Exploring the Unknown by Olivia Bamford

Howdy, all! My name is Olivia Bamford, and I’m going to be a senior at Wissahickon High School in the fall. Before I get into the juicy details about how science plays a role in my life, some other things about me are that I’m part of my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Debate and Speech team, concert band, and school newspaper (I’m very busy, but it’s okay -- sleep is overrated [it’s not.]). I also do Kenpo karate outside of school and have my second degree black belt!

Anyways, having grown up in a heavily science-oriented family, my exposure to the field has been a constant part of my life, starting with those DIY science kits you can buy at LearningExpress. While my school has fantastic and ever-growing opportunities for students to engage in the STEM environment, it lacks the research component of STEM. So when I heard about a few of my classmates and friends doing TRIP for the past winter session, I was super interested! I thought it sounded awesome, with its emphasis on an independent research project, something I’d never even thought of doing until well into college. Thus, I decided to apply for the summer 19 session of TRIP, blah, blah -- and the rest is history!

---

Anyways, so far TRIP has already taught and exposed me to SO much (and that’s not even including the newfound train station/schedule navigation skills ;)). I was really nervous for the first day (admittedly, I barely slept the night before because of nerves), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the environment is a lot less… scary? I guess? New things are, obviously, very daunting, and I tend to overthink my expectations; however, the first two days were AMAZING! It was really cool to take some of the things that I have learned in school (example: using a micro-pipette), and then take them to another level (follow up example: actually reading a micro-pipette and setting it). Additionally, my mom worked with fruit flies when she was younger, so it’s really cool to compare my experience so far with her’s-- it makes for great dinnertime conversation.

I am very excited for what the next few weeks will hold. I can’t wait to get the hands-on learning that everyone talks about when talking about TRIP, as well as experience failure in ways that will set me up for my career later on in life. I’m looking forward to growing as both a scientist and a young-adult within the science community and in general. I’m honored to be here and am ready to make the most of it!