I met Austin the summer that I joined the lab. I was surprised when I found out that he wasn't a graduate student... you had just finished your freshman year in college. You were so excited about your experiments and results…. Always kind when someone had a question… Always smiling.
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Austin, you were everything I could have asked for in an undergraduate student. I was repeatedly shocked by your intelligence, your novel ideas, and your dedication to science; I know seasoned researchers who don't think at your depth! I remember contacting you a few months after you left to get your opinion about a cloning strategy you had designed; that's how good you were. The biochemical community has lost a rising star, but I feel blessed to have worked with you.
I met Austin the summer that I was first starting my job in a biochemistry lab. I was scared and nervous since I had never been in a lab seTng before then. I walked into the lab and saw a new face mixing in so well with the rest of my coworkers – Austin. Austin helped me more than anyone else that summer. He would help me find protocols when I needed them, would supervise my experiments in case I messed them up, and he patiently explained everything I wanted to know. He made my transition into the lab so smooth and I couldn’t have thanked him enough for that. It pains me now to think about my interactions with him and understand that I never got the chance to say goodbye to him or even personally thank him for all of his help. Austin had such a genuine soul and I am blessed to have been in his presence. He was always so curious and eager to know the unknown and I think that’s why he enjoyed working in the lab so much. I specially remember him presenting his project at our weekly lab meetings – I saw his face light up as he explained the progress he was making! He was so excited and proud to present the data he had been working on. I saw passion in him – passion for science and research and it made me see the research field in a whole different light. I only knew him for a summer but he as a person has made such an impact on my life. Austin was such a caring person, and the world has suffered such a great loss. My condolences go out to his family and friends. Be proud of the person he was and the legacy he created, his memories will go further than anyone has expected
Austin, you were a smart young man with passion for science. I remember you working independently on your own project, you didn’t need a senior student to guide you when you were a summer research student in Karlett Parra's Lab in 2011. You were a natural born scientist with very creative thoughts. You also were very kind, I remember you helping everyone who needed help in the lab. It's a tragedy to lose such a kind young man who always had a smile for everyone. I appreciate every moment I worked with you.
Austin was a pleasure to know and definitely the type of person who brought a lot of talent to the table. I remember meeting him for the first time and was impressed with his passion for both science and baseball. A memory that comes to mind would be how I would always catch him analyzing baseball stats almost right after an experiment or during the downtime. He definitely was a pleasure to work with and to call a friend. He will be missed.
Austin, I remember the summer you spent in Karlett's lab very well. You immediately took charge of your project, and you were extremely quick in understanding new concepts and methods. Your intelligence and obvious brilliance in science deeply impressed me, and none of us doubted that you had a promising academic career ahead of you. In addition to your professionalism at such a young age, you were also very kind and friendly to everyone around you. I feel honored that I had the chance to be your colleague.
We will remember Austin as a kind, friendly, and exceedingly intelligent student whose generosity had no limits to assist and cooperate with every one of us. Austin’s intellect and maturity were ahead of his academic time. Austin, your friendly smile and the memories will be with us forever. It was a blessing sharing the summer of 2011 with you. You always will be remembered and missed. Just finished drafting a eulogy for my cousin. From a friend at the University of Chicago: “It's clear that Austin was just the sort of person and student one hopes one's children will be: he loved to learn for the sake of it, in his major or not; he embraced every opportunity for living—baseball to opera, classroom to hiking—for the joy of it. He wasn't punching in his resume lines. He lived.”
Austin, I'd be surprised if you knew me. It pains me that I never got to meet you, even though we had mutual friends. And it baffles me that we may have been in the same building, perhaps even walked past one another, yet I would never have greeted you because I did not know who you were.
Yet in the last few weeks, that's all changed. In hearing how much people have loved you--as a friend, as a son, as a student--I have begun to love you too. That's the beauty of your life; you have changed those around you, and thus, everyone who has heard their stories. When I think of our mutual friends that I met only recently, I wonder how different they would have been if they hadn't known you. Life reminds us that every interaction, every experience, shapes us. And so, I wonder with curiosity and amazement, how much of my life was indirectly influenced by your presence in the lives of my closest friends. Even now, you continue to make an impact. You have reminded us all that each life is so valuable, so precious. And you have reminded me that the effort put into maintaining friendships, particularly at a university that can be quite isolating, is never a waste. Thank you for teaching me through those lives you have changed. And thank you, to Austin's family, for providing us this space and thereby giving us the privilege of hearing these stories. And then what......?
Every 3 year old goes through the 'why' phase. Austin took it to another level (no surprise there then!) Austin wanted to know 'and then what?' Example: C - 'careful Austin you might fall' A - 'and then what?' C - 'and then you might break a bone' A - ' and then what?' C - ' and then you will have to go to hospital' A - 'and then what?' You get the idea! I could deal with about 8 or 9 'and then what's?' before I would run out of answers and say ' and that's the end of it' But let's factor in Laurie. Laurie and Austin could continue this Q&A session for hours it felt! Laurie would inevitably get scientific and get down to the nitty gritty of atoms and such like. I remember Austin giggling away as Laurie's answers got more and more elaborate. The longer the words the more he revelled in the game. And Laurie never got tired of it. And now what.......? Love you always Austin x |
AuthorCollecting stories so that everyone can see who Austin Hudson-Lapore was to each of us. Archives
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