IRB Approval and other craziness

In case you didn't know, the IRB is the Institutional Review Board that approves research on human subjects. I think each research university has its very own board. So basically, if you're going to be interacting with human subjects in any way, you'll have to go through the IRB process. If you're going to be interacting with pregnant women, fetuses, or children...well, good luck with that, I have a whole new appreciation for the amount of work your research requires!

My IRB experience so far? Well, first, of course, I tried to apply for exemption (quite a long application in itself, 8-9 pages and 1 appendix plus instruments)...which was not accepted. So, I got together with Charu, Ravi, and Sam on Thursday right after I turned in my 9 single-spaced pages take-home Econ 615 final (my 4th and last final thank goodness) and we cranked out 10 pages and 5 appendices and instruments/verbal script and consent forms, etc. of the Initial Review application (for expedited research) in about 2 hours (many thanks to Kenny, who I've never met but whose IRB application template was a godsend). Now, we are all waiting for approval. If it doesn't go through, we'll have to go through the entire application process again. Of course, IRBs are not the only preparation one has to go through to do research; OSU has currently switched to an entirely new student system, so trying to track down different grants is rather time-consuming, though I have come to appreciate email in an entirely new way--staying in touch with so many different entities which all have different methods of grant disbursement would otherwise be even more confusing!

Picture of the Tekro (where I'll be researching development projects):

(http://www.manavsadhna.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=30)

Here's an outline of my summer: I worked for a few days this week in Columbus at the Ohio House of Representatives, but now I'm back to Dayton for a few days until I leave for Boston on Tuesday. I'll be back next Saturday and leaving the following Monday for India, where I'll be until the beginning of September! Charu, Ravi, and I have been constantly in touch, trying to figure out a plan to do a little bit of travelling while we're all there; we'll be in all different parts of the country but are hoping to meet up and see some new sights. I'm also hoping to get in some dance and Hindi classes, and I'll definitely also be volunteering at Manav Sadhna again--I can't wait to see all of the children again--and hopefully, also at Seva Cafe (http://www.sevacafe.org/). Once I'm back in the States, I'll probably go visit Georgia for a week or so.

While I'm home (aka in the next 2-3 days), I have to figure out how to use the voice recorder and whether or not I should print out 100 different questionnaires before I go, and do some last-minute tweaking on my interview questions. Oh, and I also must talk to my parents and grandparents about direct translations of my questions to Gujarati so I can ask exactly what I want to be asking to the different parties involved in development projects, then proceed to print out 100-150 pages with my questions on them. And, I'm getting my Typhoid shot on Monday...and I really must remember to take my malaria pill tomorrow. Finally, I'm waiting on my traveler's health insurance card to come in the mail.

The student organization I'm co-founding, The International Development Collaborative, soon to be International Development Coalition (due to the fact there is already a pre-existing organization with the former name), is something else I am working on. Devyn, Justin, Pranav, Elizabeth, and I are organizing and planning everything for the 2009-2010 year, focusing right now on Autumn Quarter. We all met through our Collegium Seminar at the beginning of this academic year and have been meeting every since; in fact, currently, we're all trying to figure out a time we can gchat from all the different time zones we'll be in to stay in touch throughout the summer...if we manage to pull it off, it'll be quite an accomplishment!

Our wonderful exec. board and faculty advisor.

I should perhaps start unpacking everything that came over from my apartment and packing for Boston and India sometime soon. I'm known for my extreme procrastination in packing though, so in reality, I won't be doing that any time soon, I'll just be thinking about it excessively. Last summer, I had to leave the house for my flight to India at 7am, so I decided to get up at 5:30 am to start packing. Yes, start. Not the best idea, but it worked out...I think I stress my parents out with my packing habits more than myself.

Hmm...what else? I love planes. I love traveling alone, too. But the fact that an Air France flight with 228 passengers actually just disappeared from radars is a little disturbing, especially considering that is the airline I fly.

Finally, a random quote that I recently came across and wanted to share: "In the midst of our lives, we must find the magic that makes our souls soar."

*I may be moving to wordpress.com, I'll post the link on here if I do!

Un événement important dans le passé qui a changé ma vie...

French composition I wrote for 103 about my Manav Sadhna experience last summer! It's rather simple and probably has some grammatical errors but here it is anyway...

Un événement important dans le passé qui a changé ma vie était ma visite en Inde pendant l’été de 2008. Pendant cette visite, j’habitais avec mes grands-parents—les parents de mon père—et aussi avec le père de ma mère et la tante de ma mère. Cependant, l’événement spécifique qui a changé ma vie a été mon travail au «Manav Sadhna. » Manav Sadhna est une agence non-gouvernementale qui aide les gens qui habitent dans les bidonvilles d’Inde.

À cette époque-là, j’apprenais la langue anglaise à 40 enfants des bidonvilles. Je leur donnais les interrogations, mais vraiment, ils me donnaient la connaissance sur comment habiter une vie heureuse. Ces enfants n’avaient rien, mais ils étaient heureux ! Comment étaient-ils heureux, quand je devenais triste et je faisais du souci quand les petites choses n’étaient pas parfaites dans ma vie ?

Aussi, j’ai travaillé avec Rohan, un enfant à l’âge d’huit ans qui habitait dans la rue, qui ne pouvait pas voir, qui ne pouvait pas écouter, et qui ne pouvait pas parler. Toutefois, Rohan rirais et il souriait tout le temps. Il restait avec moi pour beaucoup d’heures, et il était très patient quand nous nous sommes assis dans l’hôpital pour obtenir un certificat d’infirmité physique pour Rohan. Ce garçon était formidable. Je me demande, comment pouvait-il sourire tout le temps ?

Pour conclure, ces enfants que « Manav Sadhna » aide a changé ma vie. Je suis alleé en Inde pour aider les enfants pauvres mais quand je suis retournée aux Etats-Unis, je me suis rendu compte que les enfants m’ont aidé !