Today I was able to visit the campus of one of my choices of application for graduate school: Mississippi State. I am already pretty specific in what I want to do for my graduate research, and that is to conduct research on speleothem development. If you didn’t know already by reading my previous entries, I love to spend time in caves and my particular interest is finding interesting speleothems such as helectites, soda straws, cave pearls, stalactities, stalagmites and more. The intricate process of the dissolution of limestone and deposition of these minerals into an entirely new product has fascinated me for years. I have sought out schools that have programs and research potential in karst so that I can find my niche in the world. I want to make tremendous contribution to the world of cave science, and to inspire future generations to continue the work for many years to come.
The culture of Mississippi State is very welcoming. Everyone I met was very friendly, and the campus is wide open with plenty of space between the buildings. I was able to tour the facilities with Dr. Mylroie, and meet many of the professors and doctoral researchers that are contributing to geological sciences today. We had a tasty lunch at City Bagels, and if you are ever in Starkville, MS I recommend you to eat there as well. The food was good and the menu was pretty large and varied.
After my visit with Mississippi State I returned to camp to lounge a bit before it was time to cook dinner. The trees were filled with cicadas, their shells litering the stumps and tree trunks. Most find the noice annoying, but for my short stay here I find it somewhat relaxing. Sometimes the best parts of a trip are the downtimes, which is why I try to plan some of it between my busy days as much as possible. It’s the serenity and peace that keeps us all sane when the day closes.
Well, tomorrow I head off to Louisiana. Who knows what adventure this trek will bring me. I guess you’ll just have to come back later to find out. Until then…
-Nicole
