One huge realization I had this summer is that in research, things rarely go as planned.I regularly ran into unforeseen problems and I often was concerned that I was not making sufficient progress. I realized this when I was deciding on a specific topic for my review article, and I kept hitting dead ends with…
Author: benahlmark
Ideathon Reflection
I study engineering, so I am used to working in teams to tackle problems. However, these teams are rarely interdisciplinary so the Ideathon project was definitely a new experience. My team included people with backgrounds in biology, literature, philosophy, linguistics and psychology. I think this experience is vital because I strongly believe that interdisciplinary research…
Use Your Network to Expand Your Network
I reached out to Lisa Volpatti because she majored in chemical engineering and did healthcare research at the nexus of chemical engineering and bioengineering like me. Because I am strongly considering a career in academia, I was interested to learn that she also intends to pursue a career in academia. I am interested to learn…
Focus on What the Audience Cares About
When presenting my work I find that the easiest place to start is by explaining the broader challenge that the research hopes to meet. One approach may involve referring to problems that could be considered conventional knowledge, for instance, high costs in healthcare. From here the presenter can narrow in on what aspect of the…
My Cohort: Health Sciences, Culture, and Math
When applying to Brackenridge, I was very attracted to the interdisciplinary focus of the program because I believe that by discussion between fields we can learn new research skills and perspectives that can help us approach research questions differently. Reading through my cohort’s introductory blog posts, I have been excited to see that some members…
Introduction-Ben Ahlmark
My name is Ben Ahlmark. I am a rising-junior chemical engineering student with a minor in chemistry. I am from Lansdale, Pennsylvania. This summer I will be researching and writing a literature review about paper-based cancer diagnostic tests for multiple cancer biomarkers. This research is important because paper-based tests offer the opportunity for fast, reliable,…