Faith Simmons, 2026 Physics Today Science Writing Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: East Tennessee State University
Faith recently graduated from East Tennessee State Universitywith her bachelor’s degree in physics and will be starting her PhD at The Ohio State University in the Fall. Her research areas include massive star astronomy and physics education research, but her favorite part of the field is working with human elements like outreach and communication. Since joining SPS in 2023, Faith has served as ETSU Chapter President, Associate Zone 8 Counselor (AZC) on the National Council, and AZC Representative to the Executive Committee. She is also a proud Sigma Pi Sigma member and founder of ETSU’s Sigma Pi Sigma chapter. Outside of academia, she enjoys performing aerial circus arts and racing dirt bikes!

Internship

Host: Physics Today

Internship Blog

Week 1

Courageous.
If I had to describe my first week as an SPS Intern in one word, it would be courageous. One week ago, I packed most of my belongings into my car and said goodbye to my husband and dog for the next ten weeks. My decision to leave my family and spend the summer in a foreign city before starting a graduate program was one that I did not make lightly, but it is one that I am so glad I did.
Hi! My name is Faith Simmons, and I am a 2026 SPS Intern working as a Science Writer at Physics Today (PT). I will be posting weekly updates here about my time in Washington, D.C., so welcome! Along with project updates about my work with PT, I will be sharing insights into my life as an intern in D.C. and more. And because scientists are human, I’ll also reflect on the emotions and experiences that shape my summer. Enjoy the journey!
One of my biggest worries about moving here was that I would feel isolated being away from home, but I was met with a very different experience. The connection that this cohort has established in only one week is astounding. One of the unexpected lessons we learned this week was the power of a shared voice. Working together to identify a common goal and advocate for ourselves professionally helped us build confidence in ourselves and establish a sense of trust among one another. And of course, like any great physics cohort, we celebrated the end of our first week with a game night! Almost every intern was able to attend, and being in each other’s company was the best possible end to our first week.
Another highlight of this week was attending the Trimble Lecture by Dava Sobel. I was first introduced to Sobel’s work when one of my mentors gifted me The Glass Universe. To listen to her speak so passionately about Marie Curie and other women in her lab was an honor. After her lecture, I introduced myself and she autographed a post card for my mentor. In many ways, that night was a full circle moment for me. I also met many inspiring people during the reception and even scheduled a lunch meeting for next week!
One of the great parts of this internship is the flexibility I have. For example, I only need to be in the office one day a week, so I can work from any of the many libraries in D.C.! This week, I did most of my work from the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill. A group of us decided to go together on Friday, but we accidentally arrived almost two hours before they opened! Not to worry, we found a nearby coffee shop to caffeinate and spend some time. Plus, we took a group photo by the Library of Congress that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to look back on. I’m hoping to visit the Daughters of the American Revolution Library next week!
My work this week consisted mostly of reading PT articles and resources from The Open Notebook. If you are interested in science writing, this is a great place to start! Here are some of the things I learned:

• A “news peg” is a hook or event that justifies publishing an article right now.
• The “impact factor” of a journal is the number of citations that the journal has divided by the total number of papers published within the past two years. Typically, a 3 or above is a good impact factor.
• Don’t be embarrassed to ask silly questions because your readers likely have the same questions.
• Ask for details during interviews to add color to a story. This could be how the person felt in a moment, what the weather was like, or what time of day it was.
• Do your research on both the person you are interviewing and their work, so you are prepared to adapt on the fly.
• Sources and references are not necessarily the same thing. Not every source needs to be cited (e.g. Issues & Events), but it is helpful to include references for more technical articles.

Finally, I had the privilege of attending the opening night of the The National Orchestral Institute + Festival on Saturday with Jack Hehn, founder of the SPS Internship Program. This was my very first time hearing classical music live, and it reminded me of the times I spent sitting in my childhood bedroom listening to classical music CDs on my pink radio player. To say that I was mesmerized would be an understatement!
With that, I conclude my very first blog post. See you next week!

Week 2
Ambivalent.
As I spread my Appalachian blackberry jam onto my toast this week, a sense of nostalgia washed over me. I remembered the feeling of my sticky fingers as I picked blackberries from the bushes in my hometown. Then I remembered the feeling of the breeze on my face as I swayed back and forth in my hammock – nothing but nature surrounding me. I recalled playing in the creek with my cousins and going on adventures into the woods. Then, as if those memories were a TV show I was turning off, I put on my heels and rode the metro to the American Center for Physics.
This week has been filled with conflicting feelings for me. My identity has been deeply rooted in Appalachian culture, and I continue to be amazed by the beauty of East Tennessee. I also recognize that many of the beliefs and values I now hold do not align with that culture. Being in Washington, D.C. during a time of intense political turmoil has made it impossible to ignore or diminish the crisis that American science is in. As a science communicator, it is disheartening to know that I have not been able to convey the severity of the situation to my community back home.
It has been an emotional week. I feel guilty about leaving my family to pursue my career. I yearn for my front porch and the sunsets we watch from it. I feel displaced not being able to fall asleep next to my husband. I have cried more often than I would like to admit the past few days. I say all of this because these are real feelings that are not isolated. Perhaps someone reading this feels the same way. Dear reader, you are not alone.
This has also been an incredibly exciting week full of culture, learning, and bonding. Some of the highlights include a trip to the zoo, a stroll around the DuPont farmer’s market, a study session at the DAR library, an intern potluck / game night, a private concert at the American History museum with rare instruments, three different art museum visits, and another night at the NOI+F orchestra.
I have never considered myself an art enthusiast, yet I found myself feeling a deep connection with some of the paintings and sculptures I came across. I also noticed that one of the pieces performed by the orchestra evoked the same feeling as a painting of a pastel meadow I had seen a few days earlier. That raw, intimate feeling is something that I had never experienced before. If I hadn’t left Appalachia to come to D.C., I never would have felt that.

I love being in the city. I love public transportation and free museums. I love dressing in business clothes and riding Lime scooters to lunch. I love feeling like Sandra Bullock in a 2000’s film about the “big city girl”. Most importantly, I love the people that I work with. Getting to know the other interns better this week has been phenomenal. The staff at AIP are incredibly caring and motivated people. The Physics Today team has been nothing but welcoming and encouraging. If not for these people, I would have been on a flight home this weekend. I was told when I graduated high school, “This is the last time every person in the room will have your best interest in mind”. They have never been to the AIP office.
One of my favorite examples of community this week was when the interns came together to throw Bo a surprise party after he took the LSATS. Complete with a cake and game of Cards Against Humanity, it was so fun to celebrate one of our peers!

A few of the things I did for work this week:

• I attended the State of the Science Address at the National Academy of Sciences and wrote a summary of the event, including a few quotes that stood out to me.
• I joined multiple meetings with Physics Today writers and editors. I got to see the team dynamic first-hand and learn how each role contributes to the magazine.
• I started a few new projects, including one with the International Physics Olympiad. Check back next week for more!
• I dissected a few PT stories that have already been published to learn more about the structure of different types of pieces.

I’ll be back with more updates next week! Until then...

Week 3
Free.
Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t go anywhere without my purse and a plan. I have always struggled to be the kind of person that can quickly adjust or make last minute plans for the night, but being in the city has served as some form of exposure therapy. This Thursday, I decided to attend “Live! at the Library” with nothing but my phone and my ID. The surprising part about this is that the typical feeling of unease and dread was replaced by a feeling of freedom. I can navigate my way around the city and the metro system with ease now, so I was confident that I could adapt if things went wrong. (I even know where the “secret” bathrooms are, so I’m basically a professional.) I ended up having a great time and even got to watch circus artists perform at the Library of Congress! How many people can say that?
Because my husband and I have lived together for so long, I’ve never experienced complete and total independence until now. The past three weeks have opened my eyes to who I am as an individual -- not as a wife, daughter, sister, or student, but simply as a human being. The freedom that accompanies that experience is a new feeling for me. One of the more mundane things that I have enjoyed the most is being able to plan meals only for myself. My husband can be a picky eater, so I have been enjoying the new diversity in my diet. One of the interns brought panipuri to our potluck this week, and it was delicious!
I’ve been trying to find the best balance between making the most of my time in DC and finding rest for myself. I have been having an absolute blast with the other interns and all the different events we attend! That being said, the need for some alone time was a definite theme for this week. On Wednesday evening, I took the metro out to Bethesda for a solo dinner at Olazzo. Bethesda was such a nice town with plenty of shops to stop in to and dogs to pet along the way, and the ravioli I ordered for dinner was perfection. It was the perfect place to escape for the evening and get some distance from the city. I will have to return with the other interns on the weekend soon because I hear they also have a farmers’ market.
Some of the PT work I did this week:

• I attended the closing ceremony of the training camp for the International Physics Olympiad at the University of Maryland and interviewed the students. They are currently competing in Sweden, so wish them luck!
• I discovered some exciting work being done in physics education research that incorporates circus arts as a tool for learning.
• I learned about dangling and misplaced modifiers during a team meeting.
• I was assigned a backscatter based on a paper about tooth enamel. This is outside of my typical area of expertise, so it has been exciting to navigate the new jargon and methods.

We have a busy week planned, so come back and read about it in next week’s blog!