Every time I’m about to take a bunch of finals, my brain somehow wants to write a blog post instead of actually studying for them. I usually write something like: “I leave for home in a week, but I have to get through all of these finals first. The end is so close, yet so far!”
Well, yeah, I just wrote it. This week: 4 finals (1 in class) + wrapping up research. Luckily, I spent last weekend writing an essay due this week so I don’t have that extra assignment hanging over my head.
Every week has been so busy that I never even mentioned that I was doing research in the Goddard Group which has a focus on computational chemistry and material science. The project that I am working on (and currently wrapping up) is simulating Ruthenium based polypyridine dyes on a Titanium Dioxide surface using the ReaxFF force field (which was developed by one of my mentors here at Caltech). I really enjoy the computational side of it since that means I don’t have to be in lab running experiments. I can also see atoms and molecules and how they interact :). Also, the project directly relates to creating better solar cells, an area that I am very interested in.
I decided to eschew a potential SURF (summer research) this summer for the ability to focus 100% on creating an internet startup. Although I wanted to do both chemistry research and work on my startup, I knew that splitting my focus will lead to neither project being very successful. My startup idea is to develop a new type of wiki while providing services around it. I’m really excited about working on this project so it is kind of difficult to concentrate on my finals when I have this idea lurking in the back of my mind all the time. Summer is going to be awesome :).