Brynn Schierenbeck, 2023 Society of Rheology/Soft Matter Kitchen Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Cornell College

Hello!

My name is Brynn Schierenbeck (she/her) and I am very excited to be this year’s Society of Rheology/Soft Matter Kitchen Intern studying under Professor Arif Nelson. I am an incoming senior at Cornell College pursuing a B.S. in Engineering. Following my graduation, I plan to attend graduate school and navigate my way into space research.

To offer a bit of background about myself, I entered college as a Finance major. However, after taking one General Physics course, I realized I needed to change things up. I switched to Engineering and began collecting STEM-related tutoring positions for both high school and college students. In doing this, I realized I not only enjoy the content but am also satisfied by the ability to communicate my understanding to others. I am looking forward to continuing this for the Soft Matter Kitchen website.

Outside of academics, I enjoy athletics as well as experimenting in the kitchen. Though I am usually quite busy with work and soccer, I make time on occasion to whip up something tasty using whatever I can find in our dorm. Having also been trained as a school cook, I hope that I can use these experiences to my benefit when creating content throughout the summer.

Internship

Host: The Society of Rheology

Project

Abstract

The Soft Matter Kitchen was created as an educational outreach website for the Society of Rheology with the intent of introducing rheological concepts through food. This presentation focuses on viscoelasticity, one of the key phenomena of the field of rheology, which describes the time-dependent solid and fluid-like behaviors of many materials including foods. By observing how a food behaves under relatively simple conditions, one can infer much about the rheological properties it possesses. Using demonstrations that I developed this summer, I present how one can use at-home experiments to determine the viscoelastic properties of regular versus dairy free cheese as well as edible silly putty. This is done with the hopes of encouraging others’ understanding and conceptualization of rheology from their own kitchen table.

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Week 1: Landing on One Foot

This week, I’ve learned exactly three things:

1. The field of Rheology has endless research opportunities.

2. IT problems will make or break your workday.

3. The rats won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.

All of that in only a week!

Obviously, there’s a slight exaggeration there. I’ve read too many academic papers already to not have learned at least a little bit more than that. Though, I think that’s a good summary of how my first week is going.

In terms of the actual job portion, I’m very excited. I’ve met with my mentor, Arif Nelson, twice this week and have gotten more insight into what Rheology research actually entails. From what I can gather, there are a lot of unanswered questions. This is actually great news considering that I chose to dedicate my summer to answering them. We are planning to meet on Monday to go over project ideas so look out for next week’s post which will hopefully include more details!

I feel like I haven’t stopped moving since I arrived, which may be true. We kicked it off with a rainy Memorial Day Parade and a birthday celebration. The next day was orientation where we had the opportunity to meet all of the different SPS, AIP, and APS directors responsible for bringing us here. Wednesday, I went out and explored the city by myself and later played an intense game of spike ball on the Mall with the other interns. On Thursday, I spent the morning studying and then met up with the group for board games. The following day, after I finished work I found myself at the Renwick Art Gallery, the first art gallery and Smithsonian Museum I’d ever been to. Finally, the weekend came and included farmer’s markets, so many Spider-Man movies, and yet another birthday celebration. Needless to say, I’m exhausted.

Based on this week, it seems like it’s going to be one hell of a summer. Not only because of the amazing academic experience, but because of the people I’m lucky enough to get to meet throughout it. I’ve never been in a position that allows me to explore and learn as much as I am now. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to continue making the most of it in the weeks to come.

Stay tuned to find out what Rheology is!

Week 2: We’re Getting Familiar

Hello again!

I left off last week by promising to explain what a Rheologist does so I’ll start with that. Rheology is the study of the deformation of materials. For those in the science world, you can kind of think of it as the happy medium between solid and fluid mechanics. We focus a lot on complex materials, meaning that most equations and principles that I’ve previously learned are thrown out the window. Despite the huge learning curve, I’m having fun and becoming more familiar with the field as a whole. Along with that, I get to learn everything through food, so that’s a huge bonus!

I believe I also said that I’d include a description of my project for the summer. I hate to disappoint, but I’ll have to save that for a later date since it’s still in the works. I can explain what I did this week, though. I spent my time analyzing the different rheological properties of dairy-free versus regular cheddar cheese. This involved conducting several visual-based experiments and inferring what I could about the material based on its behavior under certain conditions. For example, a popular and easy test to carry out is the compression test. This involves loading the material with a known amount of force and measuring the deformation it undergoes. Using these two variables, one is able to determine the elastic modulus of the which simply tells you how stiff it is. For me, this meant stacking quarters on top of the two kinds of cheese and watching them each sink into themselves. It was invigorating to say the least.

Though most of my time was spent working at the kitchen table with Gizem, my amazing roommate, we did find the time to go out and complete some sidequests. On Monday, the group went out and played frisbee on the Mall. I found out that being good at ultimate frisbee in middle school doesn’t exactly mean that those skills will carry over into adulthood. Win some, lose some I guess. On Wednesday and Thursday, me and a few other APS interns went into APC (our workplace) to attend MJ’s Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, which was a huge success by the way. Make sure to check out their blog post for more details about it. Along with the event, we also took our own little tour of the building. Did you know that they have a little balcony on every floor? Because I did not but now I have big plans to make one of them my permanent office, air-quality permitting.

The best part of this week, though, was getting to experience my first ever Pride Parade. I didn’t know this before I got here but, DC takes the month of June pretty seriously. Rainbow decorations cover the streets already but the actual parade took it to a whole new level. Everyone was singing, dancing, and strutting their stuff. It was thrilling to see people not only accepting but celebrating each other’s identities. No matter who you were, you were invited to join in and feel welcomed by the entire community. That’s something you don’t get to see often in everyday life so I’m incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to be here this month with all of these awesome people and celebrate love in whatever form you want:)

Anyways, it is now Sunday night and the weekend’s festivities have taken their toll on my energy levels. I’m off for now but hopefully soon I’ll be able to share the plans for my summer project.

Until next time!

Week 3: Straight Cheesin’

I’m back again off of another fantastic week in DC. This time, I’m actually starting to feel like I’m not aimlessly wandering without any sense of direction. It only happened twice this time!

Work has been interesting. I say that because I don’t know of any word in the English language that can correctly encapsulate the experience. I spent the week exploring dairy-free cheese recipes and trying to recreate them. The process of making them was very enjoyable. The smells that came with them, however, were quite the opposite. My advice? Save yourself the time and the tastebuds and don’t fix what’s not broken.

Other than the smells, though, it was very interesting to dive more into what about cheese makes it behave the way that it does. I’ve been looking into casein protein structures and how they dictate the rheological properties of the material. I’m currently trying to figure out if there is a way to obtain the same structural properties without any dairy present. So far the answer is no. But, I’m optimistic!

Life outside of work has been pretty grand. On Monday, I went to my first open-mic comedy show with Jaden and felt a level of second-hand embarrassment that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. Tuesday night, Gizem and I went on a 3 hour long grocery adventure that resulted in some of the best pasta to ever cross my lips. Wednesday, I’m pretty sure was the day I worked with MJ and Tiffany at a coffee shop ( 20/10 recommend bourbon coffee by the way). We also went to a reggae event at the wharf where me and Devin absolutely obliterated Eva and Julia in bean bags. On Thursday, the interns were invited to a SPS Executive Board Networking Event where I was introduced to several amazing individuals that created the positions we’re in today. It was incredibly inspiring to meet other past-interns and see what they were able to accomplish through the opportunities provided by SPS. Friday was supposed to be another round of Jazz in the Garden, but, unfortunately the weather would not cooperate. Instead, a group of us hung out in the dorms for a bit and played some lively card games. On Saturday, we had another SPS sponsored event. This time we attended an orchestral performance with Jack Hehn, one of the founders of the SPS intern program. We all agreed that that was one of the best events of the program so far, even if a few of us might have fallen asleep during the performance.

I have no idea what this next week will bring but I’m excited. So far, there hasn’t been a single day that I’ve been bored or found myself with nothing to do, and I hope that doesn’t change.

See you next week!

Week 4: Oh My My My

We’re almost halfway through the summer and I was not ready for that information. I feel like I just got here and still have so much to see and do. Good thing there’s never a dull moment in DC, especially during this past week!

We kicked off the week by celebrating Juneteenth with a trip to the Botanical Gardens. Tiffany, Clay, and I met up with Joseph Watson, a previous SPS intern now employed at NASA, and spent our afternoon admiring all of the different plant species we found. After that, we came back to the dorms and immediately started preparing for the potluck the interns had planned. We had decided on an Italian theme so Gizem and I whipped up some pasta along with a peach crumble for dessert. Don’t worry I picked up some gelato to top it with to stay on theme.

Tuesday meant back to work. I spent the day running through different observational experiments with the “cheeses” I had made. I’m currently working on an article explaining my findings so hopefully soon I’ll have something to show for my work! I also ended up going to the Natural History Museum after I had finished up and had an amazing time exploring. I didn’t end up getting through all of the exhibits so I guess I’ll have to go back soon!

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Space History Event hosted by the White House National Space Council. Inspiring figures in anything space-related were present such as Dr. Mae Jemison and Dr. Sian Proctor. I appreciated the variety of people that sat on the panels. There were conversations between astronauts and filmmakers, CEO’s and actresses. It was incredible to watch as they discussed topics that are not typically covered in everyday media. If you have the time, I strongly suggest watching some of the panels. I haven’t found the link yet but I’ll include it in my blog post next week for sure!

Thursday was insane. Plain and simple. The interns all came to ACP for a talk with Dr. John Mather, a senior Astrophysicist at NASA who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his work with cosmic microwave background radiation. We were able to sit down to lunch with him as well as listen to his presentation on his life and work. It was an out-of-this-world (hehe) opportunity I don’t think I would have been given anywhere else. Also, he told me good luck on my future endeavors so I will be riding that high for the rest of the summer.

Now for this weekend. Though I wasn’t able to go to Astronomy on the Mall, I still saw the stars. On Friday, I left early in the morning to go home for both my sister’s dance recital along with the Taylor Swift concert. I was Enchanted by the concert. However, the true highlight of the weekend was when A State of Grace Schierenbeck absolutely killed her role as Rapunzel in her studio’s production of “Tangled”. That was the Moment I Knew how much of a Lucky One I am to get to know and Lover. It was The Best Day and I Wish You Would Never Grow Up. Obviously, This is Me Trying to fit as many Taylor Swift references as I can into one paragraph. But, I’m sure you guys knew that All Too Well.

It is now Monday and I’m spending time with my family before I head back home early tomorrow morning. I’m a little sad that I missed all of the excitement in DC this weekend, but I’m glad I got to be a Girl at Home for a bit:)

Until next week!

P.S. Gizem I promise I’ll be back SO soon AND I have new recipe to try:)

Week 5: Swimming with Ducks

Hate to be late again, but all good things come to those who wait, right?

This week was a complete blur. I flew back home early Tuesday morning and spent the rest of the day doing some work. Later that night, Gizem, Tiffany, Colin, Clay and I went to a “open mic comedy show bingo”. For those unfamiliar, each comedian signs up and gets about five minutes to do their thing while the crowd marks down any sort of cliches they might say such as “so how’s everyone doing tonight?”. I had a blast and have to say the comedy scene in DC has got to be one of my favorite things about the city.

Wednesday I went into ACP and worked on an article I’m writing about my experimental observations thus far. It’s still very much in the works so I’m not gonna dive into it yet. Once I got back, I had to rush to make it to the dock on time so I could join our group for paddle-boarding. This was the highlight of my week. We spent a good hour and a half out on the Potomac just cruising around. At one point, a family of ducklings got within two feet of me and Devin! All in all, it was a very wholesome experience.

Thursday consisted of drafting an article and creating edible silly putty out of yogurt and cornstarch. My assignment for the week was to brainstorm ideas on how to make the concept of viscoelasticity ( when a material shows both solid and fluid-like behavior to some extent) easily understandable through food. Silly putty is one of the most common applications of this so I tried to find a food as close as I could get. I’m not saying you should eat the concoction I made but hypothetically you could!

Friday, Ruthie gave us a tour of the Capitol! We got to tag along with her as she gave us a run down of what she does on a day-to-day basis. Go check out her blog for more details on her job it’s extremely interesting! Gizem and I met up with a few friends down at the waterfront in Georgetown. We had a great dinner and came back to meet up with the interns for what me and Devin like to call some good old-fashioned shenanigans:) This continued into Saturday where many of us ( all 21+) joined in on a Fourth of July bar-crawl. Let me tell you, DC doesn’t joke around when it comes to America’s birthday.

Sunday was much more relaxed. I finished up my first draft of my article and walked over to Georgetown to sit and journal by the water. It was nice to have some alone time and just reflect on the week’s activities. I suppose I probably should have just written this post there but oh well.

It is now Wednesday and we already celebrated and watched the fireworks. I want to keep all of the timelines correct though so come back next week for an obscene amount of low-quality pictures!

Week 6: Over the Hedge

I know I’m posting this late again but pretend as if I’m super punctual like I tell all of my potential employers.

Time flies when you’re having fun. Time flies faster when you’re in DC over the Fourth of July. I found this to be one of the truest statements I’ve ever heard, and I can’t even remember who said it to me. We kicked off the nation’s birthday with an SPS celebration at the National’s game on Monday. I couldn’t tell you who won, but I can tell you how awesome the fireworks were afterwards!

The next morning I woke up early to get some work done before the day’s activities began. We all planned to camp out on the Mall from 5:30 until firework time, so I came prepared. I packed a picnic bag full of goodies along with a large jug of water that everyone kept eyeing suspiciously (no, it was not a BORG but if it was it would have been named “red, white, and BORG” like a true patriot). We spent our waiting hours playing card games, shout-out to Janessa and Clay for teaching me speed and a big round of applause for Devin hopelessly trying to help me understand Backgammon. Finally, at precisely 9:08pm according to Jenna, the largest firework display I’d ever seen began. It was so American I swore I thought I heard eagles overhead but it turns out that was just Jaden. Seriously, though, it was a fantastic experience and I hope I’ll get to see it again someday.

Wednesday was a day of recovery. I went into the office for a bit to work on my article and write my blog post. Other than that, Gizem and I watched a few episodes of Community and went to bed.

Thursday was eventful. I met with my mentor that morning and finalized a few projects I’ll be working on. I’m excited to share that I’ll be presenting on introductions to viscoelasticity, a property that describes how a material can show both viscous and elastic behaviors when undergoing deformation. These last few weeks will be spent collecting final observations and data to add to my research so far.

Later that morning, every intern that was able joined us at ACP to listen to Jenna’s presentation on how to effectively communicate through misinformation. I really appreciated how she helped us distinguish between active listening and being an active participant in the conversation. It’s something everyone can always benefit from a little refresher on. After that, we headed home and I met up with a friend to go axe throwing. I had an absolute blast and was in bed by 11 for a good night’s rest.

Well, what I thought was a good night’s rest. I woke up the next morning sick as a dog. I felt bad for my roommate, Gizem, who probably heard me hack up a lung all night. It didn’t help matters that when I walked to the store to get some medicine, I got caught in a random downpour and came back to the apartment sopping wet. Oh well. I spent the rest of the day in and out of bed, half doing some work and half staring out the window completely zoned out.

Saturday showed improvement. I still woke up with a bad cough but the cold medicine I got knocked it right out. I laid low in the morning and then joined Hannah, Janessa, Eva, and Emily at Kramers, a restaurant / book store. I had a burger that was to die for and then we ended up getting two free desserts from the store owner for a coupon miscommunication! 10/10

Sunday was gorgeous. I still felt a little off so I relaxed in the morning with a short easy walk around the city. Later, Hannah and I went to the National Gallery of Art and again got caught in a downpour. Thankfully, my bucket hat and her umbrella saved the day and we had a grand time tooling around the museum admiring all of the people with more talent than us.

Lastly, I spent my Sunday night on the steps near the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Potomac River. It was a beautiful night and the sunset looked like the cover of Taylor Swift’s Lover album. All in all, it was a very wholesome week.

I’m sad to see the time pass because I know it means I’ll have to say goodbye to all of these people soon, but I’m going to try and not think about that just yet. For now, I hope we can continue to make the most of our time together and hopefully plan another potluck this week!

See you next time!

Week 7: Getting My Steps In

The Sunday scaries are kicking in. It’s becoming more and more real how close we are to being done. Still, the internship might be almost over but my bucket list for things to do in DC is nowhere close to completed, despite the extremely eventful week I had.

Monday kicked off with a work day from home for both Gizem and I. I finished up a few experiments and then we walked over to Georgetown to work at a cafe. Out of all of the areas in DC I’ve been too, Georgetown is definitely my favorite. I love the waterfront and the close proximity to our dorm makes it easy to pop over for an afternoon. I ended up enjoying some dinner there that night as well and then camped out by the river with Janessa and Melissa. All in all, Monday was pretty stellar.

Tuesday was pretty great as well. Though I don’t enjoy all aspects of working from home, it really does give me a lot of freedom. I actually ended up working from Jaden’s pool that day with Janessa. I was also taught how to stay afloat if I ever found myself in a game of water polo. I recommend looking it up because seeing those two try and do it was probably the funniest thing I’ve witnessed in a while. Later that night; Eva, Tiffany, Ruthie and I walked over to the Kennedy center and watched the sunset. That wrapped up yet another wholesome day of activities.

Wednesday we went to ACP to join Hannah for a focus group for Physics Today. It was actually a very interesting discussion and I enjoyed being a part of it. If anyone in charge of that is reading this right now let your people know that we want more Hannah publications that’s all.

Wednesday night Tiffany, Colin, Gizem and I met for dinner at Tonic. Then we picked up Ruthie and hiked over to Georgetown again for a little shopping spree. We had a Barbinheimmer themed party planned for Saturday night so we needed some good outfits. Luckily, we had a lot of success and everyone looked fantastic the night of:)

Thursday was back at ACP for a videography workshop. I got some work done, hit the ACP gym, and headed home to get ready for our intern potluck. The theme was Hometown Glory, meaning everyone was supposed to bring something that reminded them of what they had growing up. This was by far the best choice we could have picked because oh my goodness I’ve never tasted that many delicious foods all at once. Everything was amazing. I hope people all posted what they made because I can’t remember everyone’s. I know I made Brussel sprouts (thanks mom for the inspo) and Gizem made fried rice which was also delicious. Again, a fantastic end to a fantastic day.

Friday morning I had a meeting with my professor, worked for a bit, and then went to pick up a friend from the airport. Side note, don’t fly into DCA. Not only was his original flight delayed, but also his returning was canceled and then the rescheduled one also got canceled. He finally made it home Tuesday morning but my goodness that was hectic. Anyways, I picked him up and we headed back to the dorm to meet up with Gizem and Aoguzi. We then had some friends over that night and played a few games until they parted ways. 10/10 Friday.

Saturday was Barbinheimmer! I spent the afternoon showing my friend all around my favorite spots and getting ready for the party. Oh and I tried my first lobster roll from Mason’s Lobster Rolls and I think I died and came back to life. It was so good. As was Barbinheimmer. By the way, that’s just a Barbie and Oppenheimer theme combined. I leaned into the Barbie theme while others opted for Oppenheimer. Hopefully Gizem includes the picture of her and Aoguzi in her blog because they killed it. Needless to say, everyone was a bombshell (thank you Colin for the pun).

Sunday was a day of recovery. Again, I walked over to Georgetown and got some pizza that hit the spot. After that I played my first game of D&D ever (thank you Emily and MJ for putting that together!). I can honestly say I had so much fun and ended up getting a sick discount on a spaceship because Danny Devito believed in true love. I can’t believe that sentence is 100% true in our storyline. We’re playing again on Wednesday and I’m very very excited. Hopefully Laverna, my character, can get up to some more weaseling. After that, Tiffany and I walked over to the Lincoln Memorial where they had music and dancing. It was incredibly wholesome and the people watching was top tier. Then I FaceTimed my best friend Amelia from home and picked up other friend from the airport again. It was a good way to end the week:)

Until next time!

Week 8: Bucket List Items and Preparing for the End

It’s crazy how fast this summer has flown. I really don’t think I can put into words how stressed I am about making the most of the time I have left with all of these amazing people. I’ve already accepted that my bucket list will remain unfinished which only means that I’m obligated to come back. I don’t mind the thought of that at all.

Instead of completing the bucket list, I’ve ventured on many side quests when I’m not trying to consolidate 10 weeks of work into an 8 minute presentation (stay tuned for those by the way I’m excited for what my fellow interns will bring to the table). On Monday I spent at home doing some experiments with my silly putty. I also made the best homemade eggs benedict I’ve had all summer and was incredibly satisfied with myself. After I dropped my friend off at the airport, I joined Julia, Ruthie, MJ, Janessa, and Eva for dinner and a cabaret show. As it turns out, physics and showtunes are actually the ultimate combo. We went there to hear Julia sing and stayed for almost our entire group to join in with impromptu performances. Then we stopped for dessert afterwards and headed home for some much needed rest after the day’s activities.

Tuesday was a day of self-care. I had a meeting rescheduled so I had some extra time and decided to wander over to DuPont and see what was happening. I found a nice coffee shop to work at and the barista gave me a deal where she’d give me a discount if she could surprise me with a drink. I wholeheartedly recommend taking them up on this offer if it’s ever presented to you because WOWZERS that was the best latte I’ve ever had. Then I found a vintage clothing store with a ton of cool pieces that I ended up showing to Tiffany and Devin again on Saturday. After I got home, I hung out with Gizem and Janessa for a bit and we taught Janessa how to use chopsticks! Proud mom moment for sure. Then we enjoyed a movie with the girlies (shoutout Julia for the projector) and headed off to bed.

Wednesday was long. I had my meeting in the morning then went to ACP to get some work done. Since the metro is closed for our last two weeks, this would be one of the last times we got to use the building. I planned to take it all in and have my emotional goodbye moment, but I didn’t plan on being there until close to 6pm (thank you Jaden). Once we got back, Emily, Tiffany and I headed over to Tonic for happy hour and enjoyed a nice little evening complete with warm cookies! All in all it was a fantastic day.

On Thursday I went to Call Your Mother for the first time and enjoyed one of their famous bagels. I worked there and then switched to a different coffee shop once it got too busy. Honestly, the city was pretty suffocating by then so I ended up going on a run around the national mall to get some space and my goodness was that a dumb decision on my part. For those of you that don’t know, DC is currently under an excessive heat warning and it’s not recommended to do any intense outdoor exercise. Oh well. I’m still here but barely. Anyways, I got back home and then realized that I had some extra hair dye that Emily had lent me so I dyed my hair bright pink. It feels good to be lava girl again:)

Friday marked the last day at ACP. I met with my professor in the morning then took my final morning metro ride to College Park. Even the metro seemed nostalgic. I got some work done, used the gym, ate some fantastic Greek food, and then wandered around longingly like a girl in a dramatic goodbye music video (Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me for reference). Thankfully, me and Hannah got to have our Titanic moment on the rooftop and I will cherish that forever.

Friday night was pretty fun! I met up with some friends I hadn’t seen in awhile and had a little get together at our place. We then woke up the next morning bright and early in order to enjoy some brunch at Rakuya, an asian restaurant in DuPont. I devoured my Bento Box and spent the rest of the day doing some household chores and reading.

Sunday was lovely. I woke up to a FaceTime from my sister and my best friend both giving me the rundown of our classmate’s wedding on Saturday that I wasn’t able to attend. I then worked on my presentation for a little bit and then headed off to the Wharf with Gizem as a little date for the two of us. We went to Hank’s Oyster Bar and I had some of the most delicious food that I’ve ever eaten. It was heavenly. We walked around for a bit and then came home and made some brownies as a sweet treat. We enjoyed our dessert with a side of Too Hot To Handle and went to bed happy as clams (get it because oyster).

Another stellar week for the books. I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye, but I’m happy I’ll have these blogs to look back and remember how great of a time I’ve been having with these awesome people. And, since I’m writing this late again, I already know that next week is jam packed and has some awesome adventures you should stay tuned for:)

Until next time!

Week 9: Save Your Tears for Next Week

The Penultimate Week is finally here! Yea I know I’m writing this on the last day of week 10 but I can’t help my avoidance issues. This is too much emotion for one person to handle and I’m barely getting through. Bear with me while I wander through memory lane and try not to cry on my keyboard.

Monday. I actually have no idea what I spent Monday doing but I assume I worked on my projects / presentation for a good amount of time and then went for a run around the National Mall one last time. I attempted to go to the Old Post Office Tower but apparently Biden was in town and the streets were a mess. Yet another failed mission (this is the third time I tried to go).

Tuesday was another day of trying to finish things up. Let’s just assume from here on out that I spent my mornings and early afternoons working so I don’t have to keep boring you by repeating that sentence. Anyways, later that night Jenna and I walked over to the Lincoln Memorial where they were having an outdoor concert with the Marine Drum Corps. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm rolled in and ended the concert early but that didn’t stop our fun! Hannah, Tiffany, and Ruthie had walked over before they knew about the rain so we all ended up trying to go over to the Lincoln steps to get some cool pictures of the storm. It was another failed mission but much more enjoyable with those guys around. After that, we wandered home and ended up playing Azul in Devin and Jaden’s room where I proved that yes indeed I am the Azul champion and everyone else can kindly bow down. Fantastic night!

Wednesday I had a tattoo appointment at 5 so I finished up work and headed over to Georgetown. It was just a touch up so it only took about 45 minutes, leaving me with plenty of time to grab dinner before I caught a performance of “Rent in Concert” at the Kennedy Center with Julia, MJ, Ruthie, and Jenna. I had never been to the Kennedy Center before and let me tell you it is worth all of the hype. It’s a beautiful building with amazing views. The performance itself took my breath away. Julia and I sobbed our way through the final songs and then headed home where I watched more reality TV with Gizem and Augozi. 10/10 evening.

Thursday. We had a resume workshop which proved to be incredibly helpful. Though, I did waste a little bit of time during the meeting with Janessa making some excellent character comparisons to my fellow interns ( Clay = dad from cloudy with a chance of meatballs, Jaden = Bobby from the Goofy Movie, Tiffany = me watching my food in the microwave). After that, Jaden graciously allowed me to use his pool for the last time where I sat out in the sun and worked on my articles. I hung out with him and a few of his friends before the real excitement happened: the final installment of our intern D&D. Don’t worry guys, Danny Devito reunited with his one true love and Laverna was able to grab the secret cow cure from the lab thanks to leadership and teamwork of their crew. In all seriousness, I am incredibly grateful to MJ and Emily for putting in the work to create this world and mission for us. It was a great introduction into the game and I wish we had more time to play again. To Bethy, Jade, and Avery: you were amazing crewmates and will be sorely missed. Gavin: Please go see a doctor you’re having delusions about the war again.

Friday was a tour of NIST run by my very own roommate Gizem Dogan. When I tell you that that place is amazing I am severely understating it. Holy crow. We went on three separate tours of different labs within the building. First, we visited an Additive Manufacturing Lab. Devin and I, the two engineering majors of the group, lost our marbles. I had learned about all of the equipment in my classes but never had the opportunity to see any of it in real life. We actually ended up finding out that they offer internships within that department so fingers crossed I might try and go for that next year! After that, we went to the Trace Explosives and Narcotics Detection where we learned that Jaden is a cocaine addict! Kidding. Just on the weekends. Actually, we learned that 90% of printed US money contains trace amounts of cocaine and watched how the machine is used to detect it. We then saw one of the coolest demonstrations that I really have no idea how to explain but I’ll include pictures so you can see. Then we saw the million pound force stack, the biggest non-electromagnetic one in the world. I was geaking out. After that we saw the library and Newton’s apple tree. Not Kidding. I told you NIST is an insane place. We took one last tour of their clean room and then packed up our leftover pizza to head home. We planned on going to see the Princess Bride outdoor at the Kennedy Center, but unfortunately mother nature had other plans yet again. We stayed in and played Quiplash instead and absolutely berated Devin. It was a great last weekend with the group.

Saturday was a rather chill afternoon. I went to Rakuya with Janessa and enjoyed a nice brunch. After that I worked on my presentation and read for most of the afternoon until it was time to go to the piano bar with Devin, Janessa, Tiffany, Hannah, Jenna, Ruthie, and Emily. The pianists were amazing and played Callin’ Baton Rouge not once, but TWICE. I wish we had found that place earlier because I haven’t had a more wholesome night than that.

I spent Sunday walking a total of 9 miles around the city. I took myself out for coffee and FINALLY made it to the top of the Old Post Office. The view did not disappoint. I then wandered around the National Mall and explored the museums I hadn’t been to yet. I wanted to reenact National Treasure but unfortunately I do not possess the same criminal prowess that Nicolas Cage does. I came home later that night and then wandered over to the roof of the Kennedy Center to enjoy the view with Hannah, Janessa, and Jenna. The sunset made me very nostalgic but the company kept my spirits high.

It technically is already midnight on the last day of our internship, but this blog post is long enough. Stay tuned for next week if I make it through!

Week 10: This is When the Feeling Sinks In

For those of you that are Taylor Swift fans, you hopefully recognize the title to be from “Come Back, Be Here”. This song describes how I feel about all of the interns. I can’t believe it’s already over. It’s been almost a week since we’ve left and though I’m excited to be back at home with my family, there’s a part of me that misses the city life. There’s just something about being able to walk a few blocks and end up at the Lincoln Memorial or the Kennedy Center. Definitely can’t do that in Iowa. But, instead of lamenting about what I’ll miss about this summer, I thought I’d quickly recap my week and then share some of my favorite memories with each intern.

Most of my week was spent last minute preparing for the final presentation. Monday night I left the house for dinner with Tiffany and then met up with the rest of the group at the National Mall for a final game of spikeball. Me and Hannah took on Clay and Jaden and I’m not exactly sure who won (or if we even kept score?) but I know I had a blast. Tuesday a few of us decided to splurge on a fancy supper at North Italia. Jenna, Julia, Hannah, Janessa and I left with our bellies full and smiles on our faces. Me and Janessa then tried to see if we could find the rocket outside but unfortunately DC was too hazy:( We then had our last intern potluck but dessert edition! Everything was amazing, even the cake Jaden brought was tasty, an impressive accomplishment given his history.

Wednesday was when the scaries kicked in. Again, I spent the morning working and rehearsing my presentation. Then we all headed to the Wharf to play some bean bags (no I will not call it corn hole). Unfortunately for me and Gizem / Ruthie, Clay got us both times with a killer final shot that ended the game. Tough loss but it’s fine I’m fine.

Thursday we had the official rehearsal for the presentations. After that, Clay, Janessa, her friend Megan and I made our way to the Air and Space Museum where I lost my marbles yet again. I’m so glad I finally made it there but I’m sad we couldn’t stay longer. It closed at 5:30 and we had to hustle back in order to make it in time for our group dinner at Tonic, the place where it all started. Oh my goodness now I miss Hannah again. We then packed up all of the stuff we wanted to leave behind for next year’s interns and it was very sad. Like, “See you Again” by Charlie Puth sad.

Friday, well you already know it was presentations. I was shaking so bad I don’t remember a thing. BUT, I did it and so did everyone else. We all did amazing and it was so cool to see what people have been up to all summer. I genuinely enjoyed watching each and every one of them and am so proud of everyone for all of their hard work<3

That night, Gizem took me on a final tour of Georgetown. We walked through the campus and I tried to climb this really cool-looking tree but unfortunately it got the best of me. Oh well. I’ll be back. Then the festivitites began. Everyone came over to me and Gizem’s room where we played some games and then we all circled up and shared our favorite memories from the internship. It was a lot of emotions for a very small space. But all in all, a wholesome end to a wholesome summer.

Speaking of a wholesome summer, I just want to share a quick favorite memory for every intern for future me to look back on and remember how lucky I am for getting to meet these guys.

Tiffany- Dancing at the Lincoln Memorial and “I can’t feel my legs. Or arms.”

Jenna- Trying to bring back the nae nae and the rained out military band concert

Devin- Beating you at your own game (all hail the azul champion) and our Four Loko Shenanigans

Daniil- The first time we went to the national mall and I asked “what’s a fun fact about yourself” and you simply said “knives!”

Clay- When I made the mistake of thinking I could keep up with you on dollar beer night

Janessa- Teaching you how to use chopsticks, that fateful Saturday where you almost met Jesus, and meeting our friend Colfy that very first day:)

Julia- Hearing you sing for the first time at the cabaret, lmk when the album drops

Eva- Our little group walk to the spot by the Kennedy Center and watching Magic Mike XXL

Jaden- Comedy club and the last night here when you saved my butt from getting locked out cannot say thank you enough

Colin- picking out a pair of sensible heels and spilling the tea ofc, keep me in the loop ok

Ruthie- that first time you came over to my room and before that when we got empanadas from the farmers market

MJ- tracking down Danny Devito’s one true love and baking some things (worked out splendidly by the way)

Melissa- Barbinheimmer when you brought the tequila and a fantastic time:)

Emily- That one day where we waited forever at APC and then took ourselves out to Tonic but got interviewed about stuff we were not mentally prepared for

Hannah- Watching forbidden planet, that’s when we first bonded with our midwestern dad jokes and I realized I met my other half

Gizem- Watching Too Hot to Handle with you and Augozi and our final goodbye including the Georgetown trip

I left Saturday evening after a tearful goodbye with Gizem. Then I actually ran into Janessa at the airport because her flight was delayed. I made it home around 9pm and was almost tackled in the airport thanks to my sister. Like I said, I’m very happy to be back.

I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am to have met these people. To all of you interns, thank you for the amazing summer and I’m gonna miss you all. To all of the people at SPS responsible for bringing us here, thank you for everything. To anyone reading this thinking about applying, do it. You won’t regret it.

I can’t say until next time this time which is so sad oh my goodness.

To anyone reading, it’s been a pleasure.

With happiness and ham,