07 Jun Maria Camacho, University of Houston, Week 1

Hello everyone! Take a seat and join me for the recap of my first week at the University of Houston. This first week has been a great start; I was able to meet Professor Baldelli and Navodha! Navodha is my mentor while I am here at the lab, and she has helped me with my research on Raman spectroscopy and has provided me guidance with understanding my setup in the lab. This first week I was tasked with researching the basics of Raman spectroscopy. I was also tasked with building my portion of the spectrometer, working with Navodha’s previous system so that I can begin collecting data.rn

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Wednesday, research began. I had to give myself a basic understanding of Raman spectroscopy, and some of the main aspects of Raman spectroscopy that I looked into were how spectroscopy works and what the different types of scattering photons were, as well as learning about optics. On top of all that, I looked into how my argon 488 nm laser works.

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Below is my setup and desk space.

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There is so much more that I have to learn, but do not worry; there are so many study spaces here that create a great atmosphere to lock in. I am excited to learn so much more throughout the rest of the month; I have barely scratched the surface.

rnFRIENDS/ACTIVITIESrn

I will admit that I was a bit intimidated before flying out to Houston, afraid that I wouldn’t get along with my roommates; however, those thoughts are long gone because I have great roommates who study, eat, explore, and hang out with me. Haebin and Marley have proven to be wonderful roommates that have such great personalities. Haebin is seriously such a kind and funny soul, and Marley is super-duper kind and knows how to make you feel appreciated. I can’t wait to have many more adventures with them these next 4 weeks together, and I can’t forget about Brylea, who will be arriving today. I’m excited to have some fun!

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The group loves to play games, and just yesterday we gathered in the lounge to have a game night together. We played a few rounds of Jackbox, and it was really funny. It’s true that you learn some interesting things about people when playing games. To be honest, I probably had the weirdest responses, and I think a little weirdness is a great way to spice up game night. I also won’t forget to talk about our awesome RAs Kali and Marinah; they gave us a tour around the campus and have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that we are all situated. On our first day we were also able to watch some glassblowing, and it was truly amazing how talented the glassblower was. Some of the guys in the group actually contemplated going to Salem University to learn the art of glassblowing rather than attending college for chemistry.

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I had a wonderful first week at the University of Houston and can’t wait for what’s to come!

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