70 degrees, Free Cheese, and Funding for PhDs

I must begin by saying just how glorious it is in Madison at the moment! While I was worried about moving to a land where I would suffer terribly because of the cold, it is downright spectacular at the moment. As I drove home from Church this afternoon, my car thermometer read 71 degrees. 71 DEGREES! This is not at all what I expected to be experiencing in November! Maybe Madison is like Seattle; people say that the weather is worse than it is so there is not a huge influx of residents. I took my shorts out of temporary retirement and donned them yesterday and again today. I'm actually composing this entry from Elver Park, just a stone's throw from my apartment building. Listening to the wind rustle the grass along the edge of the pond and the trumpeting of Canadian Geese, I am content.

The view from the picnic table where I am composing this entry.

A member in the Madison Stake works as a professor in the food science department at the UW. As you may already know, Wisconsin is famous for their dairy products. The food science department is no different, being famous for their original dairy product creations. This good brother had previously shared batches of experimental ice cream with the singles ward. However, as of late he was on sabbatical and there was an ice cream famine. Thankfully, we had not been forgotten. I received an email last Friday from the director of the Institute, telling us that there was free cheese for the taking in the fridge. And was there ever! It was a literal cornucopia of cheese. Cheddar, Gouda, Pepper Jack, Munster, etc. I helped myself to some smoked swiss and sun-dried tomato singles for my lunch sandwiches. I also grabbed some Corcuera Manchego Sheep Cheese from La Mancha, Spain. It normally retails for $18.99 a pound so I am very excited to taste this product from the land of Don Quixote. But first I need to get myself some crackers.... Ritz, anyone?

Me excited about the Manchego Cheese. Notice the freshly cut hair. I need to look presentable for Jean's wedding.

Lastly, I've been busy this last week working on my National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Proposal. It's been an exciting endeavor. Basically, it is a 3 year award with a yearly stipend of $30,500, $10,500 towards tuition, and $1000 for international travel. It's very prestigious and very competitive but I like my chances. Even if things do not work out, it still has been a great experience preparing my research proposal. I have become ever more excited about my work with Professor de Pablo. I am proposing developing a mesoscale model for modeling the folding and unfolding of RNA tertiary structures in response to changes in the ionic environment. This project will allow scientists to understand how RNA and eventually proteins fold and lead to improved understanding of genetic illness and biological processes. It is most definitely work that, if done rigorously, would eventually merit a Nobel Prize. It truly is cutting edge and it is a privilege to be part of it at this time. I hope that I can do my best to further the understanding of this technology and help de Pablo get his Nobel Prize!