u/Awkward_Grocery_7358

I'm 5 weeks into my REU program and I'm having a horrible experience. My mentors keep giving me small tasks, usually just doing a little bit of analysis for data that will never be used, and I haven't been given an actual project to do. I come in at 9am, wait for several hours before the grad students show up, ask for something to do, and then they give me something that takes all but 10 minutes to complete. I ask for more and they "can't really think of anything else for me to do" with the promise of something coming tomorrow (it doesn't come). I'm not even allowed into the lab to clean or something. So I just sit at my desk and work on grad apps.

I'm lucky enough that I have a ton of research experience back at my home lab, but I feel like I'm just wasting the summer. Any ideas of productive things to do so that I can have at least something to show for this summer?

I'll be applying to STEM programs in the Fall. Most of the schools on my list have a maximum of 5 separate recommendation letters, and I'm lucky enough to have gotten to know enough faculty where I could conceivably submit all 5:

1. PI of lab that I've been in for 3 years

2. PI of a summer REU lab

3. Adjunct professor that I TA'd for 1 semester and 1 summer, worked very closely with since he trusted me to independently teach his discussion section for the summer class.

4. Professor that I had 2 classes with, attended his office hours weekly. He wrote my rec letter for REU programs, which was obviously successful.

5. Professor that I TA'd under for 2 semesters, but doesn't know me too well.

I'm worried that including (4) and/or (5) might dilute the value the other letters which I expect to be very strong. Any insight?

Do you all believe in objective or subjective morality? Is objective morality compatible with deism?