Coolness!
Oh man, now this is cool stuff.
On the Caltech application, there's this 8.5 x 11 box where you're supposed to put stuff that interests you. So, there was this article in Science News a while back on DNA origami, which I found incredibly interesting. I decided I was going to put one of the images of the DNA origami in this box, and so began searching on google for a good, recognizable one.
I ended up stumbling upon the personal webpage of the guy who did the project (Paul W.K. Rothemund). On his webpage he says, "The best way to understand how this works is to read the original article available at Nature . If you do not have access to the article through Nature, please me at pwkr@dna.caltech.edu with the subject line "ORIGAMI PAPER REQUEST" and I will send you a PDF as soon as possible."
Well, that's pretty frickin awesome. So I immediately sent the e-mail requesting the article. I mentioned in the e-mail that something he had said about Caltech had been a big factor in making Caltech my first choice. Fifteen minutes later, he replies, sending the Nature article, as well as a News and Views article. Not only that, but he also says he's adding me to the mailing list which will allow me to receive notifications when he releases the code for the whole project!! In addition to all of that, he also tells me to feel free to look him up next time I'm visiting Caltech.
I mean, WOW.
I guess Dr. Levy was right when he said "Go reach out and talk to people, go do things- that's how you get paid back in dividends."
On the Caltech application, there's this 8.5 x 11 box where you're supposed to put stuff that interests you. So, there was this article in Science News a while back on DNA origami, which I found incredibly interesting. I decided I was going to put one of the images of the DNA origami in this box, and so began searching on google for a good, recognizable one.
I ended up stumbling upon the personal webpage of the guy who did the project (Paul W.K. Rothemund). On his webpage he says, "The best way to understand how this works is to read the original article available at Nature . If you do not have access to the article through Nature, please me at pwkr@dna.caltech.edu with the subject line "ORIGAMI PAPER REQUEST" and I will send you a PDF as soon as possible."
Well, that's pretty frickin awesome. So I immediately sent the e-mail requesting the article. I mentioned in the e-mail that something he had said about Caltech had been a big factor in making Caltech my first choice. Fifteen minutes later, he replies, sending the Nature article, as well as a News and Views article. Not only that, but he also says he's adding me to the mailing list which will allow me to receive notifications when he releases the code for the whole project!! In addition to all of that, he also tells me to feel free to look him up next time I'm visiting Caltech.
I mean, WOW.
I guess Dr. Levy was right when he said "Go reach out and talk to people, go do things- that's how you get paid back in dividends."