Institute of Optics, University of Rochester

“Research is very independent in it's nature, and I got a better chance to follow through with my ideas than ever before. I was able to control the direction that projects took and specify the details, like the equipment and time frame required. ”

“This summer I worked on measuring distances below the diffraction limit of light. Experiments dealing with light have always interested me, so working in an optics lab was able to fill my summer with excitement. I enjoyed exploring new concepts and learning skills that I wouldn't have learned in the classroom. For example, we don’t necessarily learn how to deal with unknown errors in the lab since we always have a set lab in class, so dealing with an unknown error in a real lab setting gave me a taste of how complicated research can be. On the other hand, I was also able to see how rewarding research can be when you solve that problem that was ruining your data. Lastly, I enjoyed meeting people who had the same interests and were as motivated as I was in the laboratory.”