Life Page 10 ITic Blue Banner —Serving the University of North Carolina at Asheville since 1982 October 13, 2005 jenior Profile Senior chemistry student takes research to next level By Allle Haake STAfF WRtTER Senior chemistry and environ mental science student Laura f’riederich said while she looks forward to having time to relax after graduation, she truly enjoys spending time working on her research project in the laboratory. ‘Tve had so many bad jobs where I scooped ice cream, served people, baby-sat kids, or wiped sweat off benches at the gym,” Friederich said. “My summer job was doing chemistry research. I feel like I was ripping someone off becau.se I was getting paid for doing research.” Friederich, who came to UNCA as a freshman from Atlanta, started a re.search project with chemistry professor Bert Holmes. She con ducts experiments with a bromine substance similar to CFC’s, chem icals that destroy the ozone layer. ‘The time just flies by,” said F'riederich. “As opposed to other jobs, where I count every 15 min utes that pass, in the lab I’ll look up at the clock and realize 1 only have an hour left.” Friederich said she surrounded herself with science all her life. "My dad was an engineer, so 1 was kind of brought up around it,” Friederich said. “I did a bunch of science programs in Atlanta when I was younger.” F’riederich .said she did not think she wanted to be a chemist when she first came to college. “I always assumed 1 was going to be an engineer or a scientist when I grew up, and one day 1 realized 1 never actually sat down and thought about what I wanted.” With an original major of music engineering, Friederich said she was glad she tried something dif ferent before deciding to become a chemist. “Now that I’ve gone everywhere Blake Becker- Staff Photographer Laura Friederich, senior chemistry and enviornmental science student spends numerous hours in the lab of Rhodes—Robinson for research in chemistry she hopes to someday publish in a journal. else and come back to (chemistry). I’m really happy,” Friederich said. “I'm here because 1 want to be, not because it was how 1 was raised when 1 was a kid.” Friederich, who also involves herself in Alliance and Habitat for Humanity, said environmental sci ence is a very relevant issue in our world today. “1 think it’s one of the biggest problems facing us, because we are so unenvironmental in a lot of the things we do,” Friederich said. With one more year left at UNCA, Friederich said she will miss the pieople and scenery of Asheville. “1 couldn’t have asked for a bet ter place to have ended up, in terms of professors, a major and research opportunities,” Friederich said. “It’s not like a larger school, where you can’t really talk to the professors and there are tons of kids everywhere. People are very approachable.” Before working on her current research project, Friederich com pleted research involving mercury levels in fish. “I was trying to relate how much mercury was being deposited out of the air and how much was appearing in fish,” Friederich said. “It ended up being pretty inconclu sive. There’s no simple correla tion between the two because there are so many factors that influence the results.” Friederich said her current proj ect will help determine how HCFC’s, a new substance replac ing CFC’s, are reacting in the atmosphere. “HCFC’s are not causing as much damage to the ozone layer, but there are some issues along with them,” Friederich said. “I’m looking at one particular inter change of atoms within this mole cule.” Friederich said that although she does not possess the resources to focus on the entire issue concern ing ozone depletion, she hopes her conclusions will he useful to other scientists. “I’m working on a tiny piece of the experiment that Dr. Holmes has been doing aspects of for 10 or 15 years,” Friederich said. “I’m trying to figure out if these two atoms are switching places by combining gases and photlyzing them.” Friederich said she hopes to get her work published in a journal. “I’m going to try to get enough information to present a poster at the American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta this spring, and will continue the research next summer,” Friederich said. “I will have done two summers of research and hopefully will be able to get it published in a journal during my fifth year here at UNCA.” During the school year, Friederich said she does not spend as much time on her research proj ect. “I’m doing the project in my free time, so I don’t work on it as much as I did this summer,” Friederich said. “I was working from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., five days a week. I’ll do some more work over Christmas break and next sum mer.” Friederich said although she likes school and research, she looks forward to taking a break after graduation. “I went into college right after high school, and I would like to take some time off to travel,” Friederich said. “I’m kind of burned out on the constant stress level.” Friederich said she wants to do things she has missed out on before attending graduate school. “I’m definitely going to grad school, but I need a break,” Friederich said. “I’m ready to take the time to go to movies, take road trips, and see music shows.” Friederich said although she is passionate about chemistry, it is not her entire life. “I want a job that I enjoy and that doesn’t take up my life,” Friederich said. “I don’t have any aspirations to take over the world or anything.” Out and About: On Campus Alana Bade - Staff Photographer Students, faulty, staff and friends of UNCA attended a free lunch on the quad to welcome our new Chancellor Anne Ponder. A buffet was pnivided, where those attending piled up their plates, above, and congregated on the quad. Nathan Watkins, Junior student, right, enjoyed his free lunch on the quad where he interacted with other friends of the university. Alana Bade - Staff Photographer ropical hardens The Blue Banner Classifieds Employment Sitters and Nannies Needed! Mini &olf & Batting Cages Group of professional parents need childcare. Transportation, child care experience & CPR/BLS recommended. Sporadic care, part time/ full time posi tion availiable. Call or e-mail Vanessa (828)-277-6221 vanessab @ avlcvsurgeons.com 0t>en 7 days a hnmIU ’ Can about group rates OpportunitN’ The Blue Banner Submit editorials, photographs, artwork, or comic strips. Opportunity Spring Break 2006 Travel with STS, America’s #1 Students Tour Operator to Jamiaca, Cancun, Capulco, Bahamas and Florida. Now hiring on-campus reps. Call for group discounts. 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However, the history of aiJ fund should always be thoij oughly investigated before potential investment. Employers sometimes off( investment options, so student should investigate what tieii place of work has to offer, Starbucks, for example, alloij its employees to invest uft five percent of their paycheiSlI into stock options, with the co pany matching the invests amount. Students paying off coUcj loans can still net a profit investing, according to You Money. If students select investmetl that provide higher returns the interest on their studel loans, they net a profit, profit can be used to help payi loans, or reinvested for greaj returns. According to Young Moiiij the type of investment a studa makes depends on how mucj financial risk a student is to take. Higher-risk options such as stocks, generally pip vide higher returns. Mutua funds are generally less risk but tend towards lower potentia returns. A way of reducing the risk 5 investment, according to Youi^ Money, is diversificatioa Students interested in stock should invest in several differei( types of stocks. Mutual are inherently less risky becaua the investment is dividei| between a variety of stocks bonds. Stocks can generally be diviil ed up and classified accordingt size, style and sector. The sizeo a company is how mud investors think the entire con pany is worth, based on the cut rent share price. Stock sizes range from nricro cap (less than $500 million) ® mega-cap (greater than $100 bil lion). Bonds are certificates of deb issued by a government or c» poration. The issuer is required to annu ally pay a fixed sum until rau®* rity, and then a fixed sum repay the principal. If the pricj of a bond rises, its interest rar falls, which is good for bou investors. If the price of a bond ■ however, its interest rate rises' which is generally bad investors. Savings accounts and moo^fl market accounts can also tumr profit in the long term. Monejj markets require a higher balan*' than savings accounts but ret a higher interest rate. The mis*| mum balance for a money matj ket can run anywhere betweej $1500 and $5000, according Young Money. For some students, investing just doesn’t seem worth it- “I don’t think it’s anything would consider in the imniedw future,” said McCoy, sopW more. “Just because numne^ one, I don’t really know m®^^ about it, and number two, I f that it’s a little bit risky.” [ In lasi e editc I an ec [The. I ithor I atlw' Firstly figinal ;trequi jxualit ;dophi le autl ;ems t( I pers lel cot 3nfide lying t KS nc lis w 1. 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