Julia Buccola, 2023 AIP FYI Science Policy Communications Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Radford University

Hi there! My name is Julia Buccola and I’m a rising senior at Radford University majoring in Theoretical & Experimental Physics with minors in Gender Studies and Philosophy. I’m also passionate about singing and music, political activism, and so many crafts, most recently crocheting. Outside of my hobbies and classes, I’ve enjoyed being involved and holding leadership positions around my campus in organizations such as Alpha Sigma Tau, the Society of Physics Students, and Sigma Pi Sigma.

I have also been lucky enough to participate in some form of undergraduate research during every year I’ve been a student at Radford, with my most recent project taking me all the way to Alaska and Chicago as I studied airborne microplastics and then presented this research at the AGU’s Fall 2022 meeting. Although I love research, I’m incredibly excited to pursue this internship in science policy and to learn more about the budgetary considerations that go into making the science I’m passionate about possible.

Internship

Host: American Institute of Physics

Project

Abstract

As scientists, the science policy decisions made by Congress impact much of what we do, and staying informed on those decisions is both important and necessary. FYI Science Policy news allows anyone interested in science and the subsequent policy surrounding it to stay informed through the deployment of weekly newsletters, longer-form bulletin articles, and widgets on the FYI website that give people the opportunity to explore specific legislation and budget decisions. This makes often-complex information more readily digestible to those who need it, and taking part in this internship showed me how valuable this access is. In this presentation, I will focus on the work that FYI does, how I contributed over the summer, why this information availability is valuable, and why it’s important for scientists to stay informed on the policy decisions that impact all of us.

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Week One - Getting Settled In

I can’t believe I’m finally in D.C.! I’ve been anticipating move-in and the start of this internship for what feels like years, but it really came up so quickly looking back – and I’m ecstatic to finally be here. Move-in was a breeze and getting to explore this part of D.C. on Sunday and Monday for the first time was a lot of fun. Although this isn’t my first time in D.C., I feel like I see something new and exciting every time I look up, and that’s what I love about walkable cities like this. On Monday night, all of us interns went out to dinner together to celebrate a birthday, and then met back up in mine and my roommate’s dorm afterwards to play some card games, and it has been an amazing time getting to meet all of them.

On Tuesday, all the SPS interns gathered again, but this time for our orientation and our first time in the American Center for Physics over at College Park. Meeting all of the national SPS leadership and learning more about the organization was 1) super fun and 2) very informative, and I can’t wait to take back the information I learned to my local SPS chapter. We also had a small competition to find out who could build the tallest spaghetti-marshmallow tower. I really thought our team was beat, but in a last-minute turn of events, we somehow won! I also got to meet my mentor for the first time in person on Tuesday afternoon. I’ll be working as the FYI Science Policy news intern and meeting my mentor to learn about the daily work I’ll be doing was amazing! I’ve never done work in science policy, so this opportunity to explore a field that’s new to me is very exciting. There’s a pretty wide range of tasks I could get involved with this summer and I’m looking forward to the experience.

On Wednesday, we had another orientation session, but I also got to attend some interesting meetings in the afternoon. This is my first time having a hybrid-remote job, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. Some of the other interns and I also went to sit on the Mall later in the day with blankets and some books, and it was a really nice evening – the sunset was gorgeous. Thursday was probably my favorite day so far – I was back in the office, and I got my first writing assignment! I also got to go out to lunch with the other members of the FYI team and that was a lot of fun. I went to a craft store after work with my roommate and I finally got some crochet supplies!

Finally, on Friday, I was working from home again and I feel like it was a really productive day. For that spaghetti competition I mentioned, my team was awarded a gift card for Captain Cookie, so I went there after work to grab some cookies for all of the interns. Then, some of us headed over to Union Market, which is one of my personal favorite spots in DC, to grab some dinner. Saturday was also an amazing day – I have quite a few friends I know up here from my university, so I went to the National Gallery of Art with one of my geology friends. It was the perfect way to wrap up the end of a busy but rewarding first week!

Week Two - First Time for Everything

I hate how quickly time seems to go here – I can’t believe that two weeks of this internship have already gone by. This week was just as amazing as the last.

I went to my first congressional hearing early in the week, and I think going to one in person is something that everyone should be able to experience at least once. I also had my first writing assignment sent out to the FYI audience as part of our weekly newsletter. I got a new writing assignment for next week as well, and I’ve also been spending some time helping out with the budget tracker and bill tracker on the new FYI website. So, overall, there were a lot of firsts for me this week. As scary as that can be, I had an amazing time outside of my comfort zone.

The other interns and I had a video game night which was so much fun, and it was a great activity to have with the air quality warnings we had later in the week. We also headed back over to the Mall, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to bring a blanket and read or people watch. There were several pride events throughout the week as well, and getting to attend my first pride event with some of the other interns was amazing. The biggest thing I learned at pride is that there is never too much glitter.

I’m looking forward to next week, and all the weeks to come after that, but I do wish time could slow down sometimes.

Week Three - 1/3rd of the Way There

1/3rd of the internship is already over – only seven weeks left! I can definitely feel how bittersweet this internship is going to be. It’s already been the experience of a lifetime, and it’s not even halfway over, so I can’t imagine how I’ll feel by the end of it. Three is my lucky number, and the third week of the internship surely reflects that, as it was another amazing week in DC.

On Monday, another FYI newsletter was published, and it still sounds and feels so surreal that I’m even taking part in helping to write them. If you’re not already, I highly recommend getting subscribed to FYI because it’s an amazing way to stay up to date on what’s happening in the science policy world. I have to say that I’m still on the fence about working partially hybrid – I enjoy being able to be in my own space, but that also comes along with the potential to simply stay in my pajamas all day. Sounds like a dream, but I do think I want to try a little harder to wake up early and start getting ready to go into work without actually going into work, if that makes any sense. It would also be nice to explore some local coffee shops or bakeries for a quiet place to work that isn’t my dorm room.

Tuesday brought about another congressional hearing, but this time, it was all about fusion. I ended up going into the office and then attending the hearing online. There was a conference going on at ACP this week, so the other interns and I who had commuted in together were offered a free breakfast, which was really nice – I hadn’t been grocery shopping for this week yet. After work, my roommate and I went shopping, and I also got some chores around the dorm done, so I would say it was a pretty productive day.

Wednesday was a chill day. I worked from home, getting started with a new software I’ll be using called Tableau. It’s used to create visual representations of data that are interactive and super helpful to understand and display data in useful ways. After work, a group of interns and I headed over to The Wharf for a free outdoor concert. The music was awesome, and the sunset was beautiful on the water. Plus, there was also huge Jenga, so it was a lot of fun.

On Thursday, I went into the office for one of our weekly editorial meetings. It ended up being online, and I got assigned another blurb to write for next week. I worked on another dataset in Tableau for the rest of this afternoon. In the evening, we had a dinner with the SPS Executive Committee and also some former interns. It was a really fun evening, and I enjoyed talking to so many interesting people.

Friday was another remote working day, so I did some writing and formatting for the newsletter going out next week. Myself and some of the other interns were meant to go to Jazz in the Garden this night, but it got cancelled for bad weather that didn’t actually end up coming through. Instead, a group of us decided to go out to get some boba, which was delicious. After that, some of us went out to end out the week.

Finally, on Saturday, all of the SPS interns were invited to attend a performance by the NOI-F orchestra. We got to eat dinner with some of the musicians in the orchestra, and getting to speak with them about their experiences was amazing. Some of the interns and I also played a pretty good game of ping pong outside of the venue before the performance started. The actual performance was amazing, and I felt so lucky to be able to attend such an incredible event.

I hope anyone reading this had an amazing week as well. Stay tuned for next week!

Week Four - A Week of Fun

I think this week has been my favorite so far – from meeting a Nobel laureate to doing amazing outreach, it was definitely a week I’ll always remember.

On Monday, all of the interns had the day off for Juneteenth, and I was looking forward to having a relaxing day. Sadly, I ended up having to go to Urgent Care – I unfortunately got bit by a spider :( The only thing that made it any better was all the interns making jokes about me turning into Spiderman, and the intern potluck we had that evening. It was Italian themed, and everything was delicious, so that was a good way to finish out my first less-than-ideal day in D.C.!

By Tuesday, the spider bite was already doing better, and it felt good to go back to work and be productive. Because we had Monday off, the FYI newsletter was published today instead of Monday, so I spent the day working on that. After work, a group of interns headed over to Tonic for a free jazz performance – the music was great, and so was the food. We finished out the evening having a watch party for Heartstopper. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t recommend it enough! We got through three episodes together... but I may have stayed up until midnight and finished the whole series. Oops.

Wednesday was another work from home day. I had a meeting with my mentor to get some new assignments, and I’m excited to start working on one of the features on the FYI website – the budget tracker. Congress is starting to release appropriations numbers for different agencies, so one of the things FYI does is keep track of all of those sometimes challenging to find numbers and put them in one place that’s easy to navigate and understand. After work, all I did was head over to the post office to pick up some packages (more yarn for more crocheting!), and then I checked out the Foggy Bottom farmer’s market. I’m sad I hadn’t gone sooner – my hometown has a weekly farmers market, so it felt familiar and was really comforting.

On Thursday, I went into the office in-person for one of our weekly editorial meetings. This is my first week getting multiple writing assignments for the newsletter, and we also started to discuss what I might write about for a longer-form article. I also continued to work on the budget numbers and the Tableau software I had mentioned – right now, I’m trying to build an interactive tracker of all the different national labs throughout the country. There was also an SPS lunch on this day at ACP, and all the interns got to sit down with Dr. John Mather!!! It was an amazing time getting to talk with him, and he also gave us a presentation on some of the stuff he has worked on, as well as some current projects he has now.Along with that, he gave us some stellar advice about what success actually means, and it was inspiring to see how far our careers in physics might take us.

Friday, I worked from home, finishing up on some writing and formatting for the weekly newsletter. The interns also got trained on the different demos we were going to do at Astronomy on the Mall. Otherwise, I had a pretty lazy day – playing some Minecraft and going to bed early as I was pretty exhausted after such a busy week.

Saturday was an amazing day – we had Astronomy on the Mall this evening, planned out by the amazing SOCK intern, Emily. I always love doing outreach events and I also ended up learning a lot about astronomy myself, from both the SPS interns and some of the people at the various other tables. I think doing outreach is my favorite aspect of being a scientist because it’s a huge part of getting younger people inspired and excited about science. One of the tables we had set up was for trivia, and when I asked a group of people if a bowling ball and feather would fall at the same speed due to gravity, one young girl (probably under ten years old!) asked if we were in a vacuum or in normal air to clarify how she should answer – outreach is meant to inspire others, but it always ends up inspiring me just as much. Seeing so many people that remind me of my younger self is so rewarding, and I feel so lucky to have participated in such an amazing event with amazing people – another big shoutout to Emily for all her hard work :)

Next week will mark the halfway point of our internship, and I look forward to telling you all about it. Until then, have an amazing week!

Week Five – Paddleboarding, Excel Sheets, and a Tour of the Capitol, Oh My!

We’re officially at the halfway point of the internship!

On Monday, I worked from home and it was another newsletter publication day, so I finished up on my writing for the week. I also continued to work with some data in Tableau to make a visual widget of all of the national laboratories alongside information about the congressional districts they’re in. After work, I played a video game with my sister who lives pretty far away from me, so it was good to check in with her. Some other interns and I also attended an Astronomy on Tap event, which is an event where you can play trivia while scientists give presentations on different Astronomy topics. This particular event was at the DC9 club, and it was also a celebration of Black Space Week. Overall, I feel like I learned a lot and I also had a lot of fun letting my competitive side out during trivia. The interns also got to speak with several really cool science people, including a theoretical astrophysicist who works at NASA. I’m hoping I’ll be able to attend another in the future!

Tuesday was another busy day, and my mentor is also out of town for this week, so I had a meeting with the head of the FYI team instead to go over what I would be working on over the course of the next few days. For the rest of the day, I worked on some of the edits I had received for bill summaries I wrote, and then on the Tableau software again – this did in fact give me a headache today, but it’s always so satisfying when you finally figure out what you’re doing wrong and get it to actually work. I also worked on updating some of the images that we have on the new website. After work, my roommate and I went to Trader Joe’s and got some supplies for a charcuterie board and had some of the other interns over to enjoy that and watch a movie. I also *finally* finished up one of the crochet bags I’ve been working on, and it will now go to auction in the intern group chat – whoever likes it first gets it. I’m excited to finish the rest of them :)

On Wednesday, I met with the head of the FYI team again to demo the things I had been working on in Tableau. I added some new stuff to that data, and I also worked on updating some of the things on the website. After work, myself and a couple other interns went to paddleboard on the Potomac with the Potomac Conservancy – it was a good workout, and it was also gorgeous (even though I was terrified of the water... next time, I’m definitely getting a kayak instead of a paddleboard).

Thursday, I attended a National Academies meeting digitally in the morning and then worked on combing through some of the bill data we have to find any discrepancies and correct them (about 800 rows in excel... it was a lot of staring at my computer screen for one day). It had been a super busy and tiring week up to this point, so I decided to take a quick power nap after work and then my roommate and I headed over to a shopping mall because we both needed to get some new headphones. I ended up finishing another crochet bag (we’re speed crocheting this week), and then we got some ice-cream to round out the night.

On Friday, I finished working on the monster excel sheet I just mentioned in the morning. In the afternoon, the Capitol Hill intern, Ruthie, organized a tour of the Capitol for all the interns. As much as everyone joked earlier in the week about wearing sweatpants (technically, there’s no dress code for Capitol Hill), everyone looked quite snazzy, and it was super cool to see the behind-the-scenes of Capitol Hill. Big thank you to Ruthie for organizing the tour!

All in all, it was a productive week, and it feels like I’m going into the second half of the internship in a good mindset to keep doing good work. I’m most excited to write a longer-form article, which we call bulletins, and to continue working on the Tableau data I have. See you next week!

Week Six - 4th of July Fun

We’re now closer to the end of this internship than we are to the beginning of it, which is really weird to say. Overall, this week was definitely slower paced for me than some of the others, and it was good to have some time to rest and recharge for the rest of the excitement this internship will bring.

On Monday, the other SPS interns and I attended the Nationals game – we had hotdogs, watched the game get delayed because of the weather, and then had a great time watching together once it finally started. On Wednesday, I worked from home and did some shopping, so it was an overall productive day. I met with my mentor then continued working on some assignments from last week, and also started brainstorming some new additions to the Tableau project I have. I had a vocal lesson after work with my teacher from back home, and then spent the rest of the evening crocheting and watching TV.

Thursday was an in-office day, and we had a workshop event that one of the other interns, Jenna, put together. It was amazing! I also had an editorial meeting today and got new writing assignments for next week, so I worked on those and formatting the newsletter as well. After work, I finished up some crochet projects (still on a roll) and had a chill night in. Friday was a work-from-home day, and I continued working on the newsletter as well as something new in Tableau. Some of the other interns and I also went out this evening and it was a lot of fun, and the perfect way to wrap up this week!

I’m starting to think about what my final presentation for the internship will look like, and I’m also excited that I have some family coming to visit at the end of this upcoming week. Until then, have an amazing week!

Week Seven - A Whole Lot of Museums

I can’t believe it’s true, but there’s only three more weeks left to go of this internship!

On Monday, I worked from home and finished up writing my blurb and proofreading the newsletter for publication in the afternoon. After work, I headed over to a small park in Foggy Bottom and did some yoga and crocheting. I also tried a restaurant in Foggy Bottom that had a fried chicken sandwich with.... wait for it.... honey butter! It was a delicious end to the day.

Tuesday was another work-from-home day, and I met with my mentor for a check-in meeting in the morning. We started working on my abstract and title for my final presentation, which is due soon (!!!), and also went over the work I would be doing for the week. I’ll be helping make a reference page for the budget tracker on the FYI site, and I’ll be presenting the work I’ve done with Tableau to the team next week as well. After work, my roommate and I went to Michael’s (hopefully for the last time this summer) so I could get some supplies for more crocheting for the other interns. After that, we went to 7/11 for free slurpee day and then started watching a new show together.

On Wednesday, I attended a congressional hearing and then started working on that budget reference page I mentioned before. After work, I crocheted a bit and then some of the other interns and I went to the Wharf for a funk concert – it was so much fun, and I love being by the water for the sunset.

Thursday was another in-office day for our weekly morning editorial meeting. I finished doing all of the data entry for my Tableau widget (as of right now... more to come), and then the other SPS interns and I had a lunchtime workshop today at ACP on photography and videography, which I found very helpful. After the workshop, I started working on formatting the newsletter and then the writing assignment I received for next week – I’ll be writing my first article! Then, I headed out for the day – my mom and grandma came to visit me this week! I’m super busy when I’m at school, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen both of them, and it was really nice to be back together.

On Friday, I worked from home again and finished up some of the work I had to do on the newsletter and my article. I was lucky to be given half the day off today so that I could spend more time with my family while they visited – we went out for a late lunch at a restaurant/bookstore called Kramer’s, and then spent the afternoon at the National Gallery of Art.

Saturday was a fun day – my mom, grandma, and I went to the Natural History Musuem (it was so busy) and then got some lunch as well. After that, I went shopping with my roommate - unfortunately, I left my phone behind on the metro platform. After a quick game of train leapfrog, we made it back to the station and someone had actually turned my phone in, which was a welcome reminder of the goodness in humanity. On Sunday, my family and I went to another art museum, then walked the Mall to see some of the monuments and had lunch again. It was so nice to have them here :)

All in all, it was a really good seventh week, and I’m looking forward to getting my final presentation work turned in. It feels so crazy that there’s only three weeks left of the internship, and I can feel myself already getting nervous about the presentation, but I’m also looking forward to hearing what the other interns have done this summer and sharing my work with all of them. Until next week!

Week Eight - Published!

This week was a big one!

Monday was newsletter publication day, so I wrote my blurb for the week. I also finished writing the outline for the bulletin article that I’m writing. Later in the afternoon, the FYI team had our normal editorial meeting and I received feedback on my outline. After work, myself and some of the other interns went to Rosemarino’s in Dupont for cabaret night! I sang in front of people for the first time since fifth grade, and even though it didn’t go perfect, it was so much fun and the environment was incredibly supportive, so it was a good step towards conquering some stage fright. I’m really grateful for the other interns that came with as well :)

On Tuesday, I wrote the rough draft of my article and got feedback from the team on how to improve it before publication. After work, we had a movie night! I also finished yet another crochet project – that makes for a grand total of fifteen bags that I’ve made this summer.

Wednesday was when I got more edits on the bulletin I wrote, so I continued working on that. I also helped enter budget numbers for the NIH and the USGS – I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at a budget bill, but they can be a challenge to navigate and are about 200 pages long each. After work, I took a long (and I would say well deserved) nap and then I had a vocal lesson in the evening. I started working on another crochet bag and then called it a night.

On Thursday, I went into the office for the last time (!!!) due to some road closures that are coming up while they do construction starting next week. The FYI team also met for our editorial meeting, and I continued working on my bulletin after receiving feedback. I also presented the Tableau project I’ve been working on and got some good ideas on what to do next, as well as some new projects to take up the remaining two weeks. I submitted my abstract for the final presentation of the internship today as well.

On Friday, I officially became a published author! My bulletin, which is about fire weather prediction and some legislation that’s come out pertaining to it, is now live on the FYI site. I also worked on writing my sections of the newsletter coming out next week, and implemented some of the changes that were recommended for my Tableau project.

Saturday was a good day – some of the interns and I went to brunch, and then went out in Dupont later that evening.

Only two more weeks left to go! I can’t believe I’ll be home in such a short amount of time, and I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out the day after I get back, so I can’t say I’m excited for my time in D.C. to end. But alas, it’s not over yet – so, I’ll see you next week!

Week Nine – A Week of Preparation

This week was mostly spent getting ready for the final presentations next week – I can’t believe this was our last full week working in DC!

On Monday, I worked on my section of the newsletter. I was unfortunately feeling a little under the weather, so I didn’t too much else today other than rest and crochet. On Tuesday, I was feeling better, so I worked on some budget numbers and further updating the data I’m using in Tableau. My roommate and I finished off the day by grabbing some coffee and going grocery shopping for hopefully the last time while we’re here.

Wednesday was the day I met with my mentor to discuss what I would be doing for the remaining time of my internship. I also worked on finishing up my final presentation. After work, a group of interns and I headed over to the Kennedy Center for the national debut of RENT in Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra – it was amazing!

On Thursday, we had our normal FYI editorial meeting, and I also watched a markup hearing for some bills currently going through the science committee that I’ll be writing about next week. I started practicing my final presentation today as well.

On Friday, all of the interns were invited to NIST for a tour of several of the different labs throughout the complex, including Additive Manufacturing, the Trace Explosives/Forensics Lab, and the Library Musuem. It was an awesome experience to see the diversity of fields scientists can end up working in!

Saturday was a busy day – my roommate and I headed over to Adams Morgan to get tattoos and happened to stumble upon a block party that was happening there. After getting our tattoos, we explored some of the shops and vendors around the area and ended up getting caught in a pretty nasty storm – we saw at least five felled trees walking back to the Metro! But, overall, it was a really nice day. On Sunday, we went to Michaels (remember when I said last time was the last time I would buy yarn this summer? Yeah... no), TJ Maxx, Target, and Barnes and Noble. It was another fun day of shopping, but I was definitely exhausted at the end of this busy week.

It feels unreal that we only have a few days left in DC – this summer felt like it simultaneously took three years and two days to pass by, and I can already feel the bittersweetness of leaving creeping in. I’m nervous and excited for the final presentations, and sad to be leaving, but I’ll just have to try extra hard to cherish the time we have left. Until our next and final journal entries, have an amazing week!

Week Ten – Out With a Bang

Our last week... unreal!

On Monday, I worked on my writing for the newsletter, uploading my final presentation, practicing it, and then on some last-minute Tableau documentation. I also attended my *last* editorial meeting (I feel like there will be a lot of lasts happening this week, which makes me so sad).

On Tuesday, I practiced my final presentation in front of my mentor, which went well and was our last one-on-one meeting. I spent the rest of the day finishing up smaller projects and tying up any loose ends. After work, a group of interns and I headed over to North Italia for dinner to celebrate our last week together.

On Wednesday, I similarly worked on any last-minute, smaller things I could help out with. I also rearranged my room (goodbye King-size bed!) for when my brother comes up – he’ll be attending my final presentation and bringing me home afterwards.

Thursday was a busy day – we had the practice session for the final symposium presentations, which was so helpful. After that, my brother arrived, and we went to grab some food. I also ended up going to dinner later in the evening with my mentor and the rest of the FYI team in Maryland. When I got back, my brother and I headed over to the National Mall.

Friday was the big day! All of the final presentations went amazing, but the feeling that it was all over was so bittersweet. I’ve loved every part of this summer – especially all of the amazing people that I was able to meet. In the evening, all the interns got together and we took turns saying goodbye and sharing our favorite memories from the summer.

My brother and I headed out early in the morning Saturday, and I was back home by noon. I caught up with some of my friends that evening and then took some time to rest before my wisdom teeth surgery that happened last Monday (I was out of commission for longer than I thought, so sorry this journal is a tad bit late).

I want to give a huge thank you to SPS (Brad, Kayla, & Mikayla, I’m looking at you! My local Radford chapter, too), my mentor Andrea, the FYI team, and all of the amazing interns I had the privilege to work and live with this summer. I’m so glad that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to pursue this internship, and if you’re ever thinking about it – do it! I’ve experienced so much growth, professionally and personally, and I’ll always have amazing memories with the best people to look back on.

I would usually say until next time, but its sadly time for goodbye.