The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry had several directions that stood out to me. Two of the directions at the research institute stood out to me specifically. The first topic that stood out to me was research with LACTB proteins to help fight cancer. I found the research on this topic very interesting and promising. The other topic that stood out to me was photovoltaic molecular motors. This was the topic I was most interested in due to the ability to apply computing topics. We talked about how these molecular motors can react to light and ways to read their state, which can be used to represent bits. With the possibility of representing on and off states, molecular motors can be used for computing and other advanced applications. This reflects my engineering interests strongly; I cannot wait to hear more about this technology. I think the presence of government-supported institutions like this one is important to advancing technology and science, and supports the use of their research heavily in all engineering fields.
Beyond the research center, our evening boat cruise was a great chance to see the extensive and cohesive architecture and engineering that are present in the city of Prague. Traveling through the river, I observed the use of hydroelectric dams to provide power to the city while maintaining the look and use of the river. We were able to travel through a large part of the river regardless of these hydropower dams, through the use of water locks to bring the boats to the appropriate water level.
Swanson School of Engineering 