The two summer students from the Kumar lab were able to go with the rest of the summer student program (including from the Connecticut campus) to a weekend retreat at Camp Medomak in Washington, Maine! The weekend was spent swimming by the lake, playing various team-building games, and doing crafts and tie-dye. There was an amazing race type activity where teams competed in various mini-games such as straw tower building and tug of war. Cayson and Lucia were on the same team, team Mus Muscular. They ended up taking second overall, with a huge comeback from last place in the last mini-game of dodgeball where they lead the team to a complete sweep!
Cayson had a chance to lead a workshop for the rest of the summer students on the CUR STR (Council on Undergraduate Research Scholars Transforming through Research) program that he was a part of over the past 6 months. The workshop was primarily focused on communicating science to the public, and specifically how to develop an elevator pitch and tailor it to a specific audience.
The STR program that Cayson was a part of included a trip to Washington DC, where Cayson was able to meet with the Maine delegation and discuss the importance of advocating for science and the importance of JAX’s focus on educational opportunities, specifically through the summer student program.
