Welcome! My name is Esther, and I’m curious about understanding the one constant in this world, change. While I have conducted research in the study of microbiology & evolution, I hold a degree in biomedical engineering. At the moment, I feel compelled to articulate my thoughts and seek feedback on this platform in an effort to sharpen my thinking.
This past year especially, I have sought out information from new mentors – authors with backgrounds in sociology, clinical psychology, nutrition, economics, marketing, high-performance coaching, and more as a
means to outsource experiential learning. This journal is a project for me to capture my thoughts which I hope will also document improvements in my critical thinking skills and maybe even help others who have multi-faceted interests in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). This project is for those who care about experimenting, actively engaging in life, and refining how they show up in the world.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in my twenty-something years of living, it’s that life goes on, and it’s up to you to craft the life you want. What does it mean to craft this life? Like any problem-solving process, this discovery activity starts with:
- Recognizing what raw materials you have to start with
- Capturing your ideal end goal or state
- Assessing ways to progress and then
- Putting in the work.
I’m not a finished product myself, but I am willing to share my journey.
Scope of Work
Journal vs Notebook
For those science nerds out there – I say this with love, as a self-proclaimed one myself, you may have noticed this project is called Her Lab Journal and not notebook. Typically when you work in a lab, you as the researcher do not own the notebook where you capture your work. “Your work” isn’t even the best description instead think of the activities you do as the intellectual property of the institution that your lab supports.
“… this project is more suited to highlight the fluidity of ideas and to evaluate the usefuleness of them.”
A few notes on the fluidity of ideas
According to Dr. Philip Ryan from the National Institute of Health’s Office of Intramural Training & Education1:
A lab notebook is a complete record of procedures (the actions you take), the reagents you use, the observations you make (these are the data), and the relevant thought processes that would enable another scientist to reproduce your observations. In other words, it’s meant to contain succinct methodology
In conclusion, a lab notebook is your legacy – it captures a specific time in your career.
As nice as creating a legacy sounds, I believe this project is more suited to highlight the fluidity of ideas and to evaluate their usefulness. Like a standard journal, I hope this will be a platform that allows me to take home ideas and test out inklings of what is true in this world. Unlike a notebook which must stay at the lab, this journal will be a take-home tool for the expression of ideas, the development of hypothesizes, and reflections of real-world experiences or experiments.
Expectations for this project
As the reader, what can you expect from reviewing Her Lab journal? Although this isn’t a formal lab notebook, I will try to provide the following components in my content:
- Hypothesis or goal;
- Background;
- Information on the experiments or experiences (observations and analysis); and
- Ideas for future opportunities to explore
Although, I make no promises of adhering to this rigid presentation structure 😀
Body of Work
Fun facts about Esther
Growing up, I was that girl at school who during recess would play kickball, knit a scarf, and exchange video game strategies with friends all in one week’s time. (It confused my parents more than my friends or classmates.) I have always loved working with my hands and creating life out of raw materials – feeling a ball of thick yarn and seeing the potential it has to become a shawl or noticing an ornate pattern of fabric that could become a lovely dress.
Like these physical examples, this project will be a digital example of the transformation of ideas at work. As an engineer by training and crafter at heart, I expect that the body of work for Her Lab Journal will be a myriad of notes and musings capturing such interests.