The baton was officially passed when we checked out of the hotel on Tuesday morning. I was suddenly a graduate student at the University of Virginia, and Laura had the laborious task of unpacking and starting anew. She had taken Monday through Wednesday off of work to help us get the apartment put together, and her mom stayed through Tuesday morning to help her get things kicked off. Our new apartment is smaller than the our previous by one room and two closets, which made the task of placing our belongings even more difficult. The pile of boxes in the living room is still daunting even after a few days of work, but the place is coming together.

While on “Grounds”, I was meeting my fellow lab-mates (not all of whom had returned from the winter holiday) and trying to soak up as much as I could about what it meant to be a graduate research assistant. My desk is tiny, simple, and void of drawers or shelves, but a second year student with a nice L-shaped desk will be leaving the group to work at an Army research facility, so I will be taking that upon his departure next week. I’m excited because my textbooks and office supplies will not fit in our new apartment, and I know that I’ll be spending a lot of time at my desk in our lab office. I was also introduced to my initial research project this week.

My research advisor, Dr. Li, is well known in the department for his productive lab group. He receives the most projects and funding in the mechanical and aerospace (MAE) department, and therefore has the biggest lab with as many as twenty members including Ph.D students, post-docs, and a professional researcher. I learned this week that I will be replacing that Army-bound student, Yosyp, on the carbon fiber project team. I’m not sure how much I can talk about it right now because it’s a Department of Energy project, but I can say that it’s a three year project that’s entering its second year and is quite extensive. My teammates on the project are both post-doctoral and are materials focused. Yosyp’s role was more mechanical and applied (think mechatronic design work), and I will be filling the void he’ll be leaving in the group.

I am excited to begin contributing to this project. At Penske I became accustomed to a rapid working pace, so I’m already itching to start making progress. I have also been assured that this will not be my only project. In the coming years I will be involved in several projects, which is an aspect of UVA and Dr. Li’s emphasis on building well rounded engineering leaders and not specialized researchers. Some students in the group are working on metal additive manufacturing, and I hope to get in to that field as well. However, I am happy to be involved in this project too.

Back at home, Laura was making great progress on the apartment, and when I’d get home I’d help too. Our progress has been strong, but we’re anxious to be done with all of this unpacking. Nothing is on the walls and the cardboard is piled high, which does not give us much of a sense of home. Ruby seems to be adjusting well but she is anxious outside and in the halls of the apartment. There is a small dog park on the property and she loves running around. Snow is forecasted for this weekend, which is exciting both because we’ve seen pictures of how beautiful this area is in the snow and because it’s a great excuse to stay inside and really knock out this unpacking. I know this place will look really nice when we’re done with it, and I can’t wait for it to feel as much like home as the rest of Charlottesville already does.