Jaden Sicotte, 2023 APS Career Programs Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: George Washington University

I am a rising Junior pursuing a Bachelors of Sciences in Astronomy and Astrophysics at George Washington University. I’ve really enjoyed getting involved with research, the SPS Chapter at GW, as well as diving into my coursework. I love going to school in DC and when I’m not doing work I’m exploring all that the city has to offer. I enjoyed an amazing Internship program with the Thomas Jefferson National Acclerator Lab last summer and I’m extremely excited to see a new side of the Physics Community through the SPS Summer Program.

Internship

Host: American Physical Society

Project

Abstract

The National Mentoring Community (NMC) was fashioned in 2015 by the American Physical Society (APS) to build and maintain mentoring relationships between Black/African, Latinx, and Indigenous physics students and professionally established mentors. The sweeping objective of the program is to expand the demographics of students completing undergraduate physics degrees by supporting historically marginalized communities through mentoring focused on career development and academic success. However, many participants report that the program has yet to live up to it’s full potential, largely due to the difficulties of successfully making a mentor/mentee match. In fact, as of September 2022, of 235 total mentees and 385 total mentors, only 97 mentees and 104 mentors were matched with at least one mentor or mentee respectively. As a result, APS has decided to reevaluate the current match algorithm system in favor of a more effective process. This presentation was developed in conjunction with the APS Careers team using survey data from NMC members and an external appraisal by the WestEd firm in order to provide a recommendation and proposal for an updated match algorithm and workflow system. The intention of this recommendation is to bolster the NMC engagement levels through an updated and refined matching system, and thus, establish more mentoring relationships.

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Week 1: Technical Difficulties and Other Notable Moments

If IT ever spells your name wrong, let them think they got it right. Despite my name being Jaden Sicotte, for my first few days at SPS, every conceivable login had me as “sciotte”. A simple mistake to be sure, but one that required three meetings with IT (shoutout Nathan and Bob for clutching up), two days of inaction, and one severely lobotomized MacBook.

But the machines can’t keep me down because I’m finally on-boarded correctly and had an otherwise successful first week. I study Astrophysics with a math minor at George Washington University, so DC is a very familiar place for me (also I’m from Framingham, MA by the way). It’s definitely been nice to be here without the constant low-grade headache associated with classes and homework.

Monday we had no work and so after unpacking, the other interns and I had a birthday dinner for Hannah. Food was enjoyed, introductions were made, and following dinner we played Julia’s strangely fun ethics card game.

Tuesday we had orientation (the beginning of my IT woes) which included several compelling speakers, team-building activities, networking tips, as well as plenty of SPS, APS, and AIP merch. I also met my mentor, Bri Hart, and was thrilled at how welcoming she was and how eager she seemed to support my career goals and begin our summer project. My first IT meeting soon followed which culminated in the deletion of the entire macOS off my work computer, and alongside it any functionality it offered for the next day or so. Post orientation we caught the sunset at the bank of the Potomac.

Wednesday meant a day of virtual work. Except, due to my battle of the ages with the APS network, I was locked out and unable to do much other than a few readings and background research. But an afternoon/evening on the National mall with the others playing spikeball and eating ice cream proved to be a good distraction (turns out Hannah and Janessa get scary when they play).

Thursday brought on my final boss fight with IT wherein I prevailed and finally got access to the APS network. A meeting with my mentor meant a more in depth conversation about future networking events and opportunities. Game night in my living room served as an excellent cap to the day. I have never seen such enthusiasm for Azule before (looking at you Devin and Ruthie).

Friday began with another meeting with my mentor where we talked more specifically about my project to refine the National Mentoring Community’s matching algorithm. Hitting Jazz in the Garden (live jazz in the Smithsonian’s sculpture garden) with Brynn and Devin post work was incredible and the Caribbean theme for the day meant endless conga lines for the braver attendees.

Saturday saw me scootering around the city like a maniac, dodging pedestrians, unassuming children, and Secret Service road blocks. My target: the movie theatre for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse. Was I running late? Absolutely. Did I miss any of the movie? Not a chance thanks to my brazen jaunt across the city. The movie was incredible and afterwards we got District Taco and some crepes from Crepeaway.

Sunday is the day that I’m writing this on, which began with a trip to the DuPont farmers market, continued with a birthday dinner for Emily (happy birthday!) and ended with a sunset viewed from the Lincoln memorial with the other interns.

While the week was an incredible start to the program and boasts many good memories, my favorite was something that Jack Hehn, AAPT Senior Fellow, told us at orientation. “You are all physicists now”, he declared rather bluntly; his argument was that as we were now on the payroll of a physics organization, and being paid to do work in the physics field, we had earned the title. But his claim didn’t extend to us interns solely. As he put it, “Anyone who does work in the physics field, whether in an academic or professional sense, is a physicist, regardless of degree”. It was a really cool moment to be able to let go of some of the doubt that comes with being just an undergrad and instead embrace the field and career path I’ve chosen and am so passionate about. I hope any aspiring physicists reading this drop the “aspiring” and simply call themselves what they are: physicists.

More inbound next week!

Week 2: Meetings, baguettes, and the French

Got a favor to ask. I’m not feeling super creative right now so do me a solid and pretend that there’s a really catchy opening line here and that you really want to read my blog post.

This week brought much more of a workload than the previous. My amazing mentor, Bri Hart, has ensured that I am up to date on all the details of the National Mentoring Community (NMC), APS Careers, and APS in general, which has meant plenty of meetings with various project teams to get me caught up. It’s definitely a lot to keep track of for now but it’s cool to see the backstage glimpse into all the hard work that goes into programs like these.

I’ve learned that my main task for the summer is to alter the NMC’s matching algorithm. Currently the NMC facilitates and supports mentoring relationships between Black/African, Latinx, and Indigenous physics students and physics mentors. But there are plenty of people (both mentors and mentees) in the system who have yet to match with a mentor/mentee and as a result can’t reap the benefits of the program. So I’m tasked with adjusting the match algorithm to make sure every student finds a mentor. I’m excited that the work I’m doing this summer will have tangible effects on people all over the physics community.

Monday meant meetings, after which I relaxed with a book by the reflecting pool and then played some frisbee with the other interns.

Tuesday was quieter, but had more meetings as well (a constant for every day this week so I’ll stop mentioning them).

Wednesday post work day I got a Capital Bikeshare subscription and took a long bike ride around DC.

Thursday gave me my first double booked meetings. Lemme tell you, the false sense of importance you get from being expected in two places at once is tantalizing. Did I contribute to either meeting? Course not. But I am absolutely going to chase that fleeting sense of relevance. We also had the SPS Edit-A-Thon which was a great event. After work I met up with a few friends from school and we went out for dinner (I absolutely faced the fattest burger ever).

Friday I had a really productive and helpful conversation with Midhat Farooq, a Senior Careers Program Manager for APS. She gave great career advice, networking tips, and suggestions/resources for planning out my future. My roommate from school came to visit for the weekend and he had a great time hitting Jazz in the Garden with Clay, Janessa, Devin, Devin’s girlfriend Sienna, and myself. Later we hung out with many of the other interns.

Saturday I languished in purgatory (I had a meeting with my landlord for next year) but got out on good behavior (had a nice afternoon out with my roommate and friends from school). That night my roommate, myself, and the interns wreaked havoc on DC (we all hung out and played card games).

Sunday was probably the highlight of my week. I went to the French Embassy with some friends and let me tell you, they really rolled out the red carpet. Straight up dude. They had golf cart chauffeurs to take you up the long driveway. Upon disembarking they actually had a red carpet (wasn’t joking), individual name tags for everyone, and we had to confirm our names were on 3 different lists. The $15 ticket price went to benefit Friendship Place, a fantastic organization fighting to end homelessness in DC. We got to watch a really dope classical music set, ate tons of free food (hella cheese and French baguettes, oui oui), and had the chance to sample several French wines. It was a really cool event and I’m glad I went. Now that I’ve had a taste for high society, I don’t think I can go back anymore. Am I doomed to become a snob? Please advise.

Glad to be here in DC doing this program, very grateful for two good weeks already. Jusqu’à la semaine prochaine (Google Translate tells me that means until next week in French, practicing for my next Embassy appearance).

Week 3: Sidequests, Art, and the Hunt for Worthy Mini Bosses

If life is like a video game, make sure to try as many side quests as possible. It’s way more fun than just going through the motions of the main path.

I’ve been trying to pursue as many side quests in DC while I have the time this summer, and while I’ve yet to encounter any boss battles who drop loot after being defeated, it’s been rewarding none the less.

Monday I tried out a comedy club near Dupont Circle with Brynn. After the last few comedy shows I’ve been to in DC, I was losing a little faith in the idea of them (didn’t know so many people could think they were funny and be so wrong). When the first comedian led with a deadpan fart joke, I feared the experience would continue the streak of disappointingly confident unfunny people. However, the show was actually great and proved a worthy and fun side quest to embark on.

Tuesday I finally finished the big NMC (National Mentoring Community) survey I had been working on. It will be sent out to unmatched mentees and mentors who will give me feedback and input on what changes should be made to the match algorithm. It’s nice to see some progress on my project. Afterwards, I went for a bike ride around the city and enjoyed the nice weather.

Wednesday I went out to dinner by the Wharf and had some insanely good gnocchi. I then listened to live Reggae music at Rock the Dock and enjoyed a sunset on the water.

Thursday SPS set up an incredible networking dinner for us. Food and beverages were provided and the entire SPS Executive Board attended. I had a lot of great conversations, and even handed out business cards (thank you SPS for printing me some). Afterwards a few interns and I went out for a bit in the city.

Friday was a short work day for Juneteenth weekend, and was supposed to kick off with Jazz in the Garden yet again. However, due to rain fears, it was cancelled. It ended up being a quiet afternoon but I ended up seeing everyone later that night for more forays into DC’s social scene.

Saturday was another slow day to begin with, but ended with the NOI Orchestra Concert. A big thanks to Jack Hehn who is a huge supporter of NOI and was the mastermind behind getting us interns tickets to the concert. We got to watch a talk by composer Joan Tower and met a few members of the orchestra.

Sunday I biked to the Georgetown Flea Market with some of the interns. I found this dope painting for my apartment next year and even haggled with the guy to take $40 off. Dude was basically a mini boss the way we stood solid. Afterwards I hungout at the rooftop pool at my friends apartment, then went to my other friends house for a little barbecue.

This week has been great and I’m excited for more side quests next week. Stay tuned!

Week 4: Astronauts, Nobel Prize Winners, and UN Ambassadors

Last week I talked about mini-bosses. Let me tell you, I have never faced a mini-boss as steadfast as the one I began my week with for week 4.

Monday was Juneteenth and in observance of the holiday, we had work off. The interns and I decided to have an Italian themed potluck. Like Icarus cloaked in his mighty wax and bronze wings, I set out for the market to get ingredients for my dish: gnocchi alla sorrentina. And like Icarus, I messed up real bad. After not boiling the potatoes long enough and forgetting that I had nothing to mash the semi-boiled potatoes with, I showed up an hour late to the potluck with a Frankenstein-esque potato creation sporting meh-levels of taste. Ego leveled, hands burned (from prematurely trying to peel freshly boiled potatoes), and pretty much the whole dish left over (wasn’t super popular) I learned a valuable lesson in hubris. I also learned that a potato dough is really hard to wash off and no you can’t just mash potatoes by squeezing them in your hands.

Tuesday I had a few meetings about the National Mentoring Community’s transition from the Salesforce platform, to Xinspire, which was really interesting to get a glimpse at the technical behind the scenes side. After work I went for a quick bike ride and walked around the National Art Gallery for a bit.

Wednesday was the coolest day of the week, as my mentor, Bri Hart, gave me tickets to the White House sponsored Black Space Week event where I got to hear panel discussions from some really incredible people. To start off the talks were Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American woman in space, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, current US ambassador to the UN. They were phenomenal. Like seriously, I’m not eloquent enough to convey how incredible it was to hear them speak. Goosebumps the whole time. Following their portion of the panel, I got to hear from more than a dozen other people in several panels who work in various parts of the space industry, which to me personally was beyond cool, I was kind of just swimming in dorkdom all day. After work I tried out a cool live-band karoake spot which I’ll definitely be returning to.

Thursday we got to meet Dr. John Mather, Nobel prize winner, and senior head scientist on JWST. He had a ton of great advice and I was honestly just psyched to meet someone so prominent in the field I hope to join. He encouraged all of us, reinvigorated our passion for our fields, and promised to be back for our end-of-internship presentations.

Friday I got to see some friends from school who I haven’t seen in a little while which was great.

Saturday we had Astronomy on the Mall! I manned the telescope table for a few hours, where our big draw was mounds of candy. Watching kids come back 4, 5, 6 times for Smarties was so funny, but we used it as a trap to teach them how to use a telescope. Then I helped run the spandex gravity well demo. Never seen so many adults so happy to throw marbles around.

Sunday (today) was a slow start, but I went thrifting in Virginia, and got this huge painting for my apartment next year. Got it for $5 too (at this point I’ve got a talent for getting dope things for cheap, two weekends in a row now).

It’s been yet another great week (shoutout SPS), and I’m really excited to see what week 5 has in store for me.

Week 5: A Physicist’s Glimpse into Americana... and also Physics

This blog post is late. Like super duper late. And for that, my sincerest apologies (I know you’ve all been dying to read my next installment).

Last week began on Monday with a meeting with the APS Comms team about program branding, which was interesting as I haven’t been a part of those conversations yet. After work the interns and I went to Astronomy on Tap, a recurring event in several major US cities. Basically dozens of geeks, nerds, and dorks alike (such as ourselves) gather in a bar and listen to several Astronomy, Astrophysics, or Physics talks. We got to listen to Teresa Monsue (NASA GSFC), Jordan Ealy (UofMaryland), and Ron Gamble (NASA GSFC). They had trivia, bingo, and plenty of prizes (of which SPS interns swept). I went home with a commemorative glass, a NASA bag, and flush with my wins.

Tuesday was a slower day, mostly just check-in meetings on the progress of my work with the NMC. I’m currently awaiting survey data and working on a few other side projects in the meantime.

Wednesday I had morning meetings but in the afternoon I had the chance to finally meet my mentor, Bri Hart, in person. It was so nice being able to work in person and bounce ideas off of her. She’s a wonderfully professional and creative individual and I was glad I had the chance to connect with her in person while she was in DC. Afterwards I met up with some friends from school for dinner and ice cream.

Thursday was again kind of slow, I mostly just had meetings and plugged away at my work (riveting, I know. This is the content you all came here for).

Friday was jam-packed. To begin with, Devin, Jenna, and I had an extremely productive networking conversation with members of the APS Public Engagement and Innovation team. They fielded question after question, concern after concern, and slowly convinced us that we would indeed have successful careers and would not in fact end up deep in debt, alone, and sad. Next we went over to the Capitol Building where Ruthie gave us a wonderful tour of the Hill and the Senate and House wings. The architecture was intimidating, the informational video propagandistic, and the history fascinating; it was incredible overall. My roommate from school came in to town for July 4th weekend and so after work I met up with him, handled some details for our apartment next year and then hungout with all the interns to close off the night.

Saturday I found myself analogous to a pinball. With so many friends in town for the July 4th weekend, I found myself ricocheting between intern friends and school friends. I think I had maybe 4 or 5 back and forths over the course of the day as I met people all over the area for festivities. It was exhausting, but so much fun and extremely rewarding being able to balance spending time with everyone.

Sunday I went to brunch with a bunch of my friends (brunch-bunch lmao). I had myself some Japanese bubble waffles and chicken, which was so divine. After some time spent regaining my sanity and energy (napping), I met up with more friends for a nice dinner by the Georgetown Waterfront.

Monday began early with my roommate and I going back to our apartment complex to ensure that everything was all set (our lease for next year started July 1st). SPS has incredibly generously been putting all of us interns up in GW housing, which means I’m not officially moving in yet. Despite that, we still had tons of moving to do between stuff he brought down, stuff I wanted to move over now, and stuff in our shared storage unit. It was exhausting and time consuming (I hate moving). I then biked over to the Nationals stadium where I met the interns for an SPS sponsored social outing. They had the presidential mascot race which concluded with George Washington drinking the McDonald’s Grimace shake and passing out (like in the memes) which was peak lunacy. The game was so much fun and was actually my first time there despite living in DC two years now. After the game I spent a little more time with school friends.

Tuesday was the 4th: game day, go time. I started the morning with breakfast with friends from school, then hopped around to various festivities hosted at apartments by people I know from GW (so many hot dogs, so much country played, so many “MURICAAA"s, though ironically). I then biked down to the mall to meet up with the interns for the firework show, which was explosive and colorful (you’d hope right?).

Wednesday was yesterday, and I spent it moving more things into my apartment (we might have too much junk) and testing out the rooftop pool in my building (I got a little sunburned).

Once again, apologies for the tardiness (and thus the length as well). Next week’s blog will be correspondingly curtailed. Also, quick shoutout, my brother’s birthday is today, happy birthday Brady!

Crazy to be halfway done with the program already, hoping the next half is as fun as the first was!

Week 6: Jaden, Destroyer of Cool Air

As promised, this blog will be shorter, due to my delayed post last week that ended up covering well into week 6 (you forgiven me yet for being so late?).

Since I ended my last blog at Wednesday, I’ll pick up at Thursday here.

After living without AC in the dorm room that Devin and I share at GW, I finally decided to mobilize and put in a maintenance request. Prior to my sudden productive burst of energy, Devin and I had languished in temperatures only slightly lower than the blistering 85-95 Fahrenheit range that DC so lovingly sports. But GW Maintenance is my hero and fixed our unit within hours (hello sweet breeze of modern technology). After work concluded and air was flowing, I finally made another trip out to my storage unit and moved the last of my roommates’ and my furniture into our apartment for next year.

Friday I worked away virtually like usual, but during my lunch break I helped the first of two submitters move into our apartment. They’re both staying for about a month, so they’ll relinquish the place back to us right before school starts (assuming we don’t get a squatter situation). The subletter had an issue with the temperature in the room (said she wouldn’t stay unless it was fixed), so for the second time in two days, I asked for an AC repair. Our building was quick as well and the issue was resolved (hello sweet breeze of modern technology... again). Once all of that was solved, I flew home to Massachusetts (after my initial flight was cancelled).

After getting in late Friday night, Saturday began early with party prep. My brother recently graduated from high school (heading to Virginia Tech next year, whoop whoop!) and he also turned 18 on July 6th, so Saturday marked his birthuation party (patent pending). However, I awoke to discover that my family home’s own AC system had seen me coming and shut down in fear. I made a last minute trip to Lowe’s and got as many fans as I could carry in a cart (to be returned post party) so that at least partygoers wouldn’t be passing out (hello sweet breeze of modern technology... again... again). Apparently, AC systems tremble in my wake (3 times in three days? Ridiculous) and I believe I could set up a lot of sweat-inducing pranks or cause some low level destruction of property with my newfound superpower. Regardless, it was great seeing so many family and friends and I was happy to be there to celebrate my brother.

Sunday is today and it began with an early morning flight back down to DC. I was sad to leave home so soon, but glad I had the chance to visit at all. Upon arrival, I headed to my apartment to move in the second of two subletters (I should start a moving company). Having done so, I relaxed by the pool for a few before venturing off to acquire some sheets, and other essentials. After my travels and trials were concluded, I met up with a group of friends from school and we sat by the Kennedy center, caught up for a bit, and painted (at least they did, I don’t think you could call mine painting) with watercolors.

It’s weird that over half of the internship is already done. I’m excited for the new year, but really enjoying the summer and I wish I could hold on a little more. I’m also eager to see how many more AC systems I can destroy with my new AC-destroying-superpowers. Will update next week, hoping I don’t live somewhere where it happens though. I think my superhero (or supervillain?) name should be like the Deconditioner, or Air Dud, or Bent Vent, or Low Flow, or Cool Fool.

Damn, these are actually so good, someone give me a connect so I can pitch Marvel.

Week 7: Friends, Alarms, and Avoiding Cliches

If you ever go to set an alarm, triple check that you set the AM or PM correctly. I have learned this painfully obvious lesson in a painfully embarrassing way, but we’ll get to that shortly.

The week began slow this past Monday with a few meetings. One of which was a networking call with the APS News team, which was incredibly helpful and relieving. Devin, Jenna, and I signed off at the end with tons of new advice and offers to help network and check our resumes. Turns out, discussing our futures, financial stability, job outlooks, and future levels of success CAN be cathartic.

Tuesday meant another APS intern check in with Devin, Jenna, and I, as well as all of our mentors. We talked game plan for our symposium talks and recapped the work we’ve all been doing. I then met with my research advisor from school to brainstorm research ideas for next year. Post meeting, I decided I was done being productive and I hungout at the pool with Brynn and Janessa.

Wednesday was another great networking meeting with the APS Careers team, which I work very closely with (shoutout to Midhat Farooq for yet more good advice). I then journeyed into Virginia, in search of an actually affordable DMV thrift store. I was able to get a desk chair for $5 (always thrift, the chairs on Amazon are like $100). I then rode back to my apartment with the spoils of war, driven by an Uber driver who fancied himself a wise sherpa of young adults. His advice included, “you shouldn’t have done this internship, you should’ve worked construction, learned some actually useful skills”, “always be the friend with a truck, they can never cut you out”, and “never stay at a job longer than 6 months, the shortest job I had was 49 days”. (Deadpan) pearls of wisdom that I totally intend to internalize and live my life by.

Thursday after work I met up with a friend from home who was in town visiting friends at Howard. I haven’t seen him in a bit and it was nice catching up. I quickly had to mobilize though for the intern potluck. You may remember my Icarus-level failure with the gnocchi a few weeks back, and this week’s attempt at empanadas thankfully wasn’t nearly as awful. And yet... that’s about the only level of positivity I can say for my performance. I accidentally bought baked pie crust instead of dough, and as a result, my empanada shells kept cracking and crumbling. This forced me to pivot and instead make a casserole style dish with the empanada innards and instead make small little biscuit thingys out of the pie crust. The biscuits were dry, bland, and wholly unimpressive, and my “casserole” was underwhelming but edible. Success! At least in relative terms to my previous potluck.

Friday began early, waaayy too early. I had 5 friends from home who were driving down to visit me for the weekend (all the way from Massachusetts), and they only started driving when the last one of them got off work at 7:30pm. Factoring in traffic and the 8-9 hr drive, they ended up getting in at 4am. Which is something the GPS told them would happen, which they relayed to me around 2am. I decided to take a quick nap, falling asleep at around 2:30am and planning to wake around 3:45am to let them into my building’s parking garage and get them all set up in air mattresses in my room. Notice how all of the above times have pm or am? This was not the level of attention to detail I exhibited when I went to take my nap. I set all the alarms for pm rather than am, and finally awoke at 7am. My exhausted friends had been forced to park the car and scooter around the monuments for hours while leaving me exactly 50 missed calls, 31 missed texts, 23 snapchats, and 15 voicemails.

Thankfully they were good natured about it all though and after they napped all morning while I worked, we enjoyed the apartment building pool, grabbed dinner, and met up with some of my school friends for a fun night out.

Saturday was another early morning with the 6 of us going to brunch at Rakuya, a Japanese style breakfast place. While they may taste similar to your average waffle with your eyes closed, something about Japanese bubble waffles elevates the simple breakfast item into a top tier delicacy. Post waffle we ventured to Navy Yard and enjoyed some German pretzels among other items at Dacha. We rounded off the night with a Barbenheimer-themed (Barbie x Oppenheimer, to celebrate the release of both movies this upcoming weekend) event with the other interns and another fun night out.

Sunday meant breakfast at Call Your Mother (staggeringly, my friends, all from Massachusetts, said it was better than Dunks) and saying farewell to my friends. I then had dinner with a friend and ended up seeing some spontaneous (and almost assuredly illegal) fireworks and a wonderful sunset down by the reflecting pool.

I won’t wax poetic about how “it’s hard to believe the summer is almost coming to an end” or that “time really flies and it feels like I just started yesterday”. Both are true, but they’re corny and I’m boycotting those cliches (as should we all). Rather, the internship feels like it’s ripening. We’ve all settled into new friends, positions, experiences, and memories. For now, it’s summer in DC, and we’ve all grown comfortable in our new roles and the vibrancy of the city. Soon though we’ll all return to the familiar routine of our respective school years, but that’s fine. Cause this summer has been super cool so far (thanks SPS and APS), and I’m simply grateful for the experience, understanding that this time will eventually fully ripen, fall off the vine, and become something else (though hopefully nothing rotten!).

Week 8: American Prometheus, Aged Art, and Live Music

Late again! Yes yes I know, but it’s been a busy week and I think subconsciously I’ve been avoiding the blogs cause it’s a marker of time passing.

Monday of this past week involved a meeting with Dr. Midhat Farooq, and a few faculty fellows from the Career Mentoring Fellows program. My role was to give a student perspective on new career talks they were developing (someone wanted my input? Huh?). The meeting was an interesting look into some more of the behind the scenes work APS does to bolster students career resources. Post work, I went to my friends’ house to grab a few things. They graduated from GW this past semester and so are moving out for good now, as a parting gift and as a way to get rid of extra junk, they gave me a massive speaker, two smaller speakers, and a DJ turntable (all for free). Never really considered getting into music like that but maybe I’ll start mixing. Gotta brainstorm DJ names first though. Den? Jade? DJ J? DJ^2? MC Uncertainty?

Tuesday was a slow day at work, after which I took a walk through Georgetown. I found some incredibly dope art stores, got some cheap pizza, and scarfed down my ice cream before the swarm of birds following be could get any. The art stores were the destination because I thought I might try and find some affordable decorations for my apartment. You’ll be unsurprised to know that I blanched when the first price tag I saw was $78,000. So I merely window shopped, yelled a conversation with the mostly deaf owner, and made small talk with some overly friendly older women who keep remarking on my height.

Wednesday was my last day going into the office at ACP (American Center for Physics). The metro line will be undergoing maintenance and so ACP is no longer reachable. It was an uneventful last day, but bittersweet nonetheless. Post work, I tried to listen to a record I’d picked up recently (The Happy Cats - Joe Newman Sextet) but my record player was broken. This resulted in a fruitless, 2 hour escapade into the circuitry of the machine. Even after seeking help from the SPS Intern chat, the issue remained unidentified and I remained annoyed, sitting in silence.

Thursday was another average day of virtual work. I’ve been working on a final report that represents the culmination of all of my summer work, which has been eating up much of my time. Afterwards I ventured off to an antique sale in the West End and grabbed a few vintage cameras that look super cool (doing my best to become a photography poser). Later that night I saw Oppenheimer with two friends from school. All I can say is Ludwig Goransson aces every soundtrack he makes, Christopher Nolan doesn’t miss, and I’ve really gotta read the Bhagavad Gita.

Friday afternoon was spent by the pool at my apartment complex after some more work done on my final report. I managed to escape a sunburn, which is actually an incredible feat for me. After I defied the fiery wrath of the sun, I had a nice movie night. The Kennedy Center has secondary building attached on the grounds called The Reach, and every Friday they do showings of free outdoor movies. I went with a friend from school, brought snacks and a picnic blanket, watched the sunset, and then enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox (my first time seeing it).

Saturday was a slow morning, but in the afternoon I went to Bullpen with some friends from school. Bullpen is a large outdoor area by the Nationals stadium that has food, drinks, and live music. Enjoying the sunset and the concert was amazing. I then scrambled back to catch the rest of the interns, with which I enjoyed a fun night out.

Sunday was pretty quiet, but in the evening I went to a free National Symphony Orchestra concert at the Kennedy Center. The music was moving, the musicians were elegant, and my mind was blown.

I promise I will work doubly hard to get next week’s blog in on time. As I’m submitting this on Thursday (yikes), I already know that next week’s blog will be chock full of hectic stress, cool moments, and useless ramblings on my end. Get excited! Or don’t, I’m not in control here (or ever?).

Week 9: Scientific Snapshots and Penultimate Pictures

A few things I learned this week: ten minutes is incredibly quick, trust the emergency Flash Flood Alerts, and a million pounds is an impressive sight.

Also there were a lot of cool pictures from this week (hence the alliteratively photo themed title) so either skip ahead to them or stick around to the end.

Monday Devin, Jenna, and I met with APS’ PR Journals Associate Editor and had a lovely informational interview about the publication process, career paths, and general life tips. Afterwards I collapsed into work mode the way a star collapses into a black hole. Head down, I worked through the last of my final report for my mentor Bri, as well as a draft of my final symposium presentation.

Tuesday was the day of my practice presentation. While the rest of the interns have until the 3rd to work on their drafts and practice, Devin, Jenna, and I (the APS interns) had to prepare to present today, to 20-30 APS staff. Needless to say, the three of us were nervous balls of energy, with myself choosing to pace back and forth with Play Hard (feat. Ne-Yo & Akon) by David Guetta, Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and A-Trak, and Prada (Casso Edit) by Casso on repeat. You’ve never experienced pure adrenaline until your fight or flight kicks in 3 minutes to presentation time as David Guetta lays down an insane bass drop to Akon’s vocals. Despite running past the 10 minute limit, my presentation went fine and I received some good feedback as a result. Post presentation, us APS interns had a meeting with the APS Education team, followed by a meeting with the APS Governmental Affairs team. Both meetings were great informational interviews and gave us new perspective on potential physics career paths. It had been a long day, so after all my meetings, I went for a little bike ride and then a long walk. It started raining lightly midway through but I decided to stick it out for the vibes (and the dope pictures below). Upon returning home, I found the other interns having game night in my living room and quickly joined in. Tuesday was also the last meeting I had with my mentor Bri Hart, as she was going on vacation until the end of my internship. She has been incredibly supportive and welcoming throughout the program and I hope her vacation is unreal and that we continue to stay in touch.

Wednesday morning was an APS Programs department meeting, where I got a cool glimpse into the behind the scenes of physics education and outreach. Every topic of debate, every program detail, and every new idea was passionately considered, debated, and revised in order to best fit the relevant sub-community. It was nice to see that so many caring people are working to support the physics community. Post-work I hungout at the pool for awhile with some friends, then went home to make some dinner. In defiance of my last two potluck failures, I tried making a new dish: chicken pot pie. And while there’s always room for improvement, I can attest that third time is the charm. Catch me opening a catering business or a restaurant or something, it was so good.

Thursday began well with a resume workshop for all the interns given by Dr. Midhat Farooq, one of my favorite colleagues to have worked with from APS this summer. The resources and tips were incredibly helpful (although it seems I’ve got to tear my current resume to shreds). I then had my last informational interview of the summer with the PR Materials Editor, which was a far more informal (and thus more natural) conversation, which was a welcome change of pace. Brynn then came over to swim in my apartments pool. I had been planning to join her, but unfortunately, fate had other plans for me. First, my AC-destroying-superpowers resurfaced, disabling the AC unit in one of my apartment’s bedrooms. This resulted in a 95 degree temperature and one sweaty and unhappy subletter. The building said they’d send an engineer up, for which I waited for hours, and then no one ever came. Hit number two came when I received a supposed speeding violation notice from the rental car company I had used to move myself in way back at the start of Week 1. The alleged violation was caught by the notoriously sneaky and extremely unreliable speed cameras. However, the rental car company had informed me of the ticket well after the period DC had allowed for contestment, as well as the due date for payment. This means the fine is no longer fightable, and it’s double the original amount. Needless to say, I was quite livid (don’t use Zipcar).

Friday was the day of our NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) tour (thanks Gizem, Eva, Clay, Janessa, and Colin for setting it up). We started at the Additive Manufacturing lab where we got to see metallurgical 3D printers. Next up was the Trace Explosives lab, where I volunteered one of the bills in my wallet for a demonstration. It was swabbed, tested, and came back positive for drugs! Apparently over 90% of US bills are contaminated with trace amounts of cocaine, like the one I had. We then got to see some cool fluid dynamics visuals, learned about the human thermal plume, and delved into artificial dog nose technology for tracing explosives. Next we went to see the million pound deadweight machine, used for precise calibration of machines from all around the world. The rest of the tour involved pizza, the NIST library, and then the NIST class-100 clean room. The piece de resistance was seeing a clone of Isaac Newton’s famous apple tree that was grown from a cutting of the original (meaning it’s genetically identical to Newton’s). All I can say after the tour is: NIST, please hire me. The rest of the day saw me finally able to get the AC fixed (again), quiplash games with the interns, and then a fun night out.

Saturday I ventured to the Natural History Museum and then the US Botanical Gardens. Such a wholesome and good day, until a severe thunderstorm swept in, and I was still a 20 minute bike ride from my room. I eventually had to disembark the bike when 80 mph winds made forward motion impossible. I made it home carrying the equivalent of a kiddies pool worth of water in my clothes, shoes, and hair.

Sunday was a slow day, and it began with a trip to the Georgetown Flea Market. I didn’t find anything worth buying, but it was a good excuse to leave the house and always a cool place to walk around. I spent some time afterwards organizing my apartment and then settled in for the night.

It’s the penultimate week of the internship. I’ve been trying to avoid the “I can’t believe it’s gone so quickly!” sentiments and simply enjoy the time that’s left. But it seems acknowledging the passage of time is an inevitability. I’m grateful for all of the opportunities, experiences, and connections this program has given me this summer. As I head into the last week, I’ll dodge the cliche and say it’s not exactly bittersweet. I am excited to be home with my family and friends again, and I’m also excited for the new semester to start soon after. I will of course miss this summer terribly: the interns, the work, and the atmosphere it all created. But I think this internship has helped me to recognize that there are stages of life, and that the only sadness that should be associated with transitions is if you didn’t take full advantage of the previous stage. I feel that SPS and APS have helped me to take full advantage of this summer, and I’m eager to do the same for the new semester.

Week 10: End of Times (Well, Just End of Summer)

It’s over. All ten weeks have concluded and the interns and I have given our final presentations and all gone home.

The final week began on Monday with a brief check-in meeting with Midhat Farooq from APS, who was stepping in as my mentor for the final week as my mentor for the summer, Bri Hart, was on vacation. The meeting was brief, yet productive, and I really appreciated her helping out. After work I met the interns at the National Mall for one last evening of spike ball, a picnic, and watching the sunset. Crazy how the first week we did the same, and Brynn is still awful at spike ball (kidding, it’s me who hasn’t improved).

Tuesday after work I went to a small and short concert by Bosnian pianist, Mirna Lekic. Despite its brevity, the music was engaging and it was a nice break from presentation prep. Later that evening I baked a cake for our intern dessert potluck. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that my previous two potluck attempts have been less than successful (gnocchi and empanadas). However, this one was a winner and while the frosting job was awful and the thing LOOKED awful, it was actually quite edible, which will be my new bar going forward.

Wednesday I had no official work meetings with APS, but it was my last day with them. Coincidentally, it was also the date of the August birthday bash. If you’ll remember, APS has a meeting once a month to celebrate new hires, retirees, and birthdays happening that month. When Devin, Jenna, and I joined APS 10 weeks ago, we got to join the June birthday bash meeting, and it seemed fitting that we’d leave with another one. After the last day concluded, most of the interns and I ventured to the wharf for our last Rock the Dock. The music was awesome, the atmosphere on point, and the games fun (although Clay and Brynn call cornhole “bags” and I’m still upset about it). My friend from home actually joined us and she said that the interns were all amazing people and that she enjoyed the chance to meet them (though she especially enjoyed talking to Gizem).

Thursday was the beginning of the end, or at least its when the end felt real. We had our practice symposium presentations for Brad, Mikayla, and Kayla in the morning and while most of us were torn to shreds, I left feeling more confident and sporting a more airtight presentation. Later in the day, my mom arrived with my new desk for my apartment, among a few other small things to be moved in. After this was done, I raced back over to Tonic for the last intern dinner. After first meeting everyone at a Tonic dinner 10 weeks ago, it was apt (yet sad) to run it back one final time. Once again we took over the only table large enough for all of us, once again we had trouble with the contact-less order system, and once again we left in good spirits.

Friday was the culmination of 10 weeks worth of work. SPS leadership began the day with hand-picked books for each of us, with nice messages written inside each. I got American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, which is the inspiration for the Oppenheimer movie that came out this summer. The interns decided that we should also all leave nice messages in each others books and now this copy of American Prometheus is among my most prized books. Most of us were beyond nervous for our presentations, but I am beyond proud of everyone’s performances. Each intern was remarkably composed, even-spoken, knowledgeable, organized, and right on time. For my own presentation, I am content with how I did, especially given the state of my practice presentation for Brad the day prior (never knew I could stutter so much). After presentations I made time to say goodbye to a few of my friends from school who were going abroad in the Fall, as I wouldn’t see them for a few months. I then packed like a madman with Devin as we both had to move out early the next day. I met my mom for dinner that night, which was a nice break from all the goodbye prep. We went to Boqueria, which is a Spanish tapas style place (highly recommend). Straight from dinner I hurried back to campus for one last intern gathering. We got deep, got light again, and then deep once more. A group of us went out that night and so goodbyes were said on campus, and then throughout the night as people went home. My final goodbye was to Brynn around 3 am as I got home from the night out, who somehow got herself locked out of the dorm on her last night (such a moron).

Saturday began early, as I still needed to finish packing my return bag home. I then moved the last few things from the dorm room into my apartment with the help of my mom, and began the long drive home.

Sunday was spent by the pool with my family. It was great catching up and catching some sun. Later in the evening I met up with some friends (the ones who’d visited in DC a few weeks ago).

I want to thank SPS, APS, Bri Hart, Brad Conrad, Mikayla Cleaver, Kayla Stephens, Midhat Farooq, and everyone else who made this summer possible for me and the other interns. I definitely feel like I’ve progressed as a professional, as a student, and as a physicist. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the social, professional, and individual experiences this summer brought and that wouldn’t have been possible without SPS. To any out there reading these blogs, I hope you’ve been encouraged to apply for the internship, or simply to just pursue what you’re passionate about. There are opportunities everywhere and with a little searching and a little work, the benefits are astronomical (get it? Cause I’m an astro major?).