Articles

As I watched this ballet of wind and water elementals I thought quietly to myself—actually I had to scream-think it because of the noise of the maelstrom – "Boy, was this Iowa boy ever ignorant. How could I ever have thought that this place was a desert?"

Before I left home to head to Ardmore, I was told numerous times that I needed a boat in order to get around. I didn’t take much heed to this advice, though I almost needed to.

I’m now looking forward to this coming summer in Ardmore with the Noble Research Institute. I can’t wait to unveil the mysteries of science with my fellow scholars and lab members.  

This summer, I hope to complete a project that contributes to a larger goal of improving how farmers around the world are able to grow their crops. 

I have traveled a couple of miles in my short lifetime, but generally my time has been spent inside conference centers. This trip was a little different.

When Center for Pecan and Specialty Agriculture manager Charles Rohla asked me to help at this year's Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association Convention, I was elated to expand my knowledge on this specialty crop.

I already know I am in good hands at the Noble Research Institute, and I also know that they have big plans for us for the rest of the summer. I certainly am looking forward to it.

Moving to the West (Midwest as I am corrected fairly often enough now), I knew, would be an experience for me. One that I will look back upon in the future and think, "Wow, did I really do that? Was that real?"

As a digital clock counted down the hour we had to escape, the five of us scrambled to find clues in the books from a glass cabinet, underneath the baskets sitting on the ground and on the map of Oklahoma City that hung from the wall.

As summer at the Noble Research Institute gets underway, I am certainly excited about the new things that I am seeing, learning and doing. These opportunities are special enough that I don’t even mind the heat. Well, almost.