Sierra Focazio, 2026 APS Public Engagement Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Appalachian State University
My name is Sierra Focazio and I’m senior at Appalachian State University graduating in May 2026 with a bachelor’s in Physics and Astronomy with a minor in English. I will be graduating from the honors college where I did my honors thesis on the intersections between physics and religious exploration. I have been an active participant of the honors college during my undergraduate degree where I served as an honors RA and director of our honors peer mentoring program.On campus, I have participated in our Physics and Astronomy club where I served as fundraising chair and have helped in several outreach events our PandA club has put on. I have also been a part of an all female a capella group on campus since my first year and have been treasurer and choreographer for the group. Off campus I have served as director of a dance program called Anyone Can Dance for several years where I have gotten to share my love and passion for creative expression with kids in my community!In my free time, I love to read, write, and spend time outdoors. I can’t wait to be in DC this summer and explore all the city has to offer!

Internship

Host: American Physical Society

Internship Blog

Week 1

Arriving on a rainy DC weekend, I was fortunate not to get stuck in the rain while I was moving in. I was looking forward to exploring DC with my mom so I was glad the rain held off for the two days she was here. On Sunday after I moved in, we walked to Chinatown where we went to a revolving sushi bar called Kura that had a long wait but was well worth it. While pricey, it was definitely a cool experience and made it a special first night in the city.
On Monday we went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. At 7 stories, this museum was incredible where starting in the basement you worked your way up through African American history and ended up in current culture including things like music and fashion. We also passed by the Memorial Day parade that was happening where there was a lot of music and moving performances.
Tuesday marked our first day of work at the ACP office where we had orientation. We met a lot of the wonderful staff we had been corresponding with and were able to get familiar with what our summers would look like.
Similar in nature we were back at the ACP office on Wednesday for HR training. On Wednesday evening, I was extremely fortunate to be able attend a lecture at ACP by Dava Sobel, a popular science writer and author of many books including The Glass Universe.
During the day on Friday a group of interns decided to work from the Folger Shakespeare Library. When we got there we realized it didn’t open until 11 but it gave us time to explore the area and we found a great coffee shop nearby. Once we got into the library it was beautiful and I will absolutely be going back. In the evening, almost all the interns piled into Bo and Daniel’s apartment for game night where we had such a fun time bonding and playing Werewolf.
Saturday was my favorite day of the week and is going to be hard to beat. A group of us went to a music festival called Porchfest that happens once a year in Petworth. The whole neighborhood participated in this festival where musicians set up and performed their music from their porches. We walked around for a few hours there and listened to different musicians playing and it was so much fun! It was a great day to be outside and I’m looking forward to a few more nice days before it gets too hot and humid.

Week 2
This week was absolutely phenomenal, filled with so many amazing DC activities. As an intern cohort, our group has gotten a lot closer as we continue to do activities together and fall into routines. On Wednesday night we had an intern potluck paired with games which was a great bonding experience for our group. Several of us have also been exploring different work spaces, alternating between going into the DC office and exploring some libraries. My favorite so far has been the DAR library which was so intricately designed, I wish I could live there.
On Saturday I had a packed day! In the morning, a group of us went to The Dupont Underground to see their pride exhibit and then headed to The Philips Collection which had free entry for ‘walk weekend’ where a collection of museums had free entry in Dupont. In the evening, I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend Respighi’s Roman Trilogy thanks to the generosity of Dr. Jack Hehn. It was a beautiful performance, and I had a great time.
On Sunday, we went to the Dupont farmers market which was the biggest farmers market I’ve ever seen. I bought some fresh veggies to roast this week and got a massive loaf of sourdough. In the afternoon, 8 of us went to the DC zoo. It was really hot and humid so we only made it about halfway through but we saw lots of animals and it was a lot of fun!

Week 3
My sister came up for the weekend and we got to do a ton of amazing things in the DMV area. We spent some time in Arlington where we thrifted and hid from the heat and humidity. We made it to the Holocaust Memorial as well as the Museum of Natural History which were both put together really well. After the museums, we walked to the Washington Monument and the National Mall and finished our night out with watching The Lego Movie. We made some delicious Borscht and garlic bread for dinner and planned a cross country road trip that we are taking later this summer!

Week 4
I had an eventful week with a dinner cruise and a NIST tour. The dinner cruise was incredible where we had a ride on the Potomac with delicious food. We went on a beautiful night and it was a great bonding experience for our intern group and I got to speak to some amazing AIP partners! The cruise was a great time and the weather was beautiful.
The following day, we had a tour of NIST and got to see the facility and small museum there. My favorite part, however, was getting to see the clone of Newton’s apple tree. I thought it was really cool that scientists were able to clone it, and even cooler that it’s something we can have here in the States!

Week 5
The best part of my week was going to see Moulin Rouge at the Kennedy Center, the lighting and special effects were incredible and the show was even better than I expected it to be, and I wish I could see it for the first time again! This week we also got to go to the AIP Board of Directors dinner in Baltimore which was a really cool networking experience. I got to have some really interesting conversations and we even got to see some huge boats that were there for a festival!
Week 6
It was exciting to be in DC for fourth of July this year since there was a lot of events happening for the 250th anniversary. A group of us went down to the Watergate area to watch fireworks, but since fireworks got delayed by a while, we ended up going back to the apartments early. When we got back, fireworks ended up starting so we went to the street and still had a good view of the firework show!
Week 7
The highlight of my week was going to puppy yoga at Luneh Yoga. The puppies come to the studio from Culpepper, VA and they were so excited to play and snuggle. I think this has been my favorite activity so far in DC and I would definitely do it again!
Week 8
I can not believe the summer is almost over, it’s gone by so fast and I’ve had so many amazing experiences. On Thursday night, I attended the Shakespeare play Macbeth, the theater used big puppets and some really cool sound and lighting effects, and it was a cool experience! I wanted to make the most of my last couple weeks in DC, on Saturday night, my roommate Faith and I went to the Kennedy Center to watch The Princess Diaries. The theater ended up being mostly young adults and it was a really fun experience to have a big movie night where everyone was laughing together. On Sunday, I took advantage of the air quality going back to normal and ventured to the Botanical Gardens and the Eastern Market, both of which had indoor and outdoor areas. I also made it to the National Museum of the American Indian, and it was a great way to get out of the heat for an hour.
Week 9
The weather has gotten a lot nicer this week, I really enjoy storms so I’ve been enjoying the rain, as well as the cool air that follows. I’ll be sad to leave DC but I’ve had a great time. I went to an AYCE sushi restaurant in Virginia with some of the interns and we had a really nice time out.