Thursday, July 6, 2023
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Hello! Welcome to week 5. This week was FILLED with many interesting activities and might even take the title for my favorite week so far.
On Monday there was some maintenance going on at GW, so Hannah and I did our work in the GW University Center for a few hours. If the weather is nice enough I recommend sitting on their third-floor patio! I had a meeting with Nicole where we set goals and tasks for the remainder of the summer in order to see which project I should focus on next. We are currently waiting for review of my main project, so it was definitely a lighter work week. At night we went to an event called Astronomy on Tap and met a few very interesting scientists from the area.
My Tuesday started off with a really nice conversation with APS staff member Sarah Monk. Besides being a summer intern I also happen to be an APS Student Ambassador, and Sarah runs the program. We had a really good and informal meeting about her career path, how she ended up at APS, and how she ended up in the position she is in now. She was also a past intern, so we spent some time talking about the program. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation because her path seemed to echo mine very closely, which gives me a lot of hope for my future physics endeavors. Also on Tuesday we had another APS Intern check in, this time with Devin’s mentor. We did an “emoji check in.” In the afternoon I continued some last-minute prep for the Science Trust Workshop and also worked on creating some categories for the extension activities I have been developing. This will make it easier for teachers to select activities and for the future developers to see what activities have and have not been included. On Tuesday night I went to the Marine Corps sunset parade. As in true D.C summer fashion it did start to pour, but luckily I was well prepared with my umbrella (see photo below). The main reason I wanted to go is because this parade featured the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps. I guess you can say I am a bit of a band nerd, so I really enjoyed this performance, even if I went hope a little damp…
My day started bright and early on Wednesday to head into ACP. This was also the day I learned they raised the metro fare from $4.40 to $4.85. Not cool Metro, not cool. In the office I was tasked with another mission to look for something in the building. Unfortunately I never found what I was looking for, but I was able to explore the upper floors of the building. You can see my APS selfie from the fourth floor below. Wednesday night was definitely the highlight of this week. I went Kayaking on the Potomac! I have been kayaking before but being able to do it with some of my new intern friends was a memory I will not forget. It is an event run through the Potomac Conservancy, which aims to help clean the Potomac and is $15 for two hours on the water. We explored the more scenic side of the river, but I think we are planning to go back in two weeks to explore the side that runs along the Georgetown waterfront. (Pictures below!)
On Thursday I had my last official Science Trust Project meeting with Allie, and Zack. We ran through some last-minute details. I’m really excited to see how it goes and to see how the intern enjoy it. We sent out a pre survey to gauge how much people already knew and will also be sending out a post survey to see how much they learned (hopefully). Check next week’s blog for a full report on that. Once again the D.C rain canceled our plans to go to the Wharf so a few interns ended up going to Circa for dinner and then hanging out at GW afterwards.
On Friday the APS interns had another lunch chat with the Public Engagement and Innovation team. I knew most of the PE team already, but this was also a great meeting because I got to hear a lot of interesting stories and learn about the pathways of the team. I appreciated this conversation, especially as someone who has an extreme interest in doing outreach type work in the future. *cough cough APS hire me cough cough* The big takeaway from this conversation is that everyone’s path is different, and there is not a “correct” path. Actually, the big piece of advice was to do some work before going to grad school, and of course always finding someone to pay for your grad school if you do end up going! Next up on Friday was a tour of the Capitol thanks to fellow intern Ruthie. I have been to the Capitol before, but we also got to go into the room of the committee Ruthie works for in a nearby House of Representatives office building. I learned that these buildings are open to the public to encourage people to knock on representative’s doors to talk to them. Though Ruthie also so kindly explained that its often the staff you’d be talking to first. After the tour I spent a little too much money at the cafeteria, but my chicken noodle soup and salad were excellent. Friday night was a whirlwind of events. First, I was planning to go to Jazz in the Garden because I had finally won tickets, but the weather did not work out in my favor. Instead I ended up meeting my school friend Emily to go to my second Marine Parade of the week at the Marine Barraks in Washington. This parade had performances from the Marine Band, Marine Drum and Bugel Corps, and the Silent Rifle Platoon. The Silent Drill Platoon and learning that there was a Marine Corps dog were definitely the highlights.
This weekend I began my D.C tourist adventures. I actually have a few days off of work due to July 4th, so I figured this was the best time to do some exploring. On Saturday I took a trip to the Air and Space Museum with MJ, Tiffany, and Ruthie. Most of the museum is still under construction but the exhibits that were open were still very interesting. My favorite exhibit was the one all about landing on the Moon. Although I spent a lot of time resting after that, I ended up hanging out with more interns at night after Janessa texted me minutes before I was going to go to sleep. I had so much fun Saturday night, so shout out to Janessa. On Sunday I went to the National Building Museum with Ruthie, and we explored the exhibit with buildings made out of Legos, an exhibit about photography of architecture, and an exhibit about borders. The building itself is absolutely stunning as well, so we spent some time sitting in the interactive exhibit on the main floor.
It is really crazy to me that half of this internship is already passed. The more time I spend in this program working and having fun with the other interns, the harder and harder it will be to say goodbye. We’re not there quite yet though, so for now I am looking forward to 5 more weeks filled of adventures. Make sure to check out the photo gallery below!
Jenna Tempkin