She proposed the work to her advisor who rejected the idea because "it just doesn 't work". From there, she began diligent research in two parts (1) to prove to her advisor that Ramen Spectroscopy should, in theory, be able to measure the vibrations and (2) to map out the analytical methods to accomplish the tasks.
Nicole used part (1) of her research to successfully convinced her advisor that the work was possible and worthwhile.
She used part (2) of her research to lay down the first steps of the analytical …show more content…
She received significant pushback due to the large undertaking this would involve.
Nicole pushed forward by setting up a meeting where she presented the idea. To get buy-in from the group to help in her task, she set up a brainstorm session during this meeting and solicited guidance from the group. After she lead the group to set up a plan to create an inventory system, she lead the implementation of the plan.
After everyone was on board, she contacted the campus safety committee to help her oversee the chemical storage and inventorying was done safely. Then she found an existing online inventory software and received a demo and training from the company on its use.
Next, she organized a 4 day chemical inventory event -- complete with food. To make this tedious task more engaging, she split her lab mates into teams and made a competition out of inventorying the chemicals. This ensured that the tedious work was fun while still done …show more content…
After gathering, his advice she reached out to Bill, her current advisor, to explain her situation. Through her conversation with Bill, she learned that he teaches his students how to learn and encourages innovation. At this point, she made her decision to change advisors and schools after 2 years of work at Arizona.
By seeking out change, Nicole was able to find a new school and an advisor that encourages innovation. This has helped her meet her goals of becoming an innovative, independent, and strong researcher.
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Nicole is has very effective communication skills. I asked for a 5 minute overview of her research. She was able to walk me through the key points in a way that I could easily understand and follow. Her examples naturally followed the STAR format with little prompting on my part. Her enthusiasm for each example and topic ensured that I was engaged in the story and outcome.
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Nicole is a co-founder of SciMentors, an organization that brings science curriculum and experiments to existing GED programs around Minneapolis. She started the program in 2014. When it began, she and her cofounder design the curriculum and science experiments for a 2 hour weekly course at Open Door Learning Center, a GED school that focuses on refugees and