Michigan REU

Hi!
I thought using the same blog as I used in France would be the easiest way of giving you all a little information about my summer since I’m not at home. As some of you know, I am in Mount Pleasant Michigan, at Central Michigan University for an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program. One of my professors at CSB/SJU suggested I apply and since I didn’t get an internship I was happy to get into an REU program! Today was the first day of the program but I flew in on Saturday afternoon. That evening one of my housemates (we are living in townhomes just a few minutes’ walk from campus) took me to Target so I could get a few things I needed like a pillow and some hangers. On Sunday, once more people had arrived we took a big trip to the grocery store called Meijer. It is like a Super Target because it has food and everything else. I am living with two students who go to CMU (Central Michigan University) and two other students in the REU program. One of the girls in the others girls’ townhouse is also a French and Math double major but she is in the program for the CMU students. She seems really nice, as do everyone else but as usual, there are some people who I can see myself becoming better friends with than others.

Today was the first day of the program. We all met in the math building at 9 am. They provided bagels, coffee and orange juice for us. They also gave each of us a CMU mug, a 3 subject notebook, CMU folder and a note pad. I brought school supplies with me but I’m sure I will need more than one notebook anyway. After some intro information, we went and got ID cards so we can use the gym (normally a $30 fee to use in the summer but the REU program is paying it for us!!) and check out books in the library. It was misting this morning as we walked to campus so naturally my hair looked horrid in my ID picture. It looked nice when I left the townhouse but my hair is no match for the mist/rain, it instantly becomes fizzy and anything I had done to it in the morning disappears. Oh well I guess, it is only for two months. In the afternoon we had an introduction to two of the project we can work on. Tomorrow morning the other two projects will be introduced. In the afternoon tomorrow morning and the morning on Wednesday we will get some more information about all the projects and have time to ask questions. On Wednesday afternoon we have to submit our first and second choice projects with our reasons why we want to work on those particular projects. I liked the first project that was introduced today but not the second one. I’m excited to learn about the other two tomorrow! I found it funny that Pearce, the math/computer science building here at CMU is abbreviated PE which is the abbreviation used for the Peter Engel building at SJU where the math classes are held at SJU!

Thursday we start working on our projects and on Friday we are going to Mackinaw Island.

I forgot my camera cord at home so for now I don’t have any pictures but once I get it, I can post pictures of my townhouse and the campus.