Nikhil Aggarwal, Week 1, June 11-15 at Upenn

As I entered my lab at 9:30 on Monday morning, I was surprised to see only one other person in the lab, an undergraduate student. After introducing myself, getting my Penn ID, and taking a tour of the lab, the undergraduate student gave me literature to read and basic mat lab tasks.

Overall, my first week at the lab consisted mainly of reading literature. In fact, the first assignment that my Post Doc had given me was to read 10-15 literature articles on past studies that studied creativity, found different areas of the brain associated with creativity, or were able to increase creativity. Then, I had to present a PowerPoint on Friday based on my findings. Initially, I was upset since I felt like I would be reading literature for the entirety of my time at the lab. However, in expressing my desire to do more “hands-on” research, he explained that after thoroughly researching past studies, I would be conducting my own similar experiment in relation to my post doc’s current research. Furthermore, every 1-2 days, my post doc and I sit down together and review literature from a previous study. At the end, he asks me questions regarding my understanding of the material. Additionally, I will be working with another student in measuring Cortisol concentration levels in children.

From a social standpoint, my lab is very quiet and since most people are relatively new to the lab, nobody really knows each other. In fact, this week, it seems like I see new people walk into the lab every day. Additionally, every Wednesday we have a lab meeting where someone presents his or her research and we all eat lunch together. Surprisingly, I have not met my PI yet.

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