I’m writing this in the Philadelphia Airport as I wait to fly back to Orlando. It’s been a while since I’ve written here. Thanksgiving provided a nice, badly needed break.

My last academic duty before I left on Tuesday was to finally give my GRB talk to my Senior Seminar class. That went fairly well. I have a great sense of timing, but I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.

When I was in high school, I prided myself in being an excellent researcher. I had a knack for using internet search engines and links to find large collections of information. I did very well reading these sources and summarizing the information to write papers on topics ranging from the troubles in Northern Ireland to the ongoing rebellion in Chechnya to child soldiers used around the world. It was at this time that I thought I would major in international affairs (although my real ambition was to go back in time a century and study Egyptology while digging up pyramids, but I digress). I thought that reading and re-representing information was research.

All I’ve been doing lately on the research front is reading, and I find I’m growing impatient with it. Some things I understanding better, but some I can’t seem to figure out even on the third rereading. I want to get back in the lab and get things accomplished, but I don’t know how much time I can allow. Only two weeks left until finals week.

I’ve been thinking a bit about the "broader impacts" question. My research is essentially selfish. We can talk all we want about the greater scientific good, but we’re not finding a cure for cancer. We’re satisfying our own curiosities, which in itself it important, but again, selfish. Is there a way I can use my work to help those around me? Is there a way I can make a real impact in the lives of others and still research what I love? How can I use my profession to make a real difference?