Blog Challenge #2 : Jisca

        For this blog challenge, I questioned Ashley Blystone.  She is a graduate student that works in my lab.  The following questions are what I asked her.

        1. Where you interested in majoring in chemistry as a high school Student?
        2. What influenced you to choose the field of chemistry?
        3. What college did you attend as an undergraduate?
        4. How different was it to transition from high school to freshman year in college?
        5. How many years did it take for you to graduate?
        6. How many years have you been a graduate student at Duquesne?
        7. Is working in this lab as a graduate student similar to when you were an undergraduate?
        8. Did you choose to work in your research lab or was it assigned to you?
        9. Do you have any published papers?
      10. Would you consider your job fun?
      11. Do you get along with the other members in your lab?
      12. Did you work in any other graduate student labs before Duquesne?
      13. Did you participate in a summer research lab as an undergraduate?

        Throughout high school, Ashley Blystone was always interested in science.  She really liked the subject of Biology.  Ashley attended Westminster College in Wilmington, Pennsylvania.  Going in as an undergraduate, she thought that the field of Forensics was a good thing for her as a career path.  It sounded very sophisticated and attracted her attention.  When Ashley actually visited the departments at Westminster College, she was sure then that the Chemistry department was the best for her. 
        To her, freshman year in college was not that different than high school.  She took many AP courses in high school, which helped with her classes in college.  Since Ashley had many credits already done by the time she graduated high school, it helped her to graduate college in 4 years.  She participated in an undergraduate summer research program at Penn State the summer before her senior year.  She worked in the department of Forensics and Chemistry.  As an undergrad, Ashley had a paper/journal that she worked on.  It was a collaboration with other students in her lab.  They worked on 4-ethylphenol in beer.  This later became published after she graduated. 
        So far, Ashley has worked in 2 different graduate schools after graduating college.  Her first experience was at FYU.  It was an good experience for her but she likes Duquesne better.  Coming to Duquesne, Ashley had the chance to choose the lab that she wanted to work in.  After going through the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, she choose to work in Dr. Gawalt's research lab.  This is her second year as a graduate student at Duquesne University.  She likes it here because she is more self motivated in the labs than any other place she has been to.  She gets along with everyone in her lab and likes to help the undergraduates with their projects.  What Ashley likes the most is when her lab has group meetings.  She likes sharing her work with others and having them put their inputs into it.