I spent the summer of 2004 working as a research technician at Wayne State University's Anatomy department. My mission that year was to clone a lens gene in order to identify one of the surface proteins contained within the eye. Unfortunately the enzyme that cut the DNA ladder went bad in the middle of the summer, so half of the tests I ran were invalid. From this experience I learned that research demands patience. I ended up scrapping the entire idea and started fresh with a new independent project in December: How regulatory T cells control the development of autoimmune diseases. I conducted this study during the months that led up to the Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD, my area's regional fair) that was held in early March.

SEFMD (Regional Fair)

I'll have to admit I was scrambling to put together my board the night before SEFMD. Sizing the fonts, printing my material and arranging it all on the board proved to be a more strenuous task than I remembered in my previous science fair experiences. I suppose this problem arose from the fact that this year's project was more complicated than my previous years' findings. I learned an important lesson that night- always accommodate for changes in your workload not only in the beginning, but at the end of the process as well. SEFMD structured their judging process to resemble what one would expect to see at ISEF, partly, I think, due to the size of our fair. There were approximately 500 entrants in grades 9-12 that were competing for the 10 grand award spots. Grand award winners would gain the opportunity to travel to Arizona to compete at Intel ISEF. The morning consisted of a 3 hour preliminary round in which judges talked to each individual in every category, and agreed on a certain number of participants (that depended on how many entries were in your respective category) that should proceed to the final judging round. After the coveted 1 hour lunch break, approximately 30 participants received pink slips that indicated their passage into the next phase of judging. After another 3 hours of judging, the fair director announced the 10 winners and 2 alternates over the loudspeaker. I was elated to have been one of the grand award winners, but unfortunately due to the maximum one winner per school rule that SEFMD established, one of my friends was bumped down to the 1st alternate spot. Fortunately for the both of us, the state fair was just around the corner. States would potentially enable my friend to attend ISEF if one of the 10 winners won the top prize again. It also would prove to be a valuable experience to myself, as I would preview the rigor of my competition at an elevated level.

Michigan Science Fair (State Fair)

States was a significantly smaller affair, since only the top projects from Michigan's regional fairs were permitted to compete. Nonetheless, I quickly realized that competition was fierce as I looked around and saw 7 foot wide posters, displays with moving electric models for demonstrative purposes and portable spotlights on the significant features of a project. Out of the 50 participants, 20 were awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th places (regardless of categories) in addition to other professional awards and special scholarships. I was one of the 4th place winners that year. During my judging rounds I met with a man who represented a women's engineering program at Kettering University, the school that was sponsoring the state fair. While I explained my project, he observed that I conducted a number of tests that had to do with chemical engineering, and asked if I intended to pursue a career in that field. I immediately expressed my disinterest in engineering as a whole, while he proceeded to point out other engineering-related aspects of my project. He left me puzzled as to why he was so set on convincing me that I would be interested in chemical engineering, until I heard that I was the recipient of a full-ride scholarship to the university's 2-week engineering camp for that summer. In this case, speaking my mind didn't hurt anyone, and actually ended up being beneficial to me as I gained a greater insight that summer in the camp, and am now seriously considering an engineering concentration in college.