<p>D, H, and I had another wonderful campus visit today with the Honors College.</p>
<p>We first met with Dr. Guy Caldwell. He spoke with us for a long time about the research he and his wife are doing in the Caldwell Lab, affectionately known as “The Worm Shack.” They are doing some very cutting-edge research into Parkinson’s disease, as well as other diseases like ALS, dystonia, and others. D got to see slides of bioluminescent worms (and their neurons) under some of their microscopes, and had a tour through the various lab facilities. D was utterly fascinated with the research this particular lab is doing, but Dr. Caldwell was quite upfront that the time investment required by being part of his lab is sadly really incompatible with marching band. He told her that if she’s really set on being part of the band, there are other labs at UA also doing cutting-edge research that might work with the band schedule, at least in her first year or two. He did say after that, it’s unlikely that band could work if she’s really interested in intensive biology research opportunities, just due to the nature of the research. </p>
<p>She’ll be reading through the bio department website, getting a feel for all the different research projects available. She may decide another project fits her interests better, or she may decide the Caldwell Lab is worth giving up the band opportunity.</p>
<p>We came home with a copy of Mosaic magazine (written and produced by the Honors College) which contains an article on a sophomore who is part of the Caldwell Lab. I can’t wait to sit down later tonight and read the entire article.</p>
<p>After the lab tour, we had lunch with momreads’ S and his girlfriend. They both talked to D about CBH and life as part of the UHP in general. D really enjoyed talking with them, and I hope they liked her as well and thought she could be an asset to the CBH program.</p>
<p>We then spent time with Dr. Shane Sharpe, who talked with her more about CBH. He gave her some tips on what they’re hoping to see in the essays the students write for their CBH application. He also answered some questions about the University Fellows Experience, and talked about the Honors College in general. He talked about doing research overseas, in which D is very interested. (She’d love to go to New Zealand or Australia.) Dr. Sharpe also encouraged her to think about the Fulbright scholarship at some point in her college career.</p>
<p>He asked her about other colleges of interest to her, and she said she was 99% decided on UA. We confirmed that enrollment and housing deposits were already paid, and D said at this point she’s not interested in even looking anywhere else. He said he realized she could always end up changing her mind at any point, so she should plan to keep hearing from them as they intended to keep recruiting her. Dr. Sharpe also assured her that they understand how important her music is to her, and even if she weren’t able to do marching band, they would be sure to find other ways for her to participate in music on campus. </p>
<p>Both Dr. Sharpe and Dr. Caldwell emphasized how creative people (whether in music, art, or anything) are often very successful at research, because they’re used to finding creative solutions to problems. </p>
<p>So now D has lots of information to process, more research to do, and STILL those essays to write! LOL </p>
<p>But for now, she has to learn some music for an all-state orchestra audition tomorrow morning that she had forgotten was this weekend! Good thing she said the music is fairly easy, and she’ll be ready after just working on it this afternoon/evening. More good news: she’s the only flute player auditioning in our district! Bad news: they only take two flute players!</p>