Reflection 11

Hey there! Can you believe it? We’ve hit week 7 already, time has flown super fast. It feels like just yesterday I set foot in Ames, Iowa, a mix of nerves and excitement pulsing through my veins. But now, as I sit here reflecting on the past weeks, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness knowing it’s all coming to an end soon.

Let me take you back to my arrival in this unknown territory. I won’t lie, I was scared out of my wits. I mean, moving to a new city where I didn’t know a soul? Talk about intimidating! But hey, stepping out of our comfort zones is where the magic happens, right? And boy, have I had a blast and made memories that’ll stick with me.

Now, one of the things that have made my time here truly special has been the luncheon lectures. You wouldn’t believe the diverse range of people I’ve met and the brilliant minds I’ve had the privilege of listening to on this campus. Just today, we had the incredible Dr. Bentil enlightening us on mind-boggling topics like soft tissue biomechanics, biomaterials, traumatic brain injuries, blast impact injury mechanisms, high-speed imaging, brain-machine interfaces, and blunt impact injury mechanisms.

I won’t sugarcoat it; these subjects can seem intimidating at first glance. But trust me, they’re like puzzles waiting to be solved. Soft tissue biomechanics and traumatic brain injuries give us a sneak peek into the intricate mechanisms of our bodies, helping us understand how external forces mess with our internal structures. And hey, who would’ve thought that blast impact injury mechanisms and blunt impact injury mechanisms could unravel the secrets of physics, revealing the dance between different forces and our bodies?

Then we have the mind-blowing field of high-speed imaging. It’s like having superpowers to capture moments that zip by in the blink of an eye. We get to witness things the naked eye can’t even fathom, gaining insights into phenomena we wouldn’t otherwise comprehend. And don’t even get me started on brain-machine interfaces. It’s like science fiction meeting reality, where the line between our minds and machines becomes beautifully blurry. Who knows, we might be on the brink of a technological revolution in how we interact with our devices!

Now, you might wonder why I ended up choosing computer science over my initial infatuation with the brain during the college application process. Well, as much as I was drawn to the mysteries of the human brain and the enigma of consciousness, I couldn’t resist the siren call of computer science. It’s a field bursting with potential to make a real impact on the world. I get to channel my love for problem-solving and combine it with innovative technology to create solutions that can change lives.

As I venture further into my journey, I find myself knee-deep in my virtual reality community projects. The crunch time is here, and I can practically taste the excitement in the air. Soon, I’ll be diving headfirst into piles of data, exploring uncharted possibilities, and crafting mind-blowing virtual experiences that will leave people in awe. The thrill of it all is hard to put into words!

So yes, as the days slip away faster than an Olympic sprinter, I’m reminded of the ephemeral nature of time. But instead of dwelling on the sadness of it all, I choose to hold onto the memories, the incredible people I’ve met, and the knowledge I’ve gained along the way. Ames, Iowa, you’ve been one heck of an adventure, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.