Move Move Move

Residential News By: Ansh S.

Move-in day! All Cluster 8 members arrived on campus from 1:30pm to 3:00pm , getting their beds, rooms, and living spaces ready for the next 4 weeks of residential coexistence in their suites. Our cluster group got a mix of doubles and triples - a couple of us even realized we were roommates! As we started to gather outside on the grass and in the plaza, Cluster 8 began to materialize as we met each other for the first time. Then, later, activities started for the first time, and all COSMOS students got to do arts and crafts, including drawing with chalk, singing karaoke, doing sports, or just getting to know each other! 

Matching Game: Names & Faces

Cluster News By: Junior G., Jiwon R.

The official first day of COSMOS was marked by the lively sounds of alarm and door-knockings (by RAs) at 7 AM. Forming a clump around the hallways outside their suites, each floor began to head down to 64 Degrees–where they munched on eggs, toast, and hash browns, while also compressing their restless curiosities about the fellow students they will meet in each of their clusters.

As nearly 300 students gathered in the plaza outside Revelle College, 25 heads sprang out of the crowd in search of the CA (Cluster Assistant) holding a blue sign with the number “8”. An awkwardly crooked line formed, with each student turning around and sticking out of formation to introduce themselves to their new peers–who they would spend an entire 4 weeks with, spending many funny, happy, and exciting “firsts” together. Today was special, as it was the “beginning of the beginning”.

Cluster 8 students strolled together along an endless 30-minute walk past Target, Geisel Library, Dirty Birds, Jamba, Starbucks, and the Falling Star, where they eventually reached their official headquarters: the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall. Cluster 8 filled from the front row of the lecture hall, attaining a clear view of their professors: Dr. Sah, Dr. Gaetani, Dr. Steinbach, along with their CAs. Each and every one of the professors, CAs, and students introduced themselves to the whole group–their names, hobbies, and where they came from.

After a short break, students turned on their thinking caps to follow along the lectures on lab safety and basics of tissue engineering & regenerative medicine, led by Dr. Sah and Dr. Gaetani. The hour-long lecture was accompanied by quiet, serial-rustling of backpack zippers and keyboard typing–as the students voluntarily began to take notes, once again matching the title of the best cluster ever.

A walk back to lunch was followed by more lectures in the Computer Lab, specifically on lab procedures, given by the most supportive CAs on campus. Students were then split into smaller groups consisting of 4-5 people; they would work with this group during the entire week! By the end of the cluster programs, some names and faces were clumsily memorized. Cluster 8 students imagined to themselves a future where everyone would easily recognize everyone else. Such a future did not seem far away.

Day One... Done Right!

Residential News By: Ansh S.

Cluster 8 woke up bright and early on the first day to enjoy our first-ever breakfast at 64 Degrees. There were many different types of food for everyone to enjoy, such as eggs, sausages, pancakes, granola, cereals, and more! After breakfast, the cluster assembled and introduced themselves to each other for the first time, before Dr. Sah and Dr. Gaetani began their first-ever lectures of the program.

During lunch, we went back to 64 Degrees to try different cuisines from various corners of the cafeteria: the Italian corner had pasta and salmon, the Asian corner offered noodles, stir-fried vegetables, chicken, and potstickers, the American corner served fries, burgers, and chicken sandwiches, and the Mexican corner featured Mexican-style birria, veggie, and chicken tacos. 

After classes ended at 4 o’clock, Cluster 8 got together at Stonehenge and began our first team-building activity… Cosmolympics! All 25 cluster members got together with our wonderful Cluster 8 RA, Aaliyah, to brainstorm our skit for Cosmolympics. After doing a poll on the best ideas, we finally came to a decision on a theme that suited the TE-RM prompt the most: Lab Procedures That Go Wrong. Other ideas that were close seconds included a medical drama skit and a reenactment of Frankenstein’s Monster.

6 PM rolled around, and we were starving, so we headed back to 64, which had the same 4 cuisines. However, the menus had minor adjustments! The Italian had pizza, a salad bar, and garlic bread, the Chinese switched to chicken wings, and students could be seen walking around with soft-serve ice cream from the American corner.

After dinner was free time! Students had a variety of options to choose from based on our personality types. The more sporty and athletic could play soccer, while the more creative and artistic could decorate and paint magnets to stick to their laundry. The foodies could enjoy oat milk matcha and play board games, and those who forgot things at home or wanted a quick pick-me-up headed to the on-campus Target to grab cord extenders, hangers, snacks, and closed-toed shoes! After that was an hour of suite time, where suitemates got to know each other better through various activities, such as basketball, board games, painting, or writing letters to their future selves after the COSMOS program ended!

Finally, we wound down from this exciting and exhausting first day with an hour to ourselves. We skimmed over the next day’s lectures, called home, played video games, or fell asleep early. Any UCSD staff or student walking by Argo Hall at 11 PM would not find a single lighted room, as we were so tired from all the activities from the first day that we fell asleep right away. Cluster 8 was super pumped from our first day, and we could not wait for what the next day held!

From Danishes to Dreams, and Everything in Between!

Residential News By: Ansh S.

Excited and invigorated from yesterday, Cluster 8 woke up at 6 am once more to have breakfast at 64 Degrees! Energized from pastries such as French toast, donut holes, brownies, and cheese or strawberry danishes, we headed to the plaza to begin our exciting day! We grouped up in Revelle Plaza once more, where we shyly became acquainted with one another and made new friendships on our walk to class!

Following some invigorating lessons and debates from Dr. Sah, Dr. Gaetani, and the COSMOS admin team, Cluster 8 headed to grub! During lunch, the Newsletter Group–12 members, a solid chunk of the cluster–filled a whole table (and a few benches) outside 64 Degrees for a discussion. Drive folders and documents were created, ideas were shared, and roles were split up, with growing passion, growing teamwork, and growing friendships! Over salads, chicken sandwiches, garlic bread, fruit bowls, and fries, serious brainstorming and collaborative dreams began to spill out to power this very newsletter! 

After meeting, discussing, and setting up a game plan, Cluster 8–both nervous and excited at the same time– headed back to class to take on our first lab! Finishing the labs and write-ups at 4 PM, an exhausted group braved the long walk from the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall to Argo Hall in Revelle, where we gratefully found half an hour to ourselves in our dorm rooms.

Following this, it was back to Stonehenge, where this time, our second amazing Cluster 8 RA, Estelle, introduced herself and facilitated the game plan of our Cosmolympics skit! When we got a general idea of how we wanted to go about our skit, we then nailed down individual roles and started practicing our lines. Estelle encouraged us to be creative and supported us by helping us plan out what we needed to buy on Amazon. We were all reenergized by the funny shenanigans going down in the brainstorm process, as wild ideas–such as eating Nerds gummy clusters off a petri dish to simulate bacteria, or doing a Coke and Mentos experiment to the PPAP song–were spread around. Patients were dropped off from ambulances, and lab students doused themselves in hot water in our skit, and we were pumped for our final performance to the COSMOS program on Sunday evening! 

After we got our ideas down for Cosmoplympics, we headed back to 64 Degrees to enjoy a delicious and hearty dinner. It was much needed following the exciting work and activities we had done so far during the day! As we finished loading up on chicken, pastas, salmon, noodles, and way too many brownies and Blue Ribbon ice cream, we headed out to do the evening activities—which included many fun things, such as designing and painting coasters, heading to Target once again, playing dodgeball and chilling around, and doing an evening mile for the more active and sporty members! Some Cluster 8 residents were so excited and prepared for the mile that they showed up to Cosmolympics decked out in workout gear and with their Stanley cups full! 

We were exhausted after the nightly programs ended because of all we had to do, and topping that off with the rigorous lectures and labs made us more than grateful to have some personal time during suite time and beyond! As a suite, different Cluster 8 members did various activities, such as playing card games like Uno or Blackjack, watching the sunset from one of the various towers here on the UCSD campus, making friendship bracelets, or chilling and making TikTok videos in front of 64 Degrees! 

We wound down with an hour to ourselves, where Cluster 8 flipped through our lab write-ups for the day or played some video games to get our minds off the stress of the day. We were more than grateful when sleep called us at 11 PM, and not a single soul stirred as we dozed off and replenished our drained energy with some much-needed and invigorating sleep!

Blue Sky, Blue Shirt

Cluster News By: Jiwon R.

For Cluster 8 students, today was the day where they didn’t have any struggles in digging through their closets for their best outfit.. All they needed to do was to reach their hands out to the sky blue t-shirts, printed “COSMOS UCSD” with white letters; it was field trip day! After their morning meal, students headed down to the Revelle Plaza–where they found familiar faces wearing familiar clothes, visualizing a bright blue sky scattered along the ground in pixels. Having walked together to the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall, students were led onto the yellow school bus by Dr. Steinbach.

In the duration of a thirty minute drive, they were headed to their destination of OrthoFix–a medical device company located in Carlsbad, CA. Here, students were able to examine various devices that OrthoFix engineers design and manufacture, while also exploring throughout the building and its locations occupied by machines, 3D printers, laboratory equipment, and hard-working employees. Eyes shone with enthusiasm and passion as they delve into more complex, deeper questions–ranging from basic usage of each medical device to the particular marketing strategies of OrthoFix.

Around noon, cluster 8 students returned to the UCSD campus, where they were able to enjoy packed lunch right next to the famous “Bear,” a 180-ton stone figure retaining its proud presence in front of the Bioengineering building. When students finished their meals, Dr. Steinbach assigned a surprise mission to search for his name within the donor recognition “hall of fame” along the sidewalk. The winning prize of $5 went to Katelyn, receiving the honor to shoot a picture with Dr. Steinbach!

In the afternoon, students headed for the familiar computer-lab, sitting with their assigned groups to digest the instructions of two new labs: the Sterile Technique Lab, and the Molarity Lab. After having completed some pre-lab questions and designing a flow chart, students changed into their lab coats and safety goggles, where they carried out the procedures in a mature, collaborative manner. Teamwork, as well as friendship, seemed to be building!

Oatmeal, Odd Houses, and Other COSMOS Adventures: Cluster 8 Conquers Day 3!

Residential News By: Claire D., Jiwon R.

On Wednesday, the third day of classes at COSMOS, Cluster 8 woke up excited for our field trip later that day. At breakfast, we tried new foods (oatmeal) and enjoyed familiar favorites (yogurt and berries)! Cluster 8 students could recognize each other from across the 64 degrees dining hall with our bright blue shirts; together, we fueled up for a fun day.

After all of our classes, we convened after free time on the lawn to practice again for Cosmolympics. We had our skit fairly planned out by then, and used the time to focus on specific timing and music. Then, we chilled out on the lawn together before the eventual call to dinner.

After dinner, Cluster 8 students dispersed to the various activities, including participating in sports (tether ball and four square), going to a rooftop to paint and watch the beautiful sunset, doing (intense) yoga, or venturing over to Fallen Star, a wonky blue house on top of Jacobs Hall, that Cluster 8 had the privilege of seeing on our journey to class every day.

Suite time marked another exhaustive day coming to its end, as students enjoyed games, fruits, and snacks that our RA had prepared for us. The Cluster 8 Newsletter Team pulled open their laptops to begin recalling, organizing, and putting together the three impassioned days of COSMOS— spotting each other in the shared google doc and chatting about progress (and many thank you’s on keeping up) in between drafted paragraphs. We could not see each other, but we somehow could picture the content faces across the screen. Red eyes closed and satisfied faces fell into peaceful sleep, preparing themselves for another precious day at COSMOS.