My name is Pranali Dalvi, and this is my first post as one of the voices for Duke’s Research Blog!
I am a sophomore from Lakeland, Florida in Trinity (just like my twin sister Prachiti) looking at studying some combination of biology, chemistry, and global health – at least, for now.
When I’m not blogging, you can probably find me eating Loopwiches (a chocolate-chip-cookie-and-ice-cream sandwich) at the Loop, going to cardio dance, reading the New York Times, shopping online at Banana Republic, or doing cancer biology research. I am a huge Cameron Crazie, and I love cheering on the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor! In fact, lately I’ve been brainstorming ideas for poster slogans for Duke basketball games, so I can get my claim to fame on ESPN.
Although I’ve tried out cheerleading, ballet, gymnastics, ice skating, horseback riding, Indian classical dance, swimming, tennis, and golf, I like playing the piano most and have been playing for 12 years now.
I’ve been fascinated by the power of language ever since the eighth grade when I went to the National Spelling Bee. Upon entering high school, I outgrew spelling bees, and science fairs became my new competitive outlet.
Science fairs introduced me to the world of discovery-driven research. This is a world in which you never have to lose your childlike curiosity and you can ask questions until you find answers. What brings researchers together, however, is not the experimentation that happens in lab but rather the lab meetings, conferences and conversations that follow.
Fortunately, we are on prime real estate at the heart of the Research Triangle! We have access to these meetings, conferences and conversations and can glean from them the wisdom and knowledge of these renowned researchers. Through this blog, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!