Last but Definitely Not Least…
by Raye
Good day, fair readers. Apologies for the lack of posts and PR verbiage recently—“bureaucracy problems” (read: first world problems) and chronic illness have been taking up a lot of time. Unfortunately—or fortunately, it’s really your call—this will be my last blog. Next semester I’ll be taking courses at Woods Hole in oceanography, nautical science and maritime history. We’ll have guest lecturers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory, full access to their joint library, and a field trip to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. After that we’re shipping out to the Sargasso Sea to conduct research—I’ve been busy drafting a proposal this week. Managed to antagonize the library staff by not only accruing astronomical late fees, but also using up all the ink printing journal articles on phytoplankton blooms and microbial ecology. Hopefully over the summer I’ll be doing a marine mammal research internship on Cape Ann, then popping over to Scotland and finishing my degree at St Andrews. At the moment I’m cramming for finals. I’ve just discovered that BBC Radio can live stream in my room. It’s been vacillating between Don Carlo, Christmas music and Panjabi Hit Squad for about an hour, which is not conducive to studying. But I digress.
Most leave at the end of sophomore year if they leave at all, but the opportunity arose and it appealed to the esoteric scientist in my hearty-heart-heart. Simon’s Rock was extremely accommodating, keeping a collective level head whilst I ran around frantically ordering transcript requests, soliciting recommendations and generally a) wreaking havoc and b) being a nuisance. It’s a lovely place, and I’ll miss the people tremendously. Professors in particular—Patty Dooley is a phenomenal chemistry instructor. I’ve found that liberal arts colleges often do ‘science lite,’ but Patty’s class is the most challenging I’ve taken to date and enormously rewarding. Her enthusiasm about the subject is excellent, and she frequently brings in interactive demonstrations. Joy Lapseritis’ cell biology class was comprehensive and really, really fun. She let us use the graduate-level textbook, which is now my lawfully wedded husband. (No, really—ask my roommate about my torrid affair with Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th Ed.) She encouraged us to do extracurricular reading and see her if we had trouble or just wanted to discuss the curriculum, and if it was related, brought her research into class discussion. She was also an excellent academic advisor and is at least 30% responsible for my current interest in oceanography. Patty introduced me to the Journal of Computational Chemistry, which has become my constant companion as well; she explained orbital hybridization to me after class several lessons before we covered it because I kept asking questions. Both have the patience to deal with my incessant nattering and the consummate skill to command the respect of a class, whether it’s in a lecture center or relocated to the physics lab. Between the two of them I’ve learned to think scientifically—and most importantly, to think critically about science.
Perhaps what I’ve done is provide a ‘portrait of a Rocker,’ from green-ensign freshman year through jumping ship to live on a ship and buggering off to Britain. Hardly typical, but as I’ve said before, there’s no such thing as a typical Rocker. I hope you’ve enjoyed my foray into pseudo-professional blogging, and that it provides some insight into the Simon’s Rock experience. It certainly is an experience. Though I’ll miss it here, I finally have the chance to work on my own research, something I’ve wanted to do for awhile. Simon’s Rock is not for everyone, and the people it is for are strikingly varied. ‘Bright and/or motivated’ are words that come to mind, but of course that’s a rotten cliché. I’ve gained a massive amount from my time here, and it was well worth the 1.5 years I’ve put into the Rock. Now turn that into an equation: ‘Raye’s personal gain as a function of her time at SRC…’
Anyway, I hope you’ve gained something from my time here as well. Farewell, readers of this blog. Over and out.
