routine research

Hello again my friends,

Well, this post is a little late (sorry Dwight) but monday was Memorial Day and I had to guide raft trips on the Elwha and sea kayak trips in Freshwater Bay all weekend. The weather was nice and the Elwha river is pretty fun right now with the high spring runoff. Anyhow, it was a busy three day weekend and now I'm a little behind. Speaking of the Elwha, I got to speak to one of the freshman English classes yesterday morning about the dam removal and the research being done in the REU program. I felt a little nervous with Dwight there, watching and judging me, but I think it went well. I wasn't as prepared as I have been for other presentations because I had planned on revising the already existing power point, which I had already given to the Clallam County worker retraining board. It was about an hour before the presentation that I realized I would have to give the powerpoint as is, and without time to practice. I figured it would be alright as I would be speaking to fellow students and they'd probably prefer a more casual style over a scripted one. Afterwards I remember reflecting on how far I've come in my public speaking comfort level compared to when I began the REU program. I used to get fairly nervous whereas now I feel pretty relaxed and more focused on the material being presented than on the heat of the spotlight. I think have a deeper understanding of the material also helps with the confidence. Tune in again for more words of insight.