10/23 | In a Whirlwind of Work
Building synapse conference + research
Hello again! It’s been a little over a month since my last newsletter — this month has been super hectic so excuse me for this slight delay. But regardless, I’m here to share with you some highlights of the month.
If you’re here, welcome! You’re reading the new and revamped Carol’s Corner. My name is Carol and I’m a 16 y/o who loves embarking on random endeavours and this is where I plan to share my takeaways.
This month, has been crazy. A lot happened but nothing happened at the same time.
Synapse Conference
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I am building a neuroscience conference in Toronto called the Synapse Conference.
What initially started as an invitation to co-head a conference has became a full on project with a team of 20+ enthusiastic student leaders. This month, we officially finalized our volunteer team, created a timeline, and successfully completed a team meeting with all the members. The entire process has definitely been a learning journey, testing what works and what doesn’t, but I’m super excited to keep the ball rolling and work with the team to build the best neuroscience conference ever!
Recently, we’ve created an Instagram page to attract potential participants for the conference. Check it out here!
Key takeaways: communicate, assert dominance, listen
Delving into Biology
In the beginning of the month, I came across a very fascinating video explaining one of the largest problems in biology: cell contamination. Cells are a significant aspect of all bio research but unfortunately, a lot of the cell samples are cross contaminated with other cells or unwanted substance. Since these contaminations can’t be detected by the raw eye, a lot of research (estimated between 20%-36%) are unknowingly inaccurate because of large impurities.
After hearing about this, I realized how large of an issue this is because a good chunk of our scientific research may be inaccurate so I started researching this topic. Currently, I am exploring how technology such as AI or advanced radiation techniques can help create a simple solution to this complicated problem.
Key takeaways: stay curious, ask questions, read!
Other Cool things
👉 Rock climbing:
Rock climbing has somehow latched on to my life and I can’t seem to do without it. Every now and then, I’ve been climbing and I am throughly enjoying it!
👉 Going on music retreat:
Each year, the music kids at my school go off to a campground and practice music for 3 days straight. As a trumpet player, I played my trumpet until my lips bled. I also watched a few gorgeous sunrises and sketched a landscape on a big leaf. 5/5 experience.
📕 Reading:
Currently reading Yellowface, the first fiction read in a long time. It’s a pretty wild story about an author stealing her famous dead friend’s work and selling it off as her own.
So that was my October… in the next couple of months, I’ll be working on the Synapse conference, continuing my bio research, and doing some more app dev. If you want to stay connected, check out my website. See you around!