Megan Rose Mary Brown
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
Dear National Science Foundation,
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generosity in funding my stay here at the National Museum of Natural History and participation in the Research Training Program. Geology has been a passion of mine since I was an elementary school student. Now as an undergraduate student, your contribution has allowed me the opportunity to experience research in an unparalleled environment. I can not think of a better place than the National Museum of Natural History for me to have my first research experience. The National Museum of Natural History is a center of natural science knowledge and research, and I am thrilled that I was able to become part of that community.
Everyone I have met here at the museum has been eager to help me learn and share their experiences and expertise. Through this program, I was able to work with some of the best minds in my field and learn from some of the top scientists in other fields as well. My advisor, Timothy McCoy, is one of the top scientists in the field of planetary geology and I have learned so much from him. I entered this program with only a minimal amount of geology classes under my belt, but leaving here I feel that I will be so far ahead of my peers at school. I have learned valuable things that I would never have been taught if it weren't for this program. I have had the opportunity to learn to use and use a scanning electron microscope, an optical microscope, a microprobe, and even a Time of Flight-SIMS. I was taught about meteorites, which before this summer I had little knowledge about. I was also given the opportunity to live and work among some of the brightest, most driven undergraduates in the country and world, which is a unique experience in its self; for that, I am truly grateful.
I have lived an hour away from Washington, DC my entire life. The Smithsonian Institution has sat on a high pedestal in my mind all that time. To have the opportunity to work and experience the entirety of the museum is a gift that will not soon be forgotten. I have known all my life that the museum was a portal to the world of natural sciences for the masses, but not until this summer, did I understand the imminent importance of this institution. The Smithsonian Institution links scientists worldwide and opens its doors to all who wish to increase their knowledge. I feel truly privileged to have been chosen to participate in the RTP Program and work with the wonderful scientists and collections staff who dedicate their lives to the advancement of science and the educating of the public. I full heartily thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Megan Rose Mary Brown
Research Training Program
Class of '04