Who is Ricky Barnes?
The US Open has returned to the daunting Bethpage Black Golf Course in Long Island, New York. The last time the golf world focused its attention on Bethpage, Tiger Woods was the only golfer under par. Everyone and their best friend expected Tiger would repeat as champion this year. There was a short list of other contenders, among them Phil Mickelson, this year's fan favorite. However, after three rounds Tiger and Phil are both trailing a man ranked 519th in the world. Ricky Barnes is exceeding expectations by shooting the lowest 36-hole score in US Open history and holding the lead into the final round. Sometimes our expectations are not met, but other things come out of nowhere to make for a great experience.
Coming into the HHRF program, I tried to keep my expectations in perspective. An eight-week research internship is not quite enough time for an eighteen-year-old rookie scientist to find the cure for cancer, AiDS or even the common cold. But as it turns out, I could spend that time doing a lot of other things. Like observing how different scientists will run the same protocols in their own unique way. Sam mutters his way through an experiment, focusing intently on the step at hand. Mark will test his pipette a good twenty, thirty times before actually using it. Takahiro is cool and collected, doing in his work but evidently having fun at the same time. I'm developing my own style, but so far that just seems to be scrambling to find reagents and a lot of emergency problem-solving. I'm also learning how scientists plan out their daily experiments and still keep their eyes on the prize. Mark lays out his objectives in the morning and nearly always completes them by the time he leaves the lab in the evening (sometimes the late evening). My daily lists tend to repeat themselves a lot; I might have to work on actually completing my objectives. But I am learning so much about how to be a successful scientist. And as it turns out, we will be curing cancer this summer. The internship is definitely exceeding expectations.
