Trennis Hudson, Jr. reports that during his first week at MMSS, the class focused on core physics concepts before moving on to more complex material.
“During the first week of the Biophysics course at MMSS, we mainly focused on core physics concepts to ensure that we understood later course material. We’ve gone over forms of energy, entropy, and fundamental forces. My class is in a lecture hall of the chemistry building where the professor encourages questions and gladly answers them. I have enjoyed learning from the professor and his assistants, but the three-hour time block periods can get quite boring, especially when it’s all lectures. We haven’t truly gotten to the “bio” part of biophysics, but I’m excited to see how we can apply the rules and principles to it. The course topics have been decently challenging for me, especially since I haven’t taken any science past biology,” Trennis explains.
“We did labs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Tuesday’s lab consisted of powering a fan with an electrothermic generator and building a Curie pendulum. On Thursday, we created an iodine clock, and on Friday, we were tasked with finding the atomic weight of an unknown metal. My group was successful in finishing all these tasks, except for the atomic weight finding, where we miscalculated the heat of the metal. The class was also taken to a room with different microscopes, which showed how to use lasers and fluorescence to view molecules. The professor was able to explain all the labs and microscopes in detail, great enough to be easily understood. The most fascinating hands-on part of our class so far is the iodine clock. The iodine solution changed from translucent to dark purple in just a frame of the video I recorded,” Trennis adds.
Trennis has enjoyed living in the residence hall, including the many food options and the short walk to class. He has also been able to get together with the other students for fun activities after class.
“The dorm is connected right to the Michigan Union, and my walk to class is only ten minutes. The campus is absolutely beautiful and engulfed by the city, so many restaurants and stores aren’t too far,” Trennis says.
“The fun I’ve had with other MMSS students has eliminated any idea of homesickness from my mind. I’ve made friends with nearly every boy on my floor, and we have gone out on several different occasions for food, boba, shopping, and other activities. We almost always have an activity planned after our second class block at 4:30. MMSS has done an impressive job at offering activities that we can’t access inside our campus boundaries. I attended set volleyball, karaoke, and soccer, which nobody would’ve done had MMSS not set them up,” Trennis reports.
“The classes feel long in the moment, but ultimately, most of my time has gone to socializing with new people. My initial expectations of the camp were that I would have hours of homework after six hours of classes every single day, with limited time to socialize, which ended up not being true at all. MMSS has been more fun than expected, and I can’t wait to see what else I learn and do next week,” Trennis adds.
Week Two — Real world applications
Trennis says that as the second and final week at MMSS progressed, he began to feel more comfortable with his routine and began applying what he learned in the first week to real biology.
“My second week at MMSS felt and proceeded much smoother than the first. At this point, I was very comfortable going from the dorm to class, to the chemistry lab. I felt like part of a community, and I felt close with my classmates just as I do at home. Having a roommate seemed normal after the first weekend together. The adjustment process was completed just days into the camp, which made socializing a breeze, even after spending six hours in class every day. The ease of following my schedule helped pass the week by quickly. Departing from the camp after such a quick week was emotional, especially with the realization that I wouldn’t see my peers for a potentially very long time,” Trennis says.
“Fortunately, the biophysics class started to take shape, applying every physics concept we learned from the first week to real biology. Entropy and the molecular buildup and movement of proteins were also a big discussion point in the latter half of the camp. My favorite lab visit came in week two, with Dr. Anna Maurer, who practiced viral vector gene therapy. The goal of her study was to use viruses to deliver beneficial genes into human cells. She was by far the most helpful professor in the chemistry building when it came to explaining being a graduate research assistant. Her work was fascinating, and she explained everything thoroughly, which I appreciated,” Trennis reports.
“The professor, Dr. Gafni, still taught in three hour blocks. Mixed with the lecture hall growing steadily colder, a hoodie wasn’t just an option, which gave the perfect environment to doze off in. I wish that Dr. Gafni could’ve changed the way he taught his lessons, whether by speaking faster, compressing info, assigning work, or breaking class down into shorter parts. Any of those would’ve kept me more in-tune with the lectures. I was still able to obtain a lot of knowledge from the extensive notes. The 500-slide presentation Dr. Gafni used were also shared with me,” Trennis adds.
“My second and final week in Michigan pushed me closer with peers and with the college experience. My departure helped me value the importance of connections, as well as how lucky I was to have the opportunity to spend some of my summer in Michigan, previewing college life,” Trennis says.
We are happy that you enjoyed your time at MMSS, and were able to apply the lessons to real-world applications in biophysics. Good job, Trennis!
>> Read Trennis Hudson, Jr.’s final report (PDF File, 92 KB)
>> Learn about the other students’ experiences in the GFF Scholarship Program.
