Interview Reflection

1. Describe your feelings about or response to the interview.

We felt the interview went very well. Dr. Read was very easy to talk to and helped us to better understand his research and herpes research in general. The interview also taught us more about the general field of research; he spoke about research in several different areas and also about his own life and what led him to research. It was interesting for me to hear about his path that led him to where he is today. My feelings about the interview, personally, were that it really helped me to see the research side of science and see more what it is like to have a career in that field. I have learned a lot about research and the research process, but it was a very good experience to actually meet and talk with someone who chose to pursue this route as their career.
2. What changes occurred for you as a result of your interview?

A change that occurred was that after the interview I knew more about what benefits our grid computing project could have. Dr. Read spoke at length about the herpes virus and what benefits come from using it in research, and it was good to learn what benefits our project could have.

3. Did anything about the interview disturb you?

I wouldn't say that anything about the interview disturbed me. Some surprises I had were that Dr. Read had never before heard of grid computing or several of the treatments that we asked him about. This was a good thing in a way because it gave us the chance to explain grid computing to him and to get his initial reaction to the concept. We also explained some of the treatments he had not been aware of. Since he is in the research field and not medicine, I suppose it is not all that surprising that he was not aware of some treatments. After we explained the treatments we had heard of, it was interesting to hear his thoughts and analysis of their possible background and mechanism.
4. Describe the connections you found between the interview and your research & classwork.

The connection we found was that we got to see a research facility and meet a researcher who is probably very similar to the one heading our grid computing project. It was great to see and learn about where the research is being done and what direction it is heading in in the future. I really enjoyed seeing this side of science and it is good to know about the scientists who will benefit from this project.