Daniel Willson, 2026 SPS Careers Toolbox Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Wichita State University
My name is Daniel Willson Jr. and I’m a recent graduate of Wichita State University as of May 2026. Over the course of my studies, I’ve developed my research in nuclear physics, primarily using gamma-ray spectroscopy methods as well as a focus on astrophysics. In physics I have met dozens of new friends and made many worthwhile connections, and I feel there is always room to grow.
In my youth I did any sport I really could including soccer, baseball, football, and wrestling. I enjoyed participating in sports, but I always felt academia was where I exceled. In my free time I have a wide range of hobbies including traveling, photography/photo editing, building Legos, sewing, and participating in car meets and events.
A couple of random fun facts about me are, my favorite food is cherry cheesecake, I have a ragdoll Siamese cat named Neko, and I have unintentionally amassed ~72,000 followers on TikTok and garnered 5.9 million likes with around 50 million views.

Internship

Host: Society of Physics Students

Internship Blog

Week 1

My first week in DC was quite an adjustment to a small city in Kansas to say the least. Massive structures with large population densities aren’t something I was ever acclimated with being in Kansas. On my first day, I had to learn to use a metro system and that was something I had never done before. Then with the trains packed with hundreds of people shoulder to shoulder like sardines, it was very easy to become confused, but thankfully we have a great crew of interns to help one another through that struggle.
After arriving I got to know some of the AIP staff I’d be working with and acclimate myself to the AIP DC office which was genuinely beautiful. During my lunch break I took the liberty to explore the surrounding area and decided to head for Chinatown for a bite to eat. I found this small restaurant called China Boy and ordered steamed pork dumplings and they were easily an 8.9/10.
While doing a wide range of activities including near daily walks with the other interns to explore the local area, I have befriended quite a few of them and look forward to many adventures with them this summer. So far, we have gone to see the Washington Monument, the White House (from a distance), the unfinished reflective pool, and the Lincoln Memorial. Seeing these all in person versus a textbook was quite a surreal experience for me to say the least.
While on one of our walks, we walked past a bookstore where I went in and bought Isaac Asimovs The Foundation for a sci-fi summer read and walked along the Potomac with my new friends. I’m ecstatic for the coming weeks and can’t wait to write about this summer further.
Over the next few weeks, we have lots of plans for different notable locations, museums, and events, so be sure to tune back into my blog page to see the adventures!

Week 2

With the start of the second week, I’ve gotten to know a lot of my team directly and got my work assigned to me, so it has been a far busier week for me than the latter. This week has been much more work-oriented for me, so I don’t have many intern adventures to contribute to this iteration of the blog. Besides general exploration of the local area, going on walks, taking the metro more and learning the layout, I’ve worked or watched the Isle of Man TT race or ESL Cologne Counter Strike 2 Major.
Work this week was nerve-racking at first since I was getting introduced to my direct supervisors since I had no idea what to expect, but after meeting them I felt very comfortable and eager to work. I’ve made sure I go to the DC Office a few times a week since I typically work better when in a work-oriented environment (not my dorm). I feel much more comfortable on my commute to work since I avoid the extremely busy hours, and the metro is quite tame.

Beyond my work and exploration though, I’ve continued my reading of Isaac Asimovs The Foundation, watching the 2026 Isle of Man TT race, and watching the 2026 ESL Cologne Major. All of these activities have been very fun for me especially the Isle of Man TT race since the riders, I’ve supported the most heavily (Michael Dunlop, and Peter Hickman) have had very impressive runs this year. The Cologne Major just started a couple days ago so it’s still very early stages for that tournament, but so far, a lot of my predictions have held somewhat accurately. Thankfully so many live events are currently ongoing so I can’t have any excuse to be bored.
We also did go to the Smithsonian Zoo the weekend before publishing this, and that was very fun with our group. I was a little bit bummed we didn’t get to see the Amazonian exhibit, but it was also 90 degrees out and not getting any cooler, plus they closed at 6. There’s always next time though and I know we have many more plans, so something is bound to redeem that.

Week 3

This week I really don’t have much to add since I have been mainly working from home this week and didn’t do many outside activities. I have made significant progress in my work however and have almost finished reading The Foundation which has been an amazing book thus far. I’m primarily excited for the coming week since I know that will be far more interesting activities going on, and I’m planning to explore a bit more since I have less funding constraints.
Besides work or my lack of plans, I did have a cool thing occur this week. My stepmom and sister assembled a little care package of skincare products and my fancy shampoo and conditioner as well as including a little polaroid of my cat, Neko. Getting that was really heartwarming since I have been missing them all a lot and being able to see Neko and know they’re all still thinking about me brings me a lot of peace of mind.
In this approaching week though we have plans to go to the Air and Space Museum, maybe some Secret Door Museum, a dinner cruise, and honestly whatever I walk past that may look interesting. I’m extremely excited to write about that and show you all pictures.