I am UIC | UIC student blogs

I’m quite peeved right now.

I should be happy, of course, since I am out of school and should be “enjoying” my summer but for some reason I still feel like it’s not over. No, I’m not taking summer school…but if I bombed the organic chemistry exam, I might have to take it again! I looked on Blackboard for my final grade in both the microbiology courses I took and it was a little saddening. If you read my last post, you’d recall why I was not able to attain the A in those classes. I hate that I let things stick around until the point where it finally hurts my performance in school. Relationships aren’t easy.

I volunteered at the CASL Fundraising Dinner May 2nd and they had tons of awesome raffle prizes and silent auction items. I wish I had seen this guy earlier so I could make a bid too! x)

There are some other things I’m peeved about, like how I can’t find my Wacom tablet at my grandmother’s place even though it should have been placed right on top of my Xbox. I really wanted to draw again this summer and while I could use the regular paper and pencil…it’s not the same. Besides, that was a birthday gift from my brother that cost $200! I need to use it, but I can’t find it…I hope my grandma wouldn’t throw it away…*sigh* There are more things I am quite annoyed of, but altogether I need to be more positive. NOW.

There were lots of people at the CASL Fundraising Dinner! There was even a table for UIC sponsors of CASL. I saw Karen Su there, haha! Anyway, they had these adorable kids from the childcare program sing "Xiao Bai Tu" which means Little White Rabbit. God, they were so incredibly cute! I can't wait to have kids one day.

Close-up of the adorable kids...<3

If I could take my sophomore year and rate it on the scale of 1 to 10 of my growth as a person intellectually, I’d say it went to a 5. What was I doing this whole year? When I go back and think about all of it, I definitely did accomplish a lot…but why am I not satisfied with the work I’ve done? When I think about the activities I enjoy the most, it really just comes down to my part-time jobs and spending time with family. The classes I took this year, particularly the awful science classes, were pointless. I hate how medical schools just want to weed you out with them. No one cares about the pre-medicine people. Any other pre-profession, even pre-pharmacy, has some kind of “cared” notion from the public. Isn’t that odd? Even I did not fully enjoy the extra-curricular organizations as much as I thought I would. It’s hard to find an organization that is ORGANIZED at UIC, and one that has a good leader who is always on top of things. I suppose the “we’re just students” excuse can work for some people, but not me. I can’t wait to meet the incoming freshmen next year to give them all the wisdom they need to succeed!

At the laboratory where I do research, Rita is always busting out experiment after experiment! She's been working in the lab for a long time and she's a hustler. Our PI gives her so much work to do and she's so pro at it all! XD She has a very sweet heart and always willing to help me if I have questions.

All right, I’ll stop with the unrest and rants. No one likes to hear someone complain, but rather they want to hear about the complaint and plan of action to make things better. And so, here is a compilation of tips I’m going to follow to achieve a better sense of self and create the motivation I need to succeed next year as a junior. Summer break is always the time for change and revival of enjoying your favorite interests! =)

1. Take the more positive/optimistic side in everything – “I have lost my Wacom only temporarily…I hope I find it soon.” vs “I’m never going to find my Wacom. I hate my family. Why are they so freaking OLD and can’t remember where they put it?”
2. Read a book for leisure – Anyone have a copy of the Hunger Games? I should probably first finish my Toni Morrison book.
3. Write in a diary – Ranting with myself is more acceptable than ranting with/at other people.
4. Eat fruit and vegetables – I need my nutrients!
5. Exercise – I hate running, but I do love to stretch and walk around places…once I move in I will try to run a mile a day at the rec center.
6. Stop depending on others – This one is a biggie for me. I don’t think I take care of myself very well physically and mentally, so I am going to try and organize my habits and make them a lot more beneficial for me and others.

I could probably include more but I’m kind of exhausted from thinking and worrying too much (hey, that could be an extra point…stop worrying!). Anybody watch the Avengers movie yet? If you do watch it, make sure you stay for the credits! There are TWO extras. I went with five of my cousins and my brother to watch it at Woodfield Mall. It was quite hilarious and helped me get over the current loss of my Wacom. Although when I came home, I really wanted to draw my own superhero and was reminded again of my Wacom tablet. Sad day.

This week I’ll be going into research to complete some experiments before leaving to Taiwan! I’ll be moving in to SSR Sunday and working at my campus housing job making websites and all that jazz. I’m pretty excited. The writing center will be opening half way through the 4-week session and I’ll be there to tutor anyone who needs help!

On the bright side of things, my skin is better. Last weekend it wasn’t because I was sick and miserable, but now I’m not sick and only slightly miserable! ^o^

EDIT: I FOUND MY WACOM TABLET!!! :D :D :D Now summer BEGINS!<3 I’ll post my drawings if I finish any. Hehe.

Hey UIC!

Mood music while reading the blog!
“Closing Time” by Semisonic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8&ob=av2e

Rapping up the year at UIC, all the memories:

JST Staff 2011-2012

Concrete Testing Lab. My Lab Group =)

My first time kayaking with MRH/TBH Residence Hall

UIC Radio

Food adventures around Chicago!!

These are the only a handful of the many memories I had this year at UIC. I’m so glad I met many new people and am truly grateful for all the friends I’ve made.

I’m bad at saying goodbye, but I’ve had an outstanding time writing for UIC Student Blogs and hope to return next year. I’ll definitely miss all the Top 3 articles and I surely have more to offer you guys.

For the summer, I’ll be working for Project SYNCERE as an Engineering Instructor. I’m very excited to teach students about science, math, and engineering and all the cool projects and skills I can offer. Anyway, here’s my last Top 3 article:

Top 3: Reason’s to Pick UIC

3. A City University 
Welcome to the bustling City of Chicago– You’ll be surrounded by many fun characters of Chicago, ranging for the busy-bees to the adventurous artist of Chicago. While the city also has it’s upbeat side, there is also a quiet, tranquil, and beautiful side in many parts of Chicago, especially at UIC. This school is definitely for you if you’re the adventurous type.

2. Making A Name Across the World
UIC is already a great school, filled with a large team working tirelessly to make sure their students are the best. This can be seen through the schools academic results and ranking. For the past several years, UIC’s enrollment has skyrocketed, getting undergraduate, as well as, graduate students. UIC is known for it’s research as well, being one of the most federally funded schools in the nation. I’ll be honest, compared to other schools, UIC is also relatively cheaper and presses students more by developing a challenging curriculum to make sure students can truly be “all they can be.”

1. The UIC Experience
UIC has a truly different type of college experience compared to fellow campuses. It isn’t the typical college life you see in movies, UIC is different in that it carries a variety of students with different backgrounds. You’ll meet many people from around the world. One of the most important things I learned is that, “UIC will push you, grill you, and make you learn those hard lessons– they always say it’ll get easier next semester, but it truly doesn’t. They’ll make sure you can be all-you-can-be by saying “you can do better.” But even through these hardships, UIC also brought me my closest friends and had me “believing in me.” 

I hope all of you have a wonderful Summer! Cheers!

Stay Classy Chicago,
-Darren

Hey UIC!

Another school year has come and gone, it is great to see friends and family members achieve a milestone in their lives.

My family was fortunate to have our second graduate, my sister graduated from Northeastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 5, 2012. It has been long overdue but she has had two great reasons to defer her graduation. Everyone in the family is very proud of her and we are extremely proud of all of her accomplishments.

Along with my family members graduating, a lot of my extended SHPE Familia graduated on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. My good friend Q^etsiy’ah and my advisor Lizbeth Barajas graduated on Thursday from the College of Education.

Photo courtesy of Lizbeth Barajas

The College of Engineering graduated on Saturday at 2:00 PM, it was a lot smaller than the other three graduations I attended this year. I was so happy to see my friends some of whom I started my undergraduate degree with graduate. In total about twelve SHPE Familia Members (Jorge, Jose, Carlos, Cristina, Alberto, Dennis, Elizabeth, Gamaliel, Abel, Ricardo, Rafael, and Camilo) graduated on Saturday.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduated on Sunday morning. It was a big graduation I was surprised to see the graduation end on time. Three of my close friends graduated from this college (Lauren, Lourdes, and Hasalia)

A great sense of pride and anticipation has come over me. I cannot wait until I walk down the stage for my undergraduate degree and then for my subsequent degree(s).

Thanks!

Leticia

Well, that time has come. I’m going to graduate from graduate school! I’m “walking” this Thursday (in a beautiful gown complete with tassel and hood) but technically I finish up my master’s research project in July. So I’m ALMOST done. I’m already getting sentimental about leaving UIC, while at the same time ready to start something new…

It’s been a fun (almost) two years full of illustration, molecules, modeling in 3D, undergraduate science classes, COMPUTERS, friends, good and bad time management, biking around, cheap food, occasional great food at restaurants, exploring the city, concerts (outdoors and indoors), museums, field trips, long distance phone conversations, city rendevous’ and blogging. While most of it has fallen into the realm of “normal,” I’ve done a few ridiculous things while I’ve been in grad school here in Chicago. Let me take a moment to reflect on some of those things. They might give you an idea of of what to avoid while here at UIC, or what to do for fun! (many of the items on this list are specific to my graduate program, but you get the idea.)

Some things you might have found me doing during the past few years…

• biking with three bags- one with books and computer, one with gym clothes and shoes, and one with food.
• bringing human bones home on the bus.
• posting on craig’s list for a nude model.
• Google imaging certain topics while searching for visual resources for illustrations. For example, Google imaging “obese naked woman” for a reference for a character who has diabetes.
• drinking and drawing (generally not very effective).
• walking through a snowstorm.
• cooking a week’s worth of pasta in one go.
• baking a week’s worth of cookies in one go, but eating them in two days.
• telling people I’m a medical illustrator specializing in male anatomy- to see their reaction.
• dissecting a body and relating all the body parts/tissues to food products.
• pulling all nighters (occasionally a necessary evil)

Well, I think that’s it… unless you think attending a medical illustration program is IN ITSELF a little ridiculous… which it probably is :) Anyway, I had a good time here and I don’t regret most of the things on this list. If nothing else, they make for a good story…

Angiotensin is a hormone in the complex renin-angiotensin system of the body. This system is involved in maintaining blood pressure through kidney function-specifically water retention- and vessel constriction among other things. The Angiotensin II receptor is found in the kidney epithelial cells. Usually, Angiotensin molecules travel through the blood, into the kidney, and bind the receptors to cause vessel constriction and water retention.

Certain drugs that lower blood pressure, like Candesartan, can bind the angiotensin II receptors and block the downstream effects of the renin-angiotensin system. (high blood pressure). Here’s my depiction of this:

The purple rectangle represents the cell membrane, because the receptor sits in the cell membrane. The red molecule is Candesartan, binding the receptor. The blue molecules are the angiotensin hormone that are being blocked. I used a technique called sub surface scattering to put a texture on the molecules. This texture allows light to pass through to make the objects look a little gummy.

Hey UIC!

Sorry for not having pictures for this week =(, I have 5 finals in two days, Monday and Tuesday. I’m cramming as much as I can right now. But I came up with a short list on how to survive this week:

Top 3 Tips: How to Survive Finals Week!

3. Max your study time. 
Study alone first, so you can come up with questions to ask. Then study in a group to ask those questions. You’ll get the most productivity with your time and feel more prepared for the exam.

2. Tackle the easy things first, then spend the rest of your time on the hard.
It’s true, once you get the easy things out the way you can spend the remaining time on the difficult things.

1. It’s all about sleep!
If you are to sleepy during an exam, you’re brain is only operating at half it’s potential thinking power. So get some rest

That’s it right now! Good luck on Finals,
-Darren