I have an advisor!

Happy Halloween! It's been an especially busy week for me. I've never felt so poignantly the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day to do work. For the first time in my life, I wasn't able to run [gasp] because there simply was not enough time. In fact, it happened twice!!!! (a frightening thought, I know, but fitting given the most recent holiday :) ). But enough about being busy; let's talk about the highlights of this last week.

Wednesday morning I heard from the other graduate students that we had letters in our mailboxes telling us who our advisors were. I checked my mailbox with cautious optimism and was overjoyed to see that I am going to work with Professor Juan de Pablo for my graduate research. His group website can be found here. I'll be working to develop models that simulate the behavior of DNA and RNA. These models will allow us to understand the fundamental behavior of DNA and RNA near surfaces and in confined environments, hopefully leading to new and improved ways of administering gene therapies. I have a lot to learn and am grateful that I have 5 years to become an expert in this area. Sometimes 5 years seems to be too little. At the end of it all, I will be part geneticist, part computer scientist, and part biophysicist. As I began my career at BYU I had no idea that this path would lead here. I am SO enthused!

We just finished stake conference today at noon. Elders Hafen and Hansen came to the stake to call a new stake presidency. The old first counselor, President Nelson, has been called as the stake president with two "young lions," Brothers Johnson and Cifuentes, called as his counselors. It's an exciting time to be living in Madison. It was said several times during the conference that the Church in Madison is poised to experience spectacular growth. I hope that I can do my part in assisting in this growth, despite my scarce free time. I am surrounded by such awesome individuals and have had many opportunities to talk about the church and my experience as a missionary. I must be courageous in inviting my peers to "come and see."

The future will indubitably bring a fair share of discomfort. I have already found myself stretched more than ever, my beliefs may come under fire as I share the gospel with my peers, and my weaknesses are becoming more and more obvious as I associate with the best and brightest individuals in the world. However, I am thankful for this discomfort because discomfort permits learning, learning enables growth, and growth brings joy. I know that I am not at it alone; Heavenly Father will strengthen and sustain every step of the way.

In case you want to read more about my research, check out the link here: