Riley Christopher, 2025 Lawrence Livermore National Lab AI Guide Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Davidson College
Hi I’m Riley Christopher! I am a rising senior at Davidson College, majoring in Physics with a minor in Applied Mathematics, and an active member of Davidson’s SPS chapter. I am originally from just north of Atlanta, Georgia, and my passion for the intersection of education and physics has been shaped by my parents who both work in Georgia’s public school system. Outside of academics, I enjoy spending time with friends, working out, and binge-watching TV series. As the LLNL AI Guide Intern, I am thrilled to be contributing to SPS this summer, further connecting with a community that fosters my professional and personal growth.

Internship

Host: Lawrence Livermore National Lab AI Guide Intern

Internship Blog

Week 1

Song of the Week: Right Round – Flo Rida
I’m not a big fan of traveling or moving in general, so heading to DC for the summer was a little terrifying. But this week turned out to be amazing and honestly, way better than I ever expected.
The chaos started early when one of the wheels on my suitcase fell apart in the Atlanta airport. Then, after landing at DCA, I accidentally chose the wrong Uber drop-off spot for my dorm. But once I finally found my way, everything started looking up. I met my amazing and smart roommate, Grace, and we grabbed dinner at Sweetgreen (which I’m now convinced is the happiest place on Earth).
Sleeping that first night without a mattress topper was... an experience. But the next morning, I got to explore DC for the first time ever. I ran and walked around the National Mall for nearly three hours, completely in awe of everything.
Orientation was a blast, and I even learned how to use the Metro system. I’ve never used a subway before, so there was definitely a learning curve (hence Right Round as my song of the week). On day two, I spent 10 full minutes walking in circles inside the Metro Center station trying to figure out which exit to take.
Everyone at the American Center for Physics has been so kind and welcoming. The building is also fully stocked with coffee machines and snacks, which makes me feel right at home.
One of the best parts of the week has been meeting the other SPS interns. It’s such a fun environment where everyone is working on totally different things, from science policy to astrophysics to science communication and education. It’s exciting to hear what everyone is up to, and it makes the experience feel even more special to be surrounded by so many passionate and driven people.
Although my mentor, Dr. Dave Rakestraw, is based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, I’m incredibly excited to contribute to our shared project from DC. The goal of our work is to enhance physics lab education by integrating cutting-edge AI tools to help students better visualize, understand, and engage with key physics concepts. We’re aiming to create something that’s not just smart, but actually helpful and interactive for both students and instructors in introductory physics courses.
THE BEST part of the week was Thursday when I realized DC has my favorite coffee chain, Coffee Republic. I cannot wait to force all the other interns to come with me! I am so excited for the next 9 weeks!

Week 2
Song of the Week: Perfect Places by Lorde
Busy, busy, busy week! I’ll keep it short and sweet since I have so many pictures to share.
I started things off with dinner at Rebecca Vieyra’s house, joined by her husband and Dr. Jack Hehn. We talked about her work with the Physics Toolbox app over a delicious home-cooked meal, which was exactly what I needed after a busy day. They also gave me a lovely tour of the Capitol Hill area.

After work on Wednesday, a few of the interns and I went to the Wharf for Rock the Dock. We played cornhole, listened to live music, and had some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Perfect Places really fit the mood for a perfect evening.

On Thursday, the SPS interns were invited to a boat night with some of the ACP team. Dinner on board was incredible, and I discovered that some of my fellow interns have some pretty impressive dance moves.

My parents came to visit over the weekend, so we spent a lot of time exploring museums. My favorite was definitely the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. I don’t even need to explain why, just look at the pictures.

We also checked out Ford’s Theater, The People’s House, and my absolute favorite place on earth, Coffee Republic. After a long day, I convinced my mom to stop at Trader Joe’s with me for a little treat.

Week 3
Song of the Week: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
This week started on a high note with a lovely Monday dinner, and my last night, with my parents at Founding Farmers. The food was incredible, and I’ve officially learned over the past couple of weeks that mojitos are definitely my drink of cho

On Tuesday, I headed to the Hotel Hive rooftop bar for happy hour with Jenna, James, and Grace. We enjoyed the skyline and watched James absolutely demolish a flatbread pizza (only arugula left behind).

Wednesday brought a bit of baking therapy as I attempted to make gluten-free banana bread, and let me just say, I could’ve eaten the whole thing in one sitting.

Friday morning, I managed to convince Jenna and Grace to start the day with me at the happiest place on Earth (Coffee Republic, obviously). We closed out the night by celebrating Saniya’s birthday with a Mamma Mia movie night.

Saturday and Sunday were reset days in the best way possible—laundry, grocery runs, meal prep, and lots of glorious sleep to gear up for the week ahead. Saturday night, I watched all three hours of Dune: Part Two with James, JJ, and Grace, and it was totally worth forcing myself to stay up later.
Now, as for why the song of the week is This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things...
Well, let’s just say I lived up to the theme. Somehow, I managed to chip Grace’s extremely nice kitchen knife, our one and only good cutting knife, while trying to separate a block of frozen chicken. A tragic (and honestly avoidable) moment.

Week 4
Song of the week: The Best Day by Taylor Swift
This week, especially the weekend, might just be one of my favorites so far.
Even though I had already made my Monday pilgrimage to the happiest place on earth (Coffee Republic, obviously), I somehow found myself back again on Tuesday for an early morning coffee run with Jenna and James.

On Wednesday, the interns took a trip to NIST, but unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well and had to sit that one out. Grace came home with some amazing photos of the nuclear reactors, though, and promised me a personal tour in the next few weeks, stay tuned for that adventure.
We had Thursday off, so a few of us took full advantage with a brunch at Tatte (their coffee is almost as good as Coffee Republic’s) and then headed to the Air and Space Museum. I think I still prefer the Virginia location overall, but the Wright brothers’ exhibit was a highlight.

Saturday was a reset day for me, which I fully embraced, but the evening brought a beautiful surprise. I went with Grace, Kalen, and Naomi to see the National Orchestra Institute’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Dr. Jack Hehn introduced us to some of the student performers, and it was such a powerful and moving concert.

And now for the song of the week: “The Best Day” by Taylor Swift (are we surprised?). Sunday really lived up to it. We went to BBQ Fest to celebrate James’ 21st birthday, and it turned out to be the best day ever. I’d heard Jenna rave about it last year, but it still totally exceeded expectations. For a surprisingly low ticket price, we got to sample tons of delicious food (and bring snacks home). Grace and I somehow ended up with about 30 pickle juice shots, despite neither of us liking pickles...

After a glorious food coma nap, we wrapped up the day with ice cream cake (thank you Maia!) and a little party to celebrate James.

Song of the Week: “Cruel Summer” – Taylor Swift
Okay, I’m officially leaning into the theme. Every song I’ve picked so far has been a Taylor Swift song, so we’re going with it. This week’s pick is Cruel Summer. Not because this internship has been cruel (I’m genuinely loving it), but because it was actually 100 degrees outside this week. I was sweating just standing still waiting for the metro!
The week kicked off the best way possible...with a lavender haze latte from Coffee Republic, shared with Grace (as delicious as ever).

Later on, Grace and I somehow convinced James to join us for a yoga session and let’s just say it wasn’t exactly his thing

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Evenings were spent hanging out in Jenna and Maia’s room watching the new season of Love Island (yes, we forced James to watch it too). Peak brainrot, but we loved every second.
The weekend brought a bit more adventure. On Saturday, we spent the day exploring Georgetown bakery hopping, doing a little shopping, and enjoying the pretty neighborhood. The highlight? Meeting a tiny dog also named Riley. Obviously, my day was made.

Then on Sunday, Jenna, James, Grace, and I braved the DC Zoo in 95-degree heat, where I saw my first-ever elephant! Definitely worth the sweat.

Sunday night was a chill reset: cleaning, meal prepping, and getting ready for another week. I’ll share more about my project next week!

Week 6:
Song of the week: “No body, no crime” - Taylor Swift

This week started off rocky on Sunday night (after I had already written last week’s blog) with a late-night trip to the GW Emergency Room with Grace to get her finger stitched up after she cut it open with our infamous knife. It was quite convenient that the ER was less than a quarter mile away from our dorm, but still not the most ideal way to spend a Sunday night. The stitches are being removed tomorrow (yay!).

The week went on as usual after that, though. James, Grace, and I have a new tradition of a post-lunch walk to CVS to get a pre-gym snack to save for after work, and I have been enjoying that.

On Thursday, James, Jenna, and I went to Ben’s Chili Bowl after work, and I witnessed James down two chili dogs and a plate of chili fries, which was extremely impressive.

The Fourth of July was SO MUCH FUN. The day started off with me locking myself out of the ACP gym and Grace having to come rescue me, but I was eventually saved with a couple of High Noons and hot dogs (thank you, Jenna and Maia). The interns hung out for a few hours, then headed down to the National Mall to watch the DC firework show. We got there early, so James and I took a nap in the grass (desperately needed).

Saturday and Sunday were much-needed rest and reset days, and I finally gave in and watched Little Women Sunday night. Grace was right, it was an amazing movie.
As for this week’s song, “No Body No Crime,” there were a few things this week that reminded me of it. First, Black Widow and Captain America’s undeniable chemistry in Captain America: Civil War. The second was James’ empty plate at Ben’s Chili Bowl.