where I caught up with friends and was introduced to several new ones. We had Nomad Pizza (restaurant that serves brick oven pizza) in Guyot Hall, and I got to hear about one friend's fieldwork at the nearby Watershed Institute and about another's work at the Plasma Physics Lab.

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There are also around 20 ACEE interns on campus, one of whom, John, works in the same lab as I do with a different graduate student mentor. It's nice that I'm not the only undergrad in the lab, because I'm reminded that it's normal to face a steep learning curve when adapting to operating the specialized instruments! While the graduate students make operating a thermal evaporator with three pairs of gloves on seem effortless, John and I still have practice to do to achieve that level of dexterity.

Being on campus in the summer is nice because it gives me a chance to explore the Princeton area at a time when I'm not overwhelmed with coursework. On weekends I like to visit the shops on Nassau Street, like Nearly New thrift shop or Labyrinth Books, or explore the area by running on the towpath or biking around town. Another perk of Princeton in the summer is the farmers' market, which is held every Thursday. New Jersey summer fruit absolutely cannot be beat!

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When I was applying for HMEI internships for the summer, I initially considered several of the offerings with international travel. There were opportunities to study grasslands in Madagascar of Mozambique, for example, which would certainly have made for a unique and memorable summer of travel. I decided against it, though, when I realized that I'd really prefer to gain more wet lab experience and spend time with my Princeton community. I'm truly enjoying spending summer on campus, and I would recommend it to any student as a way to appreciate the lovely area during a calmer time of year.

Content warning: mention of autopsy and graphic images of human anatomy

One cool opportunity I didn’t know about before coming to Princeton was the Princeternship program. Princeternships are a unique chance to get insight into a career of interest through one or more Princeton alumni. They take place over winter break and can range from a few days of shadowing to a few weeks of working on a project. This past year, more than 180 in-person and virtual Princeternships were available in the fields of Arts, Culture, Media & Entertainment; Engineering, Science & Technology; Business; Healthcare; Social Impact; and Law. I had the privilege of participating in a two-day virtual Princeternship at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, hosted by Dr. Alice Werner. Together with four other Princeterns, I learned about Dr. Werner’s specialty, pediatric pathology, and got a glimpse into the operation of the hospital’s numerous departments. 

Prior to the Princeternship, Dr. Werner assigned each of us a topic to prepare a 10-15 minute presentation on, and we each gave our presentation when it was relevant to what we were discussing. I presented on the heel stick, a type of newborn screening, and the differences in screening in different states.

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We were first introduced to some of the equipment and analytical techniques used in the hospital’s medical laboratory. One of my fellow Princeterns presented on the MALDI Biotyper, which identifies microorganisms using mass spectrometry. We spent the majority of our time observing slides of all kinds of samples under the microscope, including blood, cerebrospinal fluid and tumor biopsies. The virtual format was convenient because I could join from the comfort of my home and did not need to arrange travel or accommodation for during and after the Princeternship. Since I would have had to leave home several weeks earlier if the Princeternship were in-person, I was also able to enjoy some more time with my family. In addition, since Dr. Werner does a lot of work on the microscope and the computer, it was easy to see what she was looking at, as opposed to having six people crowded around one computer screen. 

On the first day, Dr. Werner “brought us to work” and took us through a normal morning as a clinical pathologist. She brought up the medical history and lab results of the patient whose sample she was tasked with analyzing, then showed us the slide under the microscope and explained what she saw. For example, I learned that reactive lymphocytes in the blood, identified by their large size and turquoise cytoplasm, are an indication of viral infection. We sometimes went back to the doctor’s note or lab results to piece together an explanation of what we were seeing. It was fascinating to participate in Dr. Werner’s thought process in real time, and I was impressed by all the types of body fluids we can observe under the microscope and the variety of clues they can give about one’s health and the potential cause of their disease. It felt like going behind the scenes of a normal doctor’s visit: literally, because Dr. Werner entered notes which the doctor interacting with the patient would use to develop their treatment plan, and metaphorically, because we could dive right into the cells at the root of the problem. 

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On the second day, we attended the hospital’s Daily Safety Briefing where representatives from each department reported any concerns from the last 24 hours. For the remainder of the day, Dr. Werner showed us anatomical pathology slides she had been collecting as well as the corresponding MRI and ultrasound scans to give us more context to the cases. As an anatomical pathologist, Dr. Werner sometimes performs autopsies and she showed us an image of a deceased newborn baby with gastroschisis, a defect where some of the baby’s intestines are not enclosed in the body. She then showed us the autopsy picture exposing the baby’s internal organs, and I must admit, I was both shocked and mesmerized. Part of me was desperate to look away because it felt wrong to see a baby like this, but another part of me still wanted to learn what Dr. Werner had to share. As a pre-medicine student, I will likely have to face this conflict often in the future. I hope to always hold a deep respect for the patient and their family and gratitude for their willingness to allow us to learn everything we can from their loss. I believe that image will stick with me for years to come because I was reminded of the fragility of life which I usually take for granted.

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This Princeternship taught me about a specialty that I knew almost nothing about and gave me an appreciation for medical labs and the technicians, chemists, engineers and pathologists who make it possible for us to analyze specimens and thereby understand illnesses much better. Although I realized that I am probably not interested in pursuing pathology because I would like to interact with patients and do a bit more with my hands, I learned that pathology is a fascinating and extremely important specialty which also allows providers to have a regular work schedule.

A huge thank you to the Center for Career Development for this enlightening opportunity, and I hope to participate in another Princeternship in the future!

 

By the midpoint of the semester, I usually have a sense of what to expect in my courses, and I start to find which topics I'm really enjoying. This semester, my favorite course is probably CEE308: Environmental Engineering Laboratory. When I first enrolled, I wasn't sure exactly what the course would entail—environmental engineering is a broad field, after all, with many possible laboratory experiments. It turns out that we experimentally show many of the concepts I learned about last semester in CEE207: Introduction to Environmental Engineering, which is a really satisfying progression of my studies. For instance, in the first lab we measured the soil partition coefficient of a contaminant, and partition coefficients is a topic Professor Bourg covered and assigned a problem set on last semester in CEE207. I also really like the weekly workflow of this lab course. On Monday, we meet in a classroom with Professor Jaffé, where he discusses the theoretical concepts behind the lab we'll be doing on Wednesday by writing equations and diagrams on the blackboard. On Wednesday, we meet in Professor Jaffé's laboratory to carry out the lab. Sometimes the lab requires measurements on multiple days, in which case we'll also come to the lab over the following days to take readings. Each lab is building towards the final report, which is going to be an Environmental Impact Statement of a hypothetical plan to use golf course pesticides on the Princeton lawns and athletic fields. 

I was nervous about the course at the beginning, because I had not-so-fond memories of my previous lab courses, which were remote (holding my breadboard up to a Zoom camera to try to understand why my circuit wasn't working was a bit of a challenge). But in person, I've found that I really love laboratory work, even the problem-solving and explanation-finding of experiments that don't go as planned. During our first lab, for instance, the data showed a mostly horizontal line when we were expecting a linear trend. At first, I thought that maybe my lab group had made an error in the experiment—why doesn't this look how I'm expecting it to look? I showed the results to Professor Jaffé, though, and he helped me realize an explanation for why the trend appeared as it did. We might have carried out the experiment correctly, but the concentrations used may simply have been too high to see the linear trend we expect at low concentrations. In my report, I simply showed the unexpected results and gave my best explanation for what could possibly have caused them. This skill, accepting unexpected results and working to understand them, is likely just as important as understanding the chemical and physical concepts behind the results we expect to get. 

As the weather gets nicer, Professor Jaffé is planning to assign experiments that require soil and water samples from around campus. I'm looking forward to this, as an afternoon spent outdoors in the sunshine will be a nice treat midweek as the semester gets more hectic. I have my fingers crossed for nice-weather Wednesdays during the second half of the semester.

I have recently taken to walking all over campus, even off-campus get out of the orange bubble, and I have noticed just how many walking paths there are. I have gone on hour-long walks down by Carnegie Lake and walked all the way until I have reached miles and miles of farmland. Some paths lead to cozy neighborhoods and others lead to peaceful and quiet scenery. I have walked in so many directions and for entire mornings. There is an abundance of greenery just outside the campus, and I have come to depend on these excursions to clear my mind when things get inevitably stressful. My most recent and pressing source of stress is settling on my plans for after graduation.

 

As a senior, I have been consumed by the thoughts of life after graduation. I know I definitely want to go to graduate school and get a doctorate degree in Latinx/Chicanx studies, but I am on the fence as to whether I should take a year off from school or not. I keep getting advice from so many people about all the different paths I could take as soon as May comes around. The Scholars Institute for Fellows Program has been the community on campus that I know I can depend on to support me in considering my options to make an informed decision on my future. I just want to be sure that I’m making the right decision. 

 

On one hand, I am excited to do more research and travel again in graduate school, especially after not being able to because of the pandemic. I feel that I still want to improve my research skills because I learned so many valuable things about time management and research techniques from my junior paper on the way that Latinx immigrants were represented in the media following the immigration act of 1990. I am working on applying my newfound knowledge on my senior thesis on the way that Hispanic women on college campuses develop their identities and decide their romantic and sexual partners, but I want more opportunities to truly put into practice and execute on what I have learned. 

 

On the other hand, pursuing a doctoral degree will take a number of years, and I might turn thirty before I get to my goal of getting my PhD in Chicanx studies. I’m worried that if I’m too focused on my research, I’ll be missing out on some fun adventures and outings with friends. If 2020 taught me anything, it is that in the blink of an eye, everything you took for granted can be swiped right from underneath you. I want my twenties to be filled with adventure, risk, and excitement, so I’m considering taking a gap year (or maybe a few) before I jump back into school. 

 

Another option to consider is getting a job abroad, where I learn more about the world before I put my head down to work. Perhaps I will go back to my mom’s hometown in Degollado, Jalisco to reconnect with my Mexican roots. There is still so much I want to experience, and I do not want to wait until later in life to do so because of school or work. My greatest fear is to have regrets about what I could have done or should have done differently. That is why I want to take some time to myself and grow as a person first.