07 Jun Riley Embrey – University of Houston Week One

I can’t believe it’s already Sunday, meaning that my first week of my internship in Houston has already concluded! I arrived at the University of Houston on Friday of May 29th, and it is safe to say that these first few days have really flown by. Throughout the week I have been able to settle into working with the Milijanć research group in the SERC building (Science & Engineering Research Center), getting to know all of my peers and suite-mates, and most importantly adapting to the intense Texan heat and humidity!

Saturday/Sunday May 30-31st:

Meeting out suite-mates!

When I first arrived in Houston, I was accompanied by my fellow Pinterns Cricket and Maria, of which I spent most of my time with over the weekend. These two days were mostly about getting living situations set into place and getting to know our surroundings, so we got a lot of time to explore and find important locations around campus. The University of Houston is known for its comparatively large campus, and thus, I found it extremely easy to get lost. As I moved into my dorm, whom I share with Cricket, I got to know all of the other girls who we will be with during the duration of this program. This weekend was very chill, and I’m glad I got the chance to meet these wonderful people before we get thrown into our work!

Monday/Tuesday June 1-2nd:

Walking to the UH library

Demonstration at the UH glass shop

Each of these days I got to listen to seminars where UH professors present their most recent research. I learned about how professors are approaching modern issues and what types of innovations we may see in the future. It was very interesting seeing education and science at a level I had never approached before, and it thoroughly excited me to find out what I would be researching with my professor. After these seminars, there were tours of the campus, including a demonstration of the glass shop, of the library, research buildings, and the Texas Center for Superconductivity. At the Superconductivity center, I was most interested in learning about how superconductors work and how their intrinsic abilities, like how they conduct electricity with zero resistance and can expel magnetic fields, allow for new advancements in the realm of material science. These days we also figured out which shops were the best for buying groceries, getting drinks, and getting dinner.

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday June 3rd – 5th: 

Science and Engineering Research Center

There were the days I got started on my project and started to deep dive on specific topics. For my project I am helping research and design a macrocycle, a large molecular ring, that can more effectively bind to anions than previously developed molecules. Anions are negative ions that are essential to biological life, and are an important part of environmental, medicinal, and industrial processes. However, there are also harmful anions polluting the environment such as nitrates and phosphates. Developing a macrocycle that can strongly bind to anions across varying environments (such as in solutions or in the solid state) can create strong developments for environmental cleanup, biomedical research (Such as treatments for cystic fibrosis), and creating materials with unique properties. Now, I am beginning to research core concepts I must understand to participate in the synthesis of creating these molecules as well as mapping their structure through the practice of NMR. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is a method in which we will determine these synthesized molecules’ structures and composition by placing it into a magnetic field. They will then absorb radio frequency waves, of which the atoms nuclei will react to them. As this energy is subsequently released, the nuclei will relax and emit signals that form a spectrum, allowing you to infer where the protons are organized in the lewis structure. As I go forward with my research, I will help operate the NMR process and further learn about the inner-workings of anion and macrocyclic chemistry. I am barely scratching the surface of what I have learned this week, and I have enjoyed every moment that I have learned something new! I am so grateful for this opportunity, and as I push into the next week, I hope to broaden my knowledge as much as possible!

Saturday/Sunday June 6-7th:

Out on the town!

Me and my suite-mates, Cricket, Faye, me, and Ava, always use our free time to go on walks and experience as much of campus as we can. On Saturday, we hid from the rain inside and played card games, talked, and planned our next move. As the rain cleared we took a 20 minute walk to a boba cafe, and ended up having dinner there. After we got back, our RA’s threw a game night for us, so we spent the rest of the evening playing games and laughing. On Sunday, today, I have spent the morning researching more on my project and writing this blog.rnrnI am so extremely excited for tomorrow as I start the next steps for my project! This first week has been a success, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to share this experience with!