This is the last post. It’s going to be a long one, so buckle in.

Yesterday we culminated our research with our poster presentation. It was incredible to share our research together as a team to so many people. Seeing people use our game was also fascinating; despite many people struggling with using the controls (which is a concern that we will or the team will hopefully address in the future) they still found the game engaging and fun. So at least we know that our environment is inviting and engaging for users.

After the presentation, we went out to the Peterson Pits and roasted marshmallows while finding constellations. It was a very relaxing end to the busyness of the summer.

Today we filled out a survey and had a focus group. The survey surprised me in some ways, because as we went through it, it made sense why we had the luncheon lectures, as well as the HCI and ethics sessions. I could confidently say in the survey that I had been taught a wide variety of skills.

In the focus group, we got the chance to somewhat restate what we had said in the interviews, but without the pressure to make our answers media friendly. As a result I feel like our recording did a great job of fully describing our team dynamic and our thoughts on the summer as a whole.

Now for the mushy part:

This summer has been extremely informative for me. After coming back from Spain, I was really nervous about immediately entering a job scene, but after the first week, I was already getting along with the other REU interns and excited to begin the research project for STEM XR.

Additionally, coming into this summer, I had already dismissed the idea of grad school in my mind, for a variety of reasons. As a result, when I realized this internship was centered around encouraging students to go to graduate school, I was a bit skeptical about having my opinion change. However, some new concepts about grad school were introduced to me that I had not considered or heard before, so I am considering grad school a lot more seriously now than before. I’m open to looking at professors and their research, and I feel like I know much more now about what to look for in a grad school and PI.

I’ve also met such also met such amazing people here. The REU interns I worked with feel like family to me. Rodney, Alee, and I have grown very close; we get on each other’s nerves like siblings but are able to put our conflicts behind us when it matters, which is really amazing. Stargazing, salsa and cumbia dancing, shrieking at horror movies and games, endless rounds of Mario kart, delicious baked goods on the weekends, kpop and 80s rock as well as many late nights chatting were things I was not anticipating would happen this summer, and I am so glad they did and with this group of people.

The grad mentors were also incredibly helpful, both for venting after long days struggling with unity, and for staying up late working on the game or revising our paper. They were also just wonderful people to hang out with 😊.

Finally, the faculty mentors were the best teachers I could have possibly asked for. I feel like I fully understand the level of quality work that needs to be executed in grad school, as well as what research is really like when working with multiple experts. I am excited to potentially continue working with them, and will definitely at least remain in contact with them after this summer.

Overall, this summer has been an incredible research experience that I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of. My whole career trajectory and thoughts about the rest of my life have been affected by this summer, and for the better.