2018 Cohort Experience

Student Testimonials

     "Being abroad in Europe certainly was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Without this opportunity, I do not think I would be able to have this experience at such a young age. For that, I am extremely grateful. The research experience and cultural immersion were tremendously valuable. From my research and cultural immersion, I came to one realization. I like to phrase it as this “people make the places…places don’t make the people”. This is a statement I think I will carry with me throughout life. Now, what do I really mean by this? I had a realization about two thirds the way through the trip that no matter where we all traveled that it would not have been as gratifying without the people I meet along the way. For example, Alain and Louis David extended a warm welcome to us upon arrival. Kindly, showing us the nearby parks and restaurants or recommending us places to go. Now I sure without meeting them I would still have enjoyed my time in Paris and learned about the culture, but it was so much more fun doing it with them. As we would all walk around you could sense the excitement Alain and Louis David had from showing us around their city. Also, when we would have a meal with them, they would make sure we would do it the French way. As Alain said it is the “French way of life”. The experiences I had with them I will always remember and will consider them lifelong friends.   

     If you ever get the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world take that leap and reach out to the locals or if someone is visiting your town reach out to them. I assure you if you take that leap you and the other party will learn so much more about the place and yourself. As well as make memories that you can have for a lifetime. All of that to say the places you will go will be stunning, breathtaking, and surreal. However, these places are nothing without the human interaction whether it is shared with a new friend, old friend, significant other, or family. The shared experience is the most valuable thing in the world, and I was fortunate enough to experience it for the whole summer. Thank you for listening and may this inspire you to be a little more courageous and vulnerable when respectively reaching out to others.  I promise you that you won't regret it!"

John Sternen

Biology Major

 

     "I applied to this program unsure of what I was getting myself into. I had been out of the country before, but I had never traveled by myself. I had no previous experience working in a laboratory and I spoke zero French, so I was definitely anxious to see what the summer had in store for me when we first landed in France. By the end of the program, however, I left France knowing I just had the best summer of my entire life. During the week, we worked in the lab for most of the day. Mostly everyone in the lab speaks English, and they were very excited to have us. I think my favorite part of working at the lab was that about every other week we would all go out to have “lunch”. I say “lunch” because it is quite different than my previous understanding of lunch, especially in the middle of a workday. These were multi-course, three-hour meals full of friendly conversation, lots of laughs, and lots of sharing of French and American culture. This is just one example of how fantastic the people in the lab truly are.

     As far as actual lab work and experimentation, it just took some time to get the hang of things. Once we all found are niches in the lab, the techniques and experiments became almost second-nature. I really enjoyed working in the lab because we were all treated as professionals. When things went wrong, there was collaboration between us and Dr. Ahmad to find a solution to the problems. This teamwork and collaboration was very enjoyable for me because I was able to apply some science I learned in the classroom to the real world of science.

     Aside from the research aspect, living in France for the summer was absolutely incredible. I was fortunate also to travel to Belgium, Italy, and Spain throughout the summer. The best part about being in a city like Paris for an extended period of time is that we got to not only be tourists observing the culture, but we got to embrace and live the culture. We spent almost every night in a park either in front of Napoleon’s tomb or the Eiffel Tower just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. We explored the French cuisine, picked up some French phrases, and were a part of huge celebrations like France winning the World Cup and Bastille Day. There is so much more I could say about this summer of a lifetime. Especially as a science major who thought study abroad was not an option to graduate on time, I was so thankful for this opportunity to explore the field of research and explore the world around me. I will never forget this experience, and I will never be the same because of it."

Emily Shockley

Chemical Science Major

 

     "Being able to be a part of the 2018 NSF Paris Cohort was a once in a life time opportunity. Not only did we experience incredible growth as scientists, but we were also able to grow as people. Since it was the first time any of us had been completely immersed in a different culture, we were constantly pushed out of our comfort zone. It was this discomfort that made our experience so amazing and our memories so meaningful. At the beginning of our trip, we were scared to interact with the locals and completely oblivious to cultural norms, however, by the end of our trip Paris had become a second home. By stepping out of our comfort zone, we were able to experience fire works at the Eifel Tower on Bastille Day, the beaches of Normandy, France’s reaction to winning the World Cup, and many other amazing things. In the Lab, we were given the opportunity to be in charge and control our own experiments, using the same equipment and techniques that are used in the top labs around the world. Although, our experiments were mostly independent, we always knew Dr. Ahmad and the other scientists were more than willing to help us. Needless to say, the nine weeks we spent in Paris were by far the most amazing nine weeks of our lives and were full of incredible experiences and beautiful people.

     If you are thinking about applying to be a part of the 2019 NSF Paris Cohort, I would whole heartedly recommend it. Even if you think you don’t have a shot at getting it, you should still apply! When I was thinking about applying I didn’t think I had a chance, but I am so grateful that I did. Dr. Link and Dr. Engle are both wonderful and SMART people and I know the 2019 NSF Paris Cohort will be a great group of people. Well, I tried my best but it is impossible to put our experience into worlds. I guess you’ll just have to experience it for yourself ;)"

JP Kavanagh

Biology Major

 

     "The cliche answer to “what did this experience mean to you” is that it was life changing, and I’m sure all four of us will be saying that in some way or another this experience changed the way that we look at the world and life for the better. These statements could not be more true. I went into this experience thinking that it would be just another trip and that I wouldn’t be affected as much as I have. I am so grateful to have these memories and stories to talk about forever. The lab experience was definitely different than anything you would receive here in the States. Because you are working with people of a different culture, it really made me have to be more considerate of their way of life. That being said, the people in the lab are very friendly and we share memories that will last a lifetime. As I had never worked in a lab before, I was very scared because I didn’t know what I was doing and how I was expected to act. With the help of the cohort, Dr. Link, Dr. Engle, and Dr. Mills, I quickly became comfortable working in the lab environment. It was really fascinating to find new and surprising results throughout the summer and try to figure out the mechanism behind them. Aside from the science and the lab, our travels throughout Europe were truly spectacular. I will never again to be able to travel as freely as we did throughout France, Italy, and Spain. When I reflect upon my summer and all of the amazing things we did together, I am still in shock that it happened; in many ways, it still doesn’t feel real, but it was. This trip is obviously one I will remember forever and I learned so much about science and culture that I will carry with me throughout my life and my career in the future."

Lillian Haerr

Biophysics Major