Anna has worked on Dr. Reingold's kekulene project for two summers and one academic year.  She spent the fall of 2005 in Ecuador.  Currently she is attending graduate school in organic synthesis at the University of Zurich.

"Asking to do research was the best thing I could have ever done for myself academically. When I first started I felt as if I knew nothing about chemistry.  In class I found that it was easy to memorize reactions and predict how a molecule should be synthesized; but once I began to do research I quickly realized that even though it looked correct on paper, it might not happen in the lab.  As time progressed I started to develop a sense of how a reaction should work through both what I've learned in class and what I've experienced in the lab. I began to put practical experiences behind the concepts I was being taught in class and found it was easier to understand the material because of this. I am now beginning to look at graduate schools and feel more confident about attending because of the research I've done. I've experienced disappointment when a reaction hasn't worked, as well as a sense of accomplishment when one does.  I've spent long hours in lab and still wanted to come back in the next day. While I'm sure there are many more surprises about graduate school that I have yet to find out about, I feel as though I will be a step ahead of those who have only ever learned by being in a classroom."