I will forever value the experience I was granted this summer as part of the Brackenridge Fellowship. I learned a lot about interdisciplinary work, the research process, and the opportunities available to me at Pitt. This summer I learned that research, particularly the methods and timeline of a study, are not as strict as I…
Tag: brackenridge 2020
A Reflection on What I’ve Learned
Through my Brackenridge experience, I came to understand that research process is rarely linear. As a person digs into their research question, unforeseen problems and challenges often appear. These problems can feel overwhelming and insurmountable, but with careful time, attention, and effort, some type of solution can often be found. One part of my research…
Mouth of the River
At the beginning of this fellowship, I assumed that due to the nature of my project, I would not run into any obstacles that would take me more than a day or two to solve. This was in part due to my previous research project from last summer; I did a lot of complicated algebra…
Fin
Above all, my understanding of conducting research broadened over the summer. I learned more about the facets and intricacies of my own project, but that pales in comparison to what I learned about the work of others. Through the seminars, ideathon, presentations, and my cohort, I was able to learn about myriad projects across all…
Bye Bye Brackenridge
I definitely learned a lot over this Fellowship, not only about research and my project topic, but also about myself. Research was not the biggest part of my project, but it was big enough that my experiences with it changed my perspective. I thought research was going to be a lot easier than it actually…
We’re All In This Together!
Coming into this project, I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. Not only did I make new friends and learn about various unique projects and academic interests, but I was able to brainstorm a solution to a problem I care about quite a bit. What amazed me about the…
Meeting My Mentor
I met my research mentor, Becky Forgrave, because she was the instructor for my ecology lab, a graduation requirement in the environmental science department. I connected with Becky on a personal level first. She was extremely friendly and we would chat before class about similarities in our undergraduate pathway and Becky’s graduate work. Growing…
My Cohort
The main reason for my initial interest in this fellowship, and partly why I am so eager to begin working within my cohort, is the interdisciplinary nature of the Brackenridge fellowship. Not only is my project itself interdisciplinary, but my personal and professional interests are rather diverse as well, so this boundary-crossing aspect of the…