R is for Research!

Hello everybody!! It's been a while since I last blogged, but do not fret, I have not been up to anything interesting that you have missed. The past month has been filled with long hours devoted to researching, studying, and compiling data for school projects. One project for my class in Life Cycle Assessments is a term paper on the production and use of diesel as a transportation fuel in Thailand. This class has been very interesting and very applicable to my future career goals. Ajarn Shabbir teaches us to not just look at the object you just bought, but to think about everything that went into the production of that object. How did it get to you? Is it made of plastic? Where did that plastic come from? How many liters of crude oil went into the making of that product? Where was that crude oil extracted? I think you get the point. I now have a different outlook in regards to sustainability and know that there is a lot more to a product that meets the eye. The other project I'm doing is to assess the feasibility of producing biofuels derived from algae in Bangkok. Dang, just typing those, I sound smart! But really I have had a lot of help from other classmates and teachers and this has been a huge learning process. I'd say 70% of the past 2 months has been spent banging my head against the table, crippled by frustration, only to realize I was over thinking the task at hand and that the answer was right in front of me. I've learned a lot about the research process and it's an invaluable skill to learn. After many exclamations proclaiming none of us will "ever go to graduate school" after seeing what actually goes into publishing an article, I am very glad that I have had this opportunity to develop as a student and member of the scientific community while still an undergraduate.


So far I've completed one final exam and turned in my term project on diesel in Thailand today! Tomorrow I have a big presentation on our findings so far with biofuels from algae in Bangkok and then I have finals on Friday and Monday. After that I'm going to travel to the north of Thailand for a week and be back in Bangkok just in time for my Mom to come and visit me! The first week she is here I am going to show her all the rad spots downtown and then we are headed to Chiang Mai for a zip-line adventure and a day at an elephant conservation park. After four days full of adventure in Chiang Mai, we fly down south to the beautiful island of Railay for the remainder of her stay in the land of smiles. She'll head home the 17th of December and I'll have five days to pack up my life in Bangkok and head home. It's kind of weird to even think about not living here, but I've missed my family, friends, and probably most of all (no offense Mom and Dad) my dog. I have made a life for myself here and I love it, but Chapel Hill will always be my home.