Dwell in Possibility: kids with concussions, settlers of catan, and baseball

So, my first week in Omaha was fantastic.

Starting with my internship... I have to complete 300 internship hours while I'm here, including hours spent with clients, observing labs, and doing research. My advisor here is Dr. Bill Warzak, who does neuropsych assessments, among other things, and I'll be working with him on a project related to the assessment of kids that have had concussions. We're trying to develop a new protocol for assessment, including something called the ImPact Test, a balance assessment (in cooperation with the physical therapy department), and typical neuropsych tests that would normally be given. Using the combination of these things, we will have a good amount of info that helps to determine when a child is "ok" to return to normal physical activity. So, I've been doing lots of reading on things like that lately.

I'm also participating in this mini-program that allows me to observe all of the different labs here at Munroe Meyer. Here's a list of them all:

• Audiology

• Developmental Medicine

• Diabetology and Endocrinology

• Education and Child Development

• Genetic Medicine

• Health Policy and Planning

• Human Genetics Laboratories

• Molecular Genetics

• Nursing

• Nutrition

• Occupational Therapy

• Pediatric Dentistry

• Physical Therapy

• Psychology

• Recreation Therapy

• Social Work

• Speech-Language Pathology

I can't wait! I'm observing the autism clinic tomorrow. It's an awesome opportunity to see what I might be interested in doing in the future. Is it too late for pediatric dentistry?

Second, my roommate, Crystal, and her friend, Buzz, taught me to play a board game called Settlers of Catan. I was skeptical initially (it looks kind of like something you would play at vacation bible school, not that there's anything wrong with that :).

However, it's actually lots of fun. I looked it up online and there's a huge international following of the game, and you can buy add on's and all kinds of crazy things for it.

We also checked out a Sushi place downtown and a bar called "Nomad" which reminds me of Mosaic in Raleigh.

Also, just some tidbits about my roommates:

1. Caitlin's dad is an actual beekeeper, as his profession. He sells hives to lots of companies to help with pollination.

2. Crystal is vegan, and so I'm learning all about cooking without the use of animal products. Sometimes I think I could do it, but only if dollar double cheeseburgers didn't exist.

3. There are three sewing machines in the basement, and my roommate Julia designs clothes and costumes. There's a Shakespeare festival coming up that she's singing in as well as designing for.

So, not only are my roommates awesome, but the girls at Munroe Meyer are great, too. They were nice enough to invite me to a College World Series game. We saw Southern Mississippi play Texas on Sunday. It was a beautiful day! Here are some pics: