Friday, June 15, 2018
By:
This week has been the first real week for me in terms of doing my work and getting settled in. I have expectations I must meet at NASA every day and I have created a daily schedule/routine that works for me; finding time to meal prep, commute, study, go to the gym, etc. It is very comforting to go to work with a task in mind that needs to be completed, but as any physics researcher knows: not many things go exactly as planned the first time around.
I have been tasked with working on a computer-aided engineering (CAE) software called COMSOL that allows me to run electromagnetic simulations on microwave devices, such as microstrips and split-ring resonators. I just finished the first design of the split-ring resonator/microstrip (microwave resonator), so now in the upcoming weeks my goal is to change design parameters and analyze results given by the simulation. I have been familiar with computer-aided design (CAD) software before, but being able to see the EM effects on a device that will be put onto a telescope is an entirely different game for me. I have grown patient with myself and thoroughly believe that these next 8 weeks will go smoothly as long as I stay prepared.
I have grown close with everyone in the program, including my mentors at NASA Goddard. Turns out, they are frequent basketball players (I was very surprised, but they are actually really fun to play with!). Our lab goes to the Rec Center every Tuesday and Thursday for about an hour and a half and plays basketball in order to get our minds off of work (and win against other teams, of course). NASA also hosted a barbeque for the code 660 employees (I am one of them, it almost sounds official) where I was able to meet other interns and discuss goals for the summer and career-wise. I really feel welcomed here at NASA and it is nice to be around like-minded people who want to change the world or learn more about it.
I look forward to this weekend where we will be watching the second Incredibles movie and also attend a lecture about the Cassini mission. I am also looking forward to next week's progress at work and with my fellow interns. I think we have special things planned for the future...
Daniel Morales