Friday, August 9, 2013
By:
My final week was full of activities and it was lots of fun! On Monday, I went to NIST for a few hours to get some final words of advice from my mentor about my presentation. Afterwards, I traveled to ACP for a great lunch with Fred Dylla, the Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics. He spoke to us each individually and wanted to hear about all of our experiences as SPS Interns. It was a good time to reflect on my time as an intern and hear from someone who has been successful in his field. Afterwards, I ran though my presentation for Kendra, Toni, Daniel, Elizabeth, and the other interns and received valuable feedback. That evening, I practiced my presentation several times and made sure I was comfortable with it before Tuesday.
On Tuesday, all of the interns met at ACP in College Park for our final presentations. I was excited to see Dr. Dave Seiler and Dr. John Mather in the audience, and several of my family members were also there. After the presentations, we had a nice lunch at ACP and went on a tour of the State Department that Ro had organized. On the tour, we heard from three people with physics backgrounds who worked at the State Department. It was really interesting to hear about all the different paths people can take with a physics degree, and it was a great way to unwind after our presentations.
On Wednesday, we went to ACP to complete evaluations and finish up some necessary paperwork. The rest of the interns went on a tour of ACP in the afternoon, but I had to go back to NIST so I left early. At NIST, I said goodbye to everyone and organized my files for the scientist who will be continuing the project. It was a bittersweet moment for me as I reflected on my time at NIST and all that I’d accomplished.
On Wednesday evening, I said goodbye to the other interns and moved out of the dorms at GW. I was sad to say goodbye, but I know we’ll all keep in touch. I had a great summer as an SPS intern, and I’m so glad that I was given this opportunity. I’d like to extend a special thanks to everyone who helped me along the way – you made my internship so wonderful and memorable. Thank you all!
Alexandra Day