CHEM 242 with Dr. Goldman One of my biggest 'failures' as a biochemistry major was in organic chemistry lab. The final assignment of the course was to identify an unknown white powder. I remember the gears in my mind turning as I contemplated how to think like a scientist. Like my classmates around me I set up a plan. I wrote down my procedures and began experimenting. All in all I began to feel pretty confident – until by process of elimination I had eliminated every possibility. Despite my best effort as a chemist, I didn’t correctly identify the unknown. Later, I talked about the experience with some friends. In doing so I learned that science isn’t about always being right. Failure is an inevitability. Biochemistry is about being able to get back up, to learn from our mistakes, and to continue asking questions. |
An image of the distillation set up I once found intimidating, but eventually learned to master.
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BIOC 451 with Dr. Weiner Another struggle I have had within the biochemistry major has been the large courses. Most of my introductory classes had upwards of a couple hundred students. A course that stands in complete contrast with this norm was the second quarter of honors biochemistry with Dr. Weiner. In this 30 student course, Dr. Weiner focused on understanding and exploration over rote memorization. Each week we read published papers relevant to the topics we were studying, and I often attended Dr. Weiner's office hours to discuss topics further. Rather than stressful timed exams, we had take home assignments. Overall, after this course I felt like actually understood what biochemistry was - a methodical investigation into the molecular systems that allow living organisms to function. I remain in touch with Dr. Weiner as well, and I still think of him as one of my favorite professors. |
A snippet of my final project for the course. I really appreciated Prof. Weiner's comments. Full file is above.
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