Rebecca Katz

What did you learn through this internship?

I learned to perform quantum mechanical and molecular dynamic simulations, which are important parts of theoretical chemistry. I was also exposed to a European model of teaching and built connections with professors from the Czech Republic. I gained more experience presenting my research both through giving a talk and preparing a final paper that matched the requirements for journal publication and the Princeton graduate thesis guidelines.

I also had the opportunity to attend a conference in Warsaw where I saw scientists from across Europe and working across the spectrum of computational chemistry present on their work.

How did you hear of this opportunity?

My freshman winter break, I spent every day after work searching online for at least two hours. My strategy has always been to apply early, often, and everywhere. Often people wait for opportunity to knock when they should be chasing after it.

How has Knox prepared you for this research experience?

Knox chemistry classes provided me with the background knowledge to learn new information and incorporate it into a framework of understanding the world through chemistry.

What has been a main takeaway of your experience?

Collaboration is essential to science.