I'm a Buckeye, But I Still Represent Motown

Many of you already know my journey, so I won't bother to go over boring details of my life for this blog entry.  But, recognize that I am a Buckeye that grew up in the State of Michigan.  Why is this a big deal? Well, I'm currently a visiting faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at The Ohio State University for one semester. (And yes, the proper name is "The Ohio State University.")  After earning my doctorate over 12 years ago, I actually get a chance to come back and do a little research focusing on developing metal complexes that may be useful for treating cancer.

Honestly, in some ways, I feel like a graduate student again. In addition to lab-based research, I am making a little time to sit in on some classes.  Today, I attended an inorganic chemistry class and decided to sit in the back of the room because I didn't really want to be noticed. I wanted to "blend in" with the first-year graduate students. But, the instructor acknowledged my presence calling me a "distinguished visitor and alumnus," which I was not expecting. I am thrilled that the OSU faculty are proud of me.  I am learning a few new lab techniques that will certainly be useful for teaching and research efforts including computational chemistry, which is a tool chemist's use to evaluate the properties of molecules. This has not been easy for me, but I am so proud of the progress I have made in the past week.

But today, I had a chance to meet several new first-year graduate students during a "meet and greet" session on campus. What I quickly noticed was that many of these students were a lot like myself when I was first-year graduate student. Excited about being a graduate student, but honestly a little unsure about coursework, selecting the right advisor, career paths after graduation and etc. After we went around the room introducing ourselves, I had a chance to chat with some students offering some tools and tips about graduate school. Trust me, pursuing a graduate degree is not an easy thing to do. You have to want it on a very personal level, and it is not for everybody. There were many days where I was so close to giving up. As a graduate student in the chemical sciences, you work 40-80 hours a week in the lab. Last time I checked, that is a job! But, I told the students to ask questions immediately if they don't understand something. Asking for help is NOT a weakness. I wish young people would recognize this. More importantly, they need to support each other.  What are my goals for this one semester sabbatical? Quite simply, just make some progress on my research.

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