Author: Chris Bae, Email: baeh5@unlv.nevada.edu
Date Last Modified: 10/14/2024

Last weekend, I went to the nearby city of Henderson with a friend. The people there seemed relaxed, and it looked like a nice place to live. The view of the mountains on the way was amazing, and I thought that I’d like to hike up those mountains someday.
I went running at night from my dorm to the Strip. I used to enjoy running in Korea, but the weather in Las Vegas has been too hot, so I couldn’t do it for a while. Now that it’s cooler, I’ve started running again. There were more people on the streets and it was brighter than I expected, which made it a good place to run. I also felt that running with friends gives me more energy than running alone.

I met Dr. Dongbin Kim, who used to do research at DASL. He’s a senior from the same school, so he was especially considerate and supportive, which I really appreciated. Seeing him as a professor after finishing his PhD was very impressive. After meeting him, I started thinking more about my future. Before, I was only focused on getting a job, but now I’m considering different paths.

This week, one cultural insight I gained about Las Vegas is how active the city is even at night. When I went running from my dorm to the Strip, I noticed that there were more people on the streets than I expected, and the area was well-lit, creating a safe and lively atmosphere. It showed me that Las Vegas has an active nightlife culture where people stay active and social even late into the night.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my future career. I started considering graduate school, and I think that if I pursue a PhD, my life might be more self-directed compared to getting a job after just finishing my bachelor’s degree. However, I’m not sure if I can handle the process of earning the degree. I believe that getting a PhD is very difficult and that you really need to be passionate about academics and research to make it through.

This week, I spent a lot of time in the lab doing various activities. I learned how to make creative videos using chroma key and how to write CAM code for machining with a Shapeoko. After my Friday meeting with my professor, I also started thinking about how I can create more creative results.