Holly Fortener, 2020 SPS SOCK (Science Outreach Catalyst Kit) Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Marquette University

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by to look at my profile. My name is Holly, and I’m the SOCK Intern for the summer of 2020. The opportunity to educate the next generation on physics phenomena is very exciting for me! Amidst the current pandemic, I am still determined to create an enlightening and engaging SOCK kit for SPS outreach events!

I recently graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a bachelor’s degree in applied physics and a minor in computer science. My journey at Marquette was unforgettable; while my major integrated physics and engineering, I joined Alpha Omega Epsilon - a professional and social sorority for engineers and technical scientists. The sorority was a major support system during my undergraduate career. I would not have maintained my passion for physics and completing my undergraduate degree without my sisters.

In the fall, I plan to attend graduate school at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where I will be working towards a Masters in Earth Science. My passion for the environment drives my research interests; I am interested in studying the implications and interactions of natural disasters such as earthquakes, rock slides, and volcanic eruptions. I aspire to aid my research advisor in further developing her research on the eruption of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. The prospect of performing field research is very exciting to me!

I tend to think of myself as an outdoorsy person, hence the excitement for field research! In my spare time, I enjoy biking, running, hiking, reading, bullet journaling, painting, and exploring new music and food. I am a dog-lover at heart, a tea drinker, and thrilled to (virtually) meet all of the SPS summer staff!

Internship

Host: American Institute of Physics

Project

Abstract

The Society of Physics Students values opportunities in physics and astronomy for undergraduates and places global science outreach for younger generations at its core. Science Outreach Catalyst Kits (SOCKs) are free to SPS chapters while supplies last and contain an exploratory physics and science activity. SOCKs are specifically designed for SPS chapters to use in outreach presentations for elementary, middle, and high school students. Each SOCK comes with the essential materials to conduct a set of demonstrations, a comprehensive manual, and instructions on how to expand the demonstration to become a tried-and-true outreach activity. The 2020-21 SOCK is celebrating the international year of sound by theming its demonstrations around acoustics and expanding its availability to Acoustical Society of America chapters. Come learn about the 2020 SOCK if you are just starting out or are demo pro!

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #1

I am literally sweating after week #1. This week I worked a lot with my mentor, Brad Conrad, on mapping out the summer for the 2020-21 SOCK, demos, and even jeopardy. I am not surprised by the amount of information that I absorbed into my brain this week; in fact, I am also not surprised at how tired I was at the end of the week. BUT - I will not sway because the brainstorming ideas cooked up in the lab over the past few days has made me even more excited for science outreach! Now that I fully understand my workload for the summer, I’m ready to roll.

Since the internation year of sound is upon us, the 2020-21 SOCK will include acoustic themed activites. After getting some supplies sent to me in the mail (shoutout to B-Rad) I will definitely have some pictures of demos and SOCK stuff to show off later on. I have recently received a soldering iron, soldering materials, contact microphones, and a portable oscilloscope...be on the lookout for more updates on outreach projects with Holly (home edition)!

Outside of work: I just went through an approval process for an apartment in Houston! I plan to move in early August before grad school and research starts. Hopefully I will give a positive update on that topic later...but, right now I’m trying to tame some nasty sunburns from finally getting to be poolside this week. #ReapplyFolks

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #2

Week two was super busy! Brad and I finalized the image for the 2020-21 SOCK. Later in the week Brad was having camera issues and was feeling a bit blue.... I also finished a demo provided by the National Council Physics is Phun Committee! The demo is called “Passive Pasta” and features passive cooking, or cooking with low amounts of energy, to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Who knew pasta could be cooked with hot water and an insulated travel mug? I received a lot of packages with materials for the next round of demos! This week I received: purple sand, salt, dish soap, juice, corn starch, and a rainbow slinky. Stay tuned for ore updates on science outreach at home with Holly!

Speaking of demos, I sent out invitations to all of the SPS interns about the AAPT 2020 Demo Competition. All interns will submit a demo and be featured at the competiton! Voting for the demo competition winner will take place and a winner will be annouced a the end of the competition! I’m excited to see what my fellow interns whip up! The interns met tonight for a hangout and played Jackbox games: “Tee K.O.” and “Murder Mystery Party.” There was a lot of physics themed t-shirts presented tonight and it was very entertaining. Don’t judge us, we can’t help it.

Outside of work: I was approved for the apartment in Houston! I will be moving to Houston at the beginning of August and starting grad school in mid-August. I’m stoked to start this next chapter in life!

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #3

I posted a few demonstrations this week on the SPS website: Passive Pasta and Slimy Spaghetti and Meatballs! The first has to do with energy conservation and the latter with chemical bonding. Since we are still working from home, I wanted to post demos that would be easy to do at home for parents and children. The next demo that will be posted sometime next week will fit directly into the “do at home” category: stay tuned for more updates on Outreach from Home with Holly!

I made a little progress on the SOCK this week as well. One of the SOCK goals is to include diagrams to help understand sound, oscilloscopes, and other aspects of the kit. I finished part of a diagram on Friday, but my family put in new carpet on Thurday and Friday so progress was very low. My dog and I went over to work/play at my boyfriends house on Thursday so he wouldn’t be so stressed out from the carpet guys... my boyfriend’s mom fell in love with my dog and I struggled to get things finished because my dog is just so cute. But that’s okay! I checked off all of my goals for this week, and the new carpet is a nice perk.

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #4

Holy cow! The summer is going by fast. This week in SPS outreach I posted a new Jeopardy round that focuses on acoustics! I’m excited to play this round with the interns and our mentors at a virtual picnic that is coming up in a few weeks. There is also a new demo posted on the SPS demonstration page titled “Ice and Salt Slushies.” Making slushies was such a fun thing to do at home, and I hope others can agree with me! This demo touches on the melting and boiling points of pure water and how we can alter these properties with salt. The next demo is kinetic sand...more on outreach at home with Holly next week! Speaking of demos, I’m very excited to share that I have a few volunteers helping me out with demos this summer. Next week I am going to host the first stand up meeting and begin outlining goals for the new volunteer team. I hope to share more of the volunteer progress in future blogs.

The interns had an event on Friday: bad physics movie night! I didn’t know making fun of movies like “The Core” could be so entertaining. If I remember correctly...one of the scientists at one point said “800,000 sqft/meters” and I died. However, I was reborn when they actually did real physics by stating the basic equation for torque??? But don’t be fooled - it continued to go downhill from there.

Bonus: A picture of Brad feeling blue...

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #5

I cannot believe how fast this summer is going... July 4th is already past and we are halfway through our summer internships! I’m trying hard to enjoy everything while it lasts.

This week, I spent a majority of my time working on a presentation for the AAPT Summer meeting. Brad helped me put together a presentation on SPS outreach resources and the 2020 SOCK in more detail. The difference between the 2020 SOCK and previous SOCKs is the sponsorship: not only is the 2020 SOCK supported by AIP this year, but also the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). Due to this extra support, SOCK production is increasing from 100 to 200 kits, which will be available to both SPS and ASA chapters! It was very exciting to share the hard work Brad and I have put into demos and the SOCK so far, and I hope my presentation wasn’t too horrible....recording on a computer is so hard and I may have redone my recording like 100 times. ToT

Outreach at home with Holly was a bit slow this week, but I did have a successful trial run on the kinetic sand demo that I hope to post next week. I also plan to start the 2020 SOCK writeup and finish up on a few SOCK components for the acoustic demonstrations! The interns also met this week to plan a virtual picnic event on July 9th. I really enjoy spending time with my fellow interns regardless of whether we are event planning or hanging out and playing games. Our intern group is really supportive of each other, and at the end of a long day a supportive and fun environment is exactly what I need.

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #6

As far as outreach at home with Holly goes, this week was focused more on the SOCK and the virtual picnic event that took place on Thursday of this week. The SOCK is progressing steadily, but due to doctor’s appointments and other events, it took a back seat this week. People invited to the picnic were interns, SPS staff, and intern mentors. The interns were put in charge of planning the picnic and providing fun games/activities after Dr. John Mather presented a talk on his research experience. Turns out, Dr. Mather was cooking a lovely meal for his wife and forgot about the event, so everyone at the picnic ended up having a fun time playing games and getting to know each other. Dr. Mather has generously rescheduled his talk with the interns though, and I can’t even be mad at him. Happy wife = happy life.

That’s all for now.

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #7

I have a LOT to report this week.

The volunteers who have dedicated some of their time this summer to helping me out with demonstrations are doing an amazing job. I hope you look forward to eggs bending, lasers reflecting and refracting, and food coloring interacting with dish soap. One volunteer presented his first draft of a demonstration video on a laser beam reflecting and refracting in sugar water. I am eagerly awaiting to see the demonstration videos my other volunteers produce. In other good news, more volunteers have approached me to help with demos this summer. I am following up with them next week to see what demonstrations they have chosen to work on.

I am very grateful to have volunteers helping me out this summer because not only are they getting experience, but I am able to focus more on the SOCK demonstrations. Brad and I have planned to produce a good number of demonstrations that will be included in the SOCK, which means I’ll be working on both writeup and videos for those. Portable oscilloscopes, dynamic and contact microphones, slinkies, tuning forks, soundscapes and more - get excited for the acoustic themed SOCK!! Photos are included below of testing I have done so far!

Dr. John Mather followed up with the interns this week and presented his talk on research and his past accomplishments with NASA. It was so intriguing to have the inside scoop on how famous satellites like the Hubble telescope were created and sent into space. I feel so honored and lucky to have been included!

This week for my move to Houston I ordered a shower curtain - big news! It has oranges on it and it’s great. The move is coming up soon; the POD is coming next week on Thursday, so I need to start packing up. Wish me luck!

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #8

So this week was crazy. I feel like I was not very productive this week as far as the SOCK and demonstration goes because of my move to Houston. My anxiety and excitement have been very distracting, but I have a few updates! Brad and I started to mass order parts this week, which is extremely nerve wracking because it’s hard to order 200 oscilloscopes from the same business... However, I managed to put together a detailed spreadsheet with links to different businesses that we could potetnially order from. So far we have about 40 oscilloscopes orded and on their way. Also, Brad ordered 200 microphones (yup, all at once) and they made it to his house surprisingly quickly. Our vision for the microphone changed because the microphone hardware needs to be somewhat indestructable in the hands of small children, so we ordered handheld microphones (what a normal microphone looks like). The SOCK is starting to piece together and it is very exciting!

As far as my move to Houston goes, the POD was picked up this last week. I watched roughly 90% of my belongings drive off in a lage metal box. Now I just need to get through next week and then leave on Saturday for Houston! I’ll have more updates next week for sure.

Until next week,

Rockin’ the SOCK - Week #9

We’re not in Illinois anymore.

Greetings from Houston! My boyfriend and I arrived at our new place during the late afternoon. I have a picture of the view from our balcony down below! The move has gone well so far... the POD arrives on Wednesday, so for right now we are stealing utensils from restaurants where we get takeout.

I feel as though I worked harder on the SOCK this week than any other week of my internship. Many (almost all) of the SOCK demonstration writeups and diagrams are almost finalized. It’s great to see the SOCK coming together - Brad and I agreed this year’s SOCK is going to be very different and engaging, and I have learned so much about acoustics, the human ear, and speach than I ever thought I would! On Thursday Brad and I talked to Keeta, a linguist from the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), about our diagram on speech, sound waves, and spectrograms. Keeta tore the first draft of our digram apart and turned it into something amazing: beautiful spectrograms and voice exercises with comprehensive descriptions and explanations. I was very impressed and realized how much I have learned about new topics this summer that I didn’t think would end up in the SOCK, but I’m so glad it did! SOCK participants will not only learn about hearing, but also speech and how we produce different sounds.

An update on oscilloscope orders: Brad has ordered almost 100 oscilloscopes as well as other SOCK supplies and this experience is starting to feel real! All of this hard work is really paying off, and I can only hope others will enjoy the SOCK as much as I do.

Until next week,