I’ve stumbled upon several things that I forgot I was good at in this past week, including microscopes, painting, and puns.

Mid-week, 3^rd Stone got a brand new microscope. We were working on assembling it, and it was very easy for me to hear a direction and know exactly which part of the microscope it was referring to. In general, assembling and using the microscope was quite intuitive. The reason it was all so easy for me is that I’ve actually written a manual for microscope use in one of the clubs I’m in at Rice. The club, Rice MedicOwls, focuses on writing manuals to accompany medical devices that are sent to developing countries. You could even say it involves a lot of manual labor. The manuals have to be very simple and applicable to a large range of devices, so the manual I was writing was very general. Many light microscopes are similar, so it was quite easy for me to understand the microscope in 3^rd Stone. I also recently had a lab in which we frequently used microscopes to view cells. My coworkers were impressed. As a bioengineer, the curriculum that I study is very broad, and sometimes I feel less experienced than other engineering students, who have a deep, narrow focus. However, I have discovered that my education has prepared me for a range of subjects, and I feel equipped to take on a range of challenges. Though I may have to learn more while doing, I am familiar with a variety of subjects—from electrical engineering to biology to mechanics—and this familiarity makes the learning much easier.  Being so familiar with the microscope was a reminder that I’m learning translatable skills that will help me in my future career.

I also remembered this week that I have a knack for painting. Jackie and I have continued our work on laser cutting computer stands for the office, and we decided to paint MDF to build the stands. My mom is an interior designer, and I’ve helper her paint about half of our house, so I’m very comfortable with a paint roller. The MDF was painted in no time. Though I never much liked painting, I’m realizing now that it’s a very useful skill to have, and I’m thankful that my mom took the time to teach me. Equally important is the ability to navigate a Home Depot, which I have also learned from my parents.

However, for every task that I’m familiar with, there are at least three other new things that I’m learning. Last week I mentioned that I was starting work on some new tasks. My major task for these last several weeks is to create a website for Hadleigh Health Technologies—a subsidiary of 3^rd Stone Design. The website will contain information about DoseRight and Pumani, as well as other health technologies that 3^rd Stone works on. Robert has been helping me navigate the process, and I’m learning a lot about project management. Thus far, I’ve created a list of specs for the website, which includes what audience the site is for, what they should take away from the site, and what the website will include. I’ve also created a schedule for what I need to do and by when. The schedule, which I organized as a Gantt Chart (shout-out to my engineering classes), has been very useful to keep me on track and not overwhelmed by all that must be done. Thus far, I’ve done background research on other health technologies websites and brainstormed what features, content, and layout our website will contain. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m really excited for the final product.

This past weekend, one of our coworkers, Linda, invited us to her house so that we would have a kitchen to cook in. It was so nice to have a house even for an evening, and we feasted on pasta, guacamole, and dumplings. It was fun and a special treat. We made a lot of extra, so that’s about all we’ve been eating for the pasta few days, too (I told you I had quite the range of talents). I’m still so thankful for how welcoming everyone is here, and I can’t believe how fast the time is going!