Brynn Schierenbeck, 2024 NIST Research Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Cornell College

Hello, my name is Brynn Schierenbeck and I am a recent graduate from Cornell College with a major in General Engineering. I have a wide foundation of knowledge in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering with a particular passion for Physics. Over the past four years, I have dedicated my time to starting a campus Engineering Club, tutoring local community middle-schoolers in their Physics and Engineering competitions, and working inseveral offices as a representative of the college. I am beyond excited to be one of this year’s interns at the National Institute of Standards in Technology and look forward to expanding on my previous experience at SPS!

Internship

Host: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Internship Blog

Week 1: Return of the Jedi

Hello again!

I’m excited to be back in DC and once again surrounded by all these smarty pants. It’s been a rather relaxing first week back so I should have just sat down and got this in on time. Yet, here I am, again choosing procrastination over productivity.

To kick it all off, we had a game night on Monday hosted by my old pal Jaden and his new roommate Reiden (yes they rhyme and yes it is oh so confusing). It was a lovely little introduction to most of the group. For those of us that couldn’t make it that night, we met the following morning in the entrance of our dorm and made the treck over as a group to the new ACP headquarters. Speaking of which, last year everyone made it seem as if they were downgrading from the old campus in College Park. That is NOT the case. The new place downtown is absolutely gorgeous and even includes a mini golf course on the roof. This year, though, I won’t be spending as much time there. As you can hopefully see on my profile, I will be working from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I’ll get to that in a second. To finish off the weeks leisure events, on Tuesday a group of us walked over to the mall and played spikeball before getting poured on. Wednesday brought us to Astronomy on Tap where the word “dollarita” could have won you a sick NASA poster. And finally, Thursday brought me home because I was incredibly tired. Twas’ a grand old time.

Ok, now NIST! Wednesday was my first day and I spent it mostly doing miscellaneous IT and onboarding tasks which included getting an awesome photo taken for my ID picture. I also met a few of my office mates and explored the campus. For those of you wondering, the geese are not friendlier on the East coast. Thursday was when we really got into it. Because my mentor was away for conference this week, Christian, one of the post-docs in our group, showed me the lab and taught me all about his research. We spent the rest of the week taking measurements in haunted basement lab. I’ll provide more details next week once things are more in swing.

The weekend came with a few surprise visits. My old roommate and her family are in town! The other interns and I went to an art exhibit on Friday and then played a few games. Saturday brought Georgetown with Amanda and her friend Evan. Saturday night brought Gizem and Aoguzi and all of the gang back together again. We ended up hanging out with interns, going out for a bit, and then spending some quality time together Sunday before Aoguzi had to go back home. All in all, FANTASTIC weekend.

Oh and my youngest sister got her driver’s permit and is now legally allowed to terrorize the streets with a legal guardian by her side. Awesome!!

I think that’s all I have to say for now. Until next time!

Brynn

Week 2: New Places Old Faces

Forgive me, but this is going to be a long post. I have a LOT to discuss with y’all.

In general, this week the interns spent their time playing “guno”, discussing in vivid detail what Charles should wear to the DC Pride Parade if he were to attend, and enjoying the scenery and good weather DC has to offer. Gizem was still in town until Thursday morning so the remaining amount of free time I had was spent trying to squeeze an entire year’s worth of stories into two nights. Light work for a seasoned yapper such as myself.

The Trimble Lecture took place Wednesday night at ACP Headquarters. Both Ruthie (another 2023 intern!) and Gizem were able to make it along with a few other AIP/SPS staff I hadn’t seen since last year. The lecture was amazing. Though, most of it went over my head which is to be expected when you’re a fresh graduate listening to the director of Goddard and a Nobel Prize winner discuss the future of space exploration. I appreciated that they were able to take the time to do this and stay and chat with us after. It is truly a great networking resource and I hope they continue to do this for the next few generations of summer interns!

The following night involved a hectic metro ride home from NIST hoping and praying that I wouldn’t be late to the AIP dinner cruise. For those of you that know me, I know you’re shaking your head going “Brynn, of course you were late. That is SO you.” BUT LET ME TELL YOU, it was not entirely my fault. Here’s my dilemma: I needed to leave the dorms by 5:10pm at the latest. In order to get home using the metro, we have to take a shuttle that leaves from NIST on the :05 and :35 of every hour. From there, you’re looking at about a 10-15 minute shuttle ride followed by about a 50-60 minute metro ride. Note that these times are all subject to change with factors such as the weather or the driver just not showing up. Being from Minnesota, I know how drastically weather can affect road conditions and travel times. HOWEVER, being from Minnesota, it is absolutely baffling to me how a little rain can cause a 40 MINUTE TRAFFIC DELAY. It’s like the rain washes people’s decades worth of driving experience and leaves them with the mindset similar to my 15 year old sister who just got her permit (sorry Grace with peace and love). Anyways, I was cleaning out the lab and couldn’t leave until 3:35. The rain hit as soon as I got on the shuttle and I knew I was in for it. I got to the metro station at about 4:05, sprinted to the redline, saw that it was delayed and immediately emailed Kayla and Mikayla absolutely freaking out. Somehow, the one time I actually was prepared to be late, the metro got me to the dorms by 4:50. I still cannot explain to you how this happened. I’m very glad it did, though, because the dinner cruise was one of the most fun nights I’ve had within the program. The views were gorgeous and the rain had cleared up most of the humidity. 10/10 time all around:)

Friday night was a blur. I was at work all day doing some cool stuff with my fellow intern Eva (ANOTHER 2023 intern thanks Brad this is so awesome) and by the time I got home I was simply exhausted. I decided I wasn’t ready to go sit in my room yet though so I called a friend and walked around for a bit. All of the sudden, I hear a woman go “Hello miss would you like a free dinner?”. Obviously I’m intrigued so I walk into the restaurant. It’s both classy and laid back, similar to restaurants you’d find in a hotel but with a much lighter color scheme. The wait approaches me with a menu and oh. my. goodness. I cannot begin to tell you how close to tears I was. The food was THAT delicious. I also ended up getting sat next to the general manager of the franchise which only added to the experience. He explained the entire brand, helped me select the best options on the menu, and gave me a free wine opener so that I would have to keep doing the lighter trick (iykyk). I left the place with money still in my wallet and a 16oz steak in my belly. Life is crazy. After that, a group of us went to karaoke where we learned that Reidyn can SING. I don’t think the world has heard a high note like that since Freddy Mercury himself.

Finally, Saturday was the Pride Parade. I know that this next paragraph may contain some controversial statements for my particular audience, so please skip to “Last quick update” if you think that might be you.

The DC Pride Parade is one of the most beautiful experiences that I have had in my life. Last year was the first time I went to any pride festivities in general and I am so lucky to get to be here again. One of the main reasons that the Pride parades/events are so special is because of the inclusivity. Everyone there has a reason to celebrate. Everyone there has an identity they wish to express. Speaking as someone who grew up in an environment that sought to stifle this expression, it was incredibly refreshing to see the happiness we all had for each other. Not just within our intern group, but with strangers on the street. The positivity was infectious. Pride is important for this reason. No one should ever feel like they are lesser in any way because of the colorful part of their identity. If you ever have the opportunity, even if it REALLY doesn’t seem like your scene, I encourage you to attend your local pride events. I promise there will be a place for you.

Last quick update on my project:

I’m working with Josh Pomeroy’s team in the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST. My job right now is to figure out how to mount a silicon chip onto a printed circuit board (PCB). They’ve been previously using a technique called wire-bonding to do this but it has limitations. Because the wire bonds are so small and typically made of aluminum, they are not built to withstand extreme temperatures such as ours (4K-300K). They need a different method of soldering, the process of joining metals together, that can function in sub-freezing conditions. I spent my time this week researching different soldering materials and techniques. Next week, I’ll hopefully be able to do some hands-on practicing in the soldering lab. I’ll keep you posted if/when I break something.

Until next time!

Brynn S

Week 4: The Horrors Persist

The weekend was long so I’m just going to jump right in with a few short summaries:)

Sunday: Woke up late and spent the afternoon exploring the city. I had a friend in town so we decided to plan for a sushi dinner! The place was lovely (Kyojin Sushi in Georgetown) and much cheaper than expected! Unfortunately, later that night I fell ill to a pretty nasty migraine and wasn’t able to leave my bed for much of the next day:(

Monday: migraine

Tuesday: Went to work for most of day, came home and went to happy hour at Circa, met up and played Guno with the interns (I enjoy this game so much I could write love poems about it)

Wednesday: BIG DAY. Me and a friend were invited to join Jenna, Charlotte, Kaden, Jaden, Charles, and his girlfriend Maddie on their adventure to Founding Farmers and the Portrait Museum. Food was delicious and the portraits were awesome. After that we went over to Jaden’s to play some games, some of which turns out I’m pretty GOATed at, and then raced back to the dorm to get ready for the potluck. OH MY GOODNESS the food was so good! I hope someone else wrote more details than I am right now but all you need to know is that this year’s interns can COOK. We stuffed ourselves full and then surprised Charles with a cake and a card. Happy Birthday Alpha Wolf!!!

Thursday: Lab day! I set up a makeshift oven and took some measurements that don’t matter now! Oh what fun! Then I went and got a tattoo! Oh what fun!

Friday: I had a great chat with my mentor today. I think a lot of people can relate when I say that imposter syndrome is a constant struggle. I find it very easy to get overwhelmed by the idea that I’m not qualified or smart enough to be working at such a well-revered institution such as NIST. That’s why it’s incredible when someone who has dealt with this feeling for much longer than you have can recognize it and offer their advice. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or reassurance. We all need it at some point. After the pep talk, I finished up and headed home for an event at the French Embassy. The wine was flowing, the music was bumping, and Charles was rolling (down the hill of course I would never use drug-related slang on the SPS national website get your heads out of the gutter). Oh, and LEGO Batman was pretty epic as well.

Saturday: I woke up, caught up with my family, walked over to Dupont looking for the farmers market only to realize I was sorely mistaken and it’s only open on sundays. I instead went to my favorite second hand vintage store which is just a fancy way of DC saying “clothes you can find at goodwill but triple the price”. I usually hate it but something about the weather and my free coffee had me in a great mood so I bought a shirt. After what felt like an astonishing amount of mindless meandering, I next found myself sitting in a chair getting my palms read. Yes, you read that correctly. I met with a psychic and honestly it was a very positive experience. Coming from someone who has not been very exposed to that community before, it was intriguing to hear about and take away some general life advice. And, I don’t want to brag too much, but she says that I’m about to find my niche in work/career life so watch out world here I come!!

Later that day the interns made their way over to Astronomy on the Mall (if you’re unfamiliar go read Maia’s blog!). I’m not going to sugarcoat it: that was horrendous. I had an incredible time sharing our activities with the kids but oh my lordy was it hot and loud in there. Typically, Astronomy on the Mall is supposed to be outside. However, since they throw it on the Summer Solstice every year, it’s been too hot out and we’ve had to relocate to the same hall that a Cosmic Rave is being held in. Picture this, you’re crammed around 3 tables with 15 other interns as children and Johny launch marbles/tennis balls at you. You’re also in charge of the boomwhacker station where your job is to help people bang noise-making sticks together. On top of that, there is a LITERAL RAVE happening 20 feet away. Oh, and Johnny has made it his personal mission to ensure that no one ever knows peace again for the next 3 hours. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end. We were supposed to tour the museums later that night but we all knew by the end that no one had the energy for that. Instead we escaped the chaos and headed home for some well-deserved late-night dinner:)

Sunday: MY LITTLE SISTER IS DANCER OF THE YEAR WOOHOO. I’m not going to explain any more than that but just so you guys know she’s oh so amazing and ever so talented.

Sunday started off rough. Amanda, Charlotte and I embarked on the long and treacherous journey to the Georgetown Flea Market which is located approximately 45 minutes away at the top of a giant hill. Hiking that when it’s 95 degrees out and 100% humidity is not fun, to put it lightly. We were starving and extremely dehydrated by the time we got there. But, just as the horrors persist, so do we. We met up with Evan, found some trinkets, shoved our heads in the safeway beer cooler, and headed back down. I split off from the group to get some grocery shopping done and eventually made it home to do laundry and feed myself. Later that night we gathered round to watch the og Spider-man (the first one with Toby Maguire). Personally, I’m more of an Andrew Garfield kind of girl but this one has my heart a little bit. I have a big soft spot for his epic oratory about MJ’s eyes but according to everyone else it was cringy and not delivered well so maybe I’m just cheesy. Anyways, after that we went to bed and now I’m on the metro again heading to NIST. Unfortunately for me, my train got delayed on the second to last stop and now my ETA is 9:17 instead of 9:10. So long 9:15 shuttle, you will be missed.

Till next time!

Brynn S

Week 5: The Morals of an Alley Cat

This week went by so fast! Almost as fast as this entire summer because I guess we only have five weeks left now. Ugh.

Monday started off great with a busy day at work doing research and attending meetings. After that I met up with some friends for happy hour at the rooftop bar across the street from our dorm. It was a lovely and uneventful time:)

Tuesday progressed similarly, I spent my day trying to figure out a consistent pattern of how my oven’s temperature changed with time. Unfortunately, after sitting there and taking measurements for hours (I’m not exaggerating), I realized that it wouldn’t even reach the minimum temperature I needed it for. Awful. It was okay, though, because later that night I went to the Players Club DC for the first time and it was fantastic. The setup is a basement full of arcade games and pool tables with an elevator leading to a somewhat secret rooftop bar space. Funny enough, I hadn’t been to a rooftop bar before this summer and now two in 24 hours?? Crazy. I didn’t actually spend any time on the patio this time, though, because the fun parts were downstairs. Highlight of the night was obliterating any and every possible opponent in basketball freestyle. Watch out Caitlyn Clark, there’s a new Madame Buckets in town.

Wednesday was relatively calm. After getting home from work I stopped at the Foggy Bottom Metro Market (not sure if it’s actually called that) for some of my favorite things in the world: empanadas. Janessa Slone, I love you and adore you. Not only for your wit, brains, and beauty, but also for introducing me to the empanada stands of DC. I’m a new woman because of you, and I miss you dearly. I hope to enjoy these national treasures with you again one day.

After I devoured two of them, I ran over to Reidyn’s room for a quick interview. Somehow, I kept the yapping to a minimum and was second only to Jaden for the shortest interview of the group. If only I could do that every night instead of completely rotting Amanda’s brain ( she is so kind and patient to me:)).

Thursday was a doozy. I struggled to make progress at work and got home almost too late to retrieve my newest book from the mail center. So far, I’ve finished three this week and they’re not even in a series. I feel like that says a lot about my morning commute.

Anyways, I got my book in the nick of time, grabbed some food from Tonic, and headed back to the room to watch the Presidential Debate. If any of you reading watched it as well, I’m sure you understand when I say that it was both the most entertaining and depressing broadcasts I’ve seen in awhile. Typically, I try to stay away from sharing my political views, so I’ll just share a few of my general takeaways.

• Comparing golf games to governing abilities is utter malarkey

• Looking like every breath you take might be your last may not be the best face for a political party

• Having the morals of an alley cat can’t stop you from running for President

Like many others that night, I eased the anxiety for the future of America with debate memes. God Bless Gen Z.

Friday was easier. I was feeling a bit under the weather so as soon as I got home from work I crawled into bed and read my book until it was time to go to the movie. They were showing Ratatouille outside at the Kennedy Center and it was a hoot. Charlotte, Kaden, Jaden, Kai and I walked over and got a relatively good spot no thanks to the man with the thickest Trans-Atlantic accent I have ever heard in real life. Charles, Amanda, and Reidyn joined us later and it was a lovely night. We went to bed happy and healthy, ready to conquer the weekend.

Saturdays are for museums. Unfortunately, museums are not for me. I awoke to a message from Charlotte inviting people to go to the Post Office Museum. Now, my dad’s a mailman of sorts. I’m as passionate about stamp history as the next guy. However, I think many can understand why we ended up switching to the Natural History Museum instead. It’s pretty packed on the weekends so I split off and hovered around the gem exhibit while the rest of the group toured around. We eventually left and wandered over to a corner of the National Mall where a folk life festival was being held. They had all sorts of fun activities including different styles of basket weaving, dancing, and cooking.

After that, Amanda, Evan and I conquered the heat and went to lunch in Georgetown. I got the bruschetta I’ve been craving for forever and spent the rest of the afternoon happy as a clam. Later, we watched Anyone But You and yes, I still hate rom coms.

Sunday was daunting. I woke up at 9am to the lovely Amanda’s voice telling me that we were leaving in 30 minutes to go to the beach! I groaned and reluctantly left the safety of my cold room to endure the horrors (the term we have so fondly coined to describe any and all minor inconveniences). We arrived around 11:30 and made the short hike up to the falls by 12. Amanda found a natural shower so obviously we took a dip. Speaking of dips, RIP Muji’s ankle, which swelled up faster and larger than I’d ever seen. Aside from the injuries, it was a fantastic time. I even got a free hot dog!!

Now we’re kicking off the fourth of July weekend and I’m completely unprepared. The horrors of living life as an adult are real.

Until next time!