"The trip to Auckland, New Zealand for the Universitas 21 Undergraduate Research Conference was one of the best experiences of my life. Presenting in front of a group of about 60 people, as well as staff from the University allowed for a vast amount of feedback about my topic as well as new insights on my topic and possible new directions as well. The conference was filled with scholars from a variety of different academic areas, which therefore provided feedback to my presentation from many different perspectives, which differs from the feedback we have received in the past, as this has mainly been from professors from the field itself. I think fielding questions about the economic viability of the project itself was one of the most interesting thoughts about the project. We as a group hadn't fully researched the economic aspect of the research, so it was interesting to field questions from that aspect of the project. I also think I will cherish the interactions I had with other students the most. Interacting with people from many different countries allowed me to gain an insight on how their university life was, and how their undergraduate experience was as a whole. I was also the youngest one at the conference, so being able to learn from the elder students and the one's entering medical school in the near future allowed me to learn a lot about the difference's between medicine and biology in the US versus other countries. I was very honored to receive the 1st place award for best poster at the conference, and even more honored to represent the University of Maryland after Julia won the 2nd place oral presentation as well. There were many poster and oral presentations that were spectacular, but to be chosen as a winner was special. The best part about winning was definitely the fact that we were one of the only presenter's to be representing research teams. Most of the presenter's were representing their individual research experiences under a supervisor, but to win on behalf of our whole gemstone team made me feel even more honored. "
- Pradip Ramamurti
- Pradip Ramamurti