Experiments happen both inside and outside of the workplace. When I am not in the lab working on one of my projects or doing other school-related assignments, you can probably find me in the kitchen whipping up something sweet.

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When I was much younger, I would devour baking how-tos and other cooking/baking competitions like Master Chef. I started with simple recipes like vanilla cakes and graduated to regularly making more technical pastries like macarons, croissants, and tarts. Despite baking nearly every weekend, it took me a while to realize that frosting a warm cake (fresh out of the oven) would lead to disaster in every scenario. My patience has grown and slowly but surely, I absorbed baking/cooking techniques to become a self-taught baker and well-rounded chef. 

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I was once told that my baking endeavors held the key to developing my "hands" in the biochemical research techniques I now possess (e.g., western blot analysis). I can say for certain that the trials and errors that I faced while attempting to bake intricate and technical desserts developed my resilience as a researcher and has allowed me to embrace new challenges that I might encounter with an open mind.