What, So What, Now What?

The community service event was an exercise in networking and multi-tasking. Everyone came together for a service event, but the object wasn't just to make kids bikes. Instead, it was a way to spend a fun afternoon meeting new people while giving back to the community. The experience was not what I expected, because I thought we were just there to build a bike. I wasn't expecting to play games and spend a lot of time talking to people I'd never met, but it was a great experience. 

One thing I learned is that the experience is as good as you make it. There were some groups that decided the day would be boring and they didn't care about the challenges, so that was what happened. Sure, the challenges were kind of cheesy, but they were just a fun way to pass time and get to know each other. The groups that decided to get into the activities and land that chicken into the hoop had a much better time, and even made some new friends. 

It was also great practice in learning how to talk about science, because there were people there from a range of disciplines. What we had in common is that we were all excited about our research, and that passion is something everyone can talk about. It was also a way to learn more about what people were interested in, and how they decided to get into that field. It can easily be applied to research events, because everyone wants to talk about their research. It's a great way to start a conversation, and you might find something in common with another member of the lab.

I wouldn't do anything differently, because I had a lot of fun doing the cheesy activities and meeting new people. If anything, I might have gotten the contact info for more people than I did, but that's it!