As you may know, I am a biological anthropologist. I love to research growth and development of the human skeleton, and I am starting my PhD next year. I am a student member of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and just returned from Cleveland, Ohio from their 88th Annual Meetings.

I first presented at the COD Undergraduate Symposium. This was a great session where I could work with a graduate student mentor to practice and perfect my presentation skills, and interact with people genuinely interested in undergraduate work.

The next morning, I presented in the main session! Everyone was so nice, and genuinely interested in my work. My poster was titled “Population Variation in the Fusion Sequence of Primary and Secondary Ossification Centers in the Human Skeleton,” and investigated the order in which ossification centers fuse across the globe.

Besides presenting, I had a great time networking at the conference! I met so many kind students in my program next year, as well as potential collaborators.

When I wasn’t talking, I was learning! I looked at posters from my discipline, went to engaging talks, and pushed my limits by reading and listening to things completely new to me. What a way to refresh before graduating.

I was able to dress stylishly, yet professionally, which you’ll see in a posy soon too.

I also spent some time eating and exploring Cleveland, stay tuned for that post!