Undergraduate research is a unique experience that is at the same time educational and fascinating. My research focused on evaluating the mid Atlantic offshore wind energy resource – or, put the way I say it when not presenting my research to a scientific body, seeing if Maryland is windy enough to put up some wind turbines.

The research had nothing to do with my major, interdisciplinary studies in medical imaging, but that didn’t impact the effect of the experience on my academic life – short and long term. I learned to get organized, to work independently, to pinpoint when I was confused and ask the right clarifying questions. I learned just how relevant the seemingly dry research done in a cloistered lab can be to the wider community. Every time I heard the phrase “wind energy” on the radio, I found myself turning up the volume. This was why I was going to school and struggling to earn a difficult degree. Not for some manufactured class project (although don’t get me wrong, those can be interesting as well,) but for the application of my education to real-world problems, with personal guidance from an interested and motivating professor. This experience crystalized my decision to pursue a PhD after I graduate from UMBC, and my research background gave me the skills I needed for the research position I held at Johns Hopkins University this past summer.

Undergraduate research is a facet of UMBC that should not be overlooked by those who want to put an extra spark into their undergraduate education. The three semesters I spent on this project are three I will certainly never regret, or forget.

Revelation 19:9 (NIV 2011)

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Reflection:

Many may think that the movie, “the Wedding Crashers” is not one you would find on the favorite picks list. However, there is one wedding you want to see and definitely must attend: the wedding of the Lamb, the final feast for all those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 5, Levi invites Jesus and all his friends for a great banquet. Those who attend and are at the banquet table are not dignitaries but are the outcasts and those known as “sinners.” But in the realm of God’s kingdom, however, they are welcome guests at the table of our Lord. The apocalyptic imagery of the wedding of the Lamb is meant to encourage us to be disciples of Jesus. The invitation is extended to us, ’cause there ain’t gonna be no crashing on that wedding!

Response:

This invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb is for all of us. It is amazing and humbling that we would receive such an incredible invitation. We are called to be part of the bride of Christ, united with Him when He returns. Let’s worship the Lord, thanking Him for calling us by name. May we respond each day to the call, trusting in faith that we are welcomed to His banqueting table and that He will return in all His glory.