How I'm Spending My Winter Break in Amherst

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While I was in Boston for winter break last year, this time, I’ve been in Amherst! I’ve never been here during breaks before, so the quietness is something I have been slowly getting used to. That said, I do like to keep myself busy, so here’s a few things I’ve been working on during my time here.

Finishing Up My Honors Thesis 

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’d know that I’m currently working on my Honors Thesis! The Honors Thesis is the culmination of your Honors journey here at UMass, and it's essentially a way to pursue advanced research into an area of your interest. I’m strongly interested in biomaterials and tissue engineering, so mine is an individually contracted thesis in the Peyton Lab, where I’m working on developing decellularized plant-based biomaterials. 

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I've been getting into time lapses lately, so here's a screenshot of a video of me in lab!

I did a good chunk of my research in the fall, and wanted to try to finish as much as I can this break as well – just so I can get a head start on it before the spring. So far, I’ve finished most of my experiments and have a few left for the remainder of break, and I started writing the first draft of it as well! My course chair has been really helpful with the process, so I’m glad that I’m nearing the end of my Thesis. 

One of the requirements for the Thesis is to present the research in some format, like a defense or a group presentation. 

My chair and I decided that presenting at this year’s MassURC would be the best way to complete that requirement! It’s a great way to gain experience presenting my research in a poster format and will help with my resume. 

I hope you'll come to the conference at UMass Amherst on April 19 to learn more about my research and everyone else’s incredible work! There's a lot of great information about MassURC online.

Visiting as Many Cafés as I Can 

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Although walking in the snow can be quite troublesome, it's usually worth it when you can try all the different cafés on and off campus! I’ve been a big fan of Share, so the winter makes for a perfect time to get their hot chocolate regularly. I’ve also been hitting up Terrace, which is in Fieldstone and one of the only UMass cafés open during this time. I’ve also been to Black Sheep Coffee, Amherst Coffee, and the Works. I’m planning to go to Coronation Café next; I heard their pretzels are great!

Taking a Finance Class 

I’m completing a minor in engineering management, which is jointly administered by the College of Engineering and Isenberg School of Management. As such, I’m currently taking Finance 301 with Nelson Lacey, which is one of the required capstone courses for the minor. The class has been great so far! I haven’t had that much experience in finance before, so I’ve learned a lot about this field and information that would be really helpful for real life (like with stock options and investments). Since it's a winter course, it's a little fast-paced – but I found the content really interesting and it's structured well. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re interested in learning about this field. 

Trying Out Some New Recipes

I love using the breaks as a way to cook and try out new recipes that I’ve been meaning to during the semester. This time, I made spicy tomato rigatoni with ricotta crostini, baked a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting (never did that before) and tried some paneer quesadillas! I’m hoping to try out some more wintertime food to keep me warm, like chicken and dumpling soup, and maybe something with root vegetables. 

So that’s what I have been up to during break! I’m also (obviously) working at CHC, so stay on the lookout for more of my blogs and articles during this time. The winter has gone by pretty fast, and as the spring nears, graduation is constantly looming over my head. Amherst is so pretty during this time, so I’m definitely going to miss it and the time that I’ve spent here.