Long time no talk friends,

I can't believe it's almost a week since we all met at Purdue. Kind of crazy how fast time flies when you're kept busy with doing work. I hope everyone got settled in nicely at their REU site :)

The fluid power bootcamp was such an intensive and informative experience. I never really had a clear idea of what "fluid power" meant before the bootcamp. The bootcamp helped clearly define what fluid power is for me now. It was really nice to meet everyone since each individual had a different background and came from a different part of the country. It was really sad to be leaving Friday morning knowing I wouldn't be able to see our whole group together anymore.

I really enjoyed the labs that we had to go through during the bootcamp. The graduate students were extremely open to talking about their experience as graduate students as well as their own research. Having no prior knowledge about fluid power, the bootcamp definitely help me be prepared when I met with the team I'd be working with this summer. Pretty excited to see how the rest of summer goes.

One thing I wish that was different about the bootcamp was that I wish we got one day off where we could explore around Purdue and its campus or just one day to hang out with each other. Other than that, it was such a wonderful experience to have. Can't wait to hear more about everyone's project!

-Diana