First weekly IRES meeting!

Today was our first weekly meeting with our IRES undergraduate group. In this meeting we all discussed our goals for the week, challenges we were facing, and a Catalan phrase of the week! This meeting was very helpful for all of us because we were able to give feedback to each group member and discuss our ideas. The new perspectives we gain from meetings like these help us not to get stuck and help us to make sure we are not ignoring important aspects of our

research topic. That is one of the greatest benefits I've seen in getting this opportunity to be at UAB for the summer. Whether it's from each other, from our advisors, or from the graduate students here, we always have plenty of help to keep us moving forward. It shows how interdisciplinary teams are a great advantage for progress!

Also, our past weekend was full of adventure! We accidentally followed a bus route in the opposite way of the beach, we attempted visiting the Picasso museum for free Sunday admission but the tickets were sold out, and we tried to get a Mikasa volleyball at a Decathlon store on Sunday when the store is closed. Despite our poor planning, we had a great time! We eventually made it to the beach, we ate great food, and today (Monday) we finally got a Mikasa volleyball for Mickey.

Fun fact of the day: If someone accidentally bumps into you and they apologize, the Catalan phrase for "it's okay" or "not a problem" is "no passa res."