Charlotte Bimson, 2024 AIP Mather Policy Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Case Western Reserve University

Hello all! I am Charlotte Bimson, a third-year student at Case Western Reserve University. I am pursuing a combined B.S.E./M.S.—my bachelor’s in Engineering Physics with a Biomedical Engineering concentration and minors in Economics and Public Policy. My master’s is in Entrepreneurial Physics.

My research is in paper point-of-care cancer diagnostics, specifically, using paper-based serum protein electrophoreses tests to improve the quantity and quality of multiple myeloma screening and monitoring in resource-limited healthcare settings. Our lab strongly focuses on how we can successfully translate biomedical research out of the lab and into solutions to global, domestic, or local needs. This culture has led me to study how we think about the government’s role in technological innovations and their translation, especially in healthcare. I am excited to explore this intersection this summer as the AIP Mather Public Policy Intern.

Post-graduation, I would like to work for a few years in biomedical research and then attend law school to practice patent law, combining my passion for biomedical research and the legal and economic analysis of property’s role ininnovation. Outside of research, I am an avid NYT Crossword fan, a yoga buff, and a novice runner.

Internship

Host: American Institute of Physics

Internship Blog

3 AM Wake Up Call

Week 1 is over!

Tuesday was orientation at the American Center for Physics, our first time meeting everyone and the SPS directors. Outside of presentations and speeches, we were split into groups to build the tallest marshmallow and spaghetti building. My group didn’t come in first, but we didn’t come in last, so that’s a win in my book.

Jenna and I had to leave orientation early to get our NIST IDs. The commute to NIST is brutal. It involves two trains and a shuttle and takes about one hour from the house. It may be worth the commute because the NIST campus is beautiful and the people are so kind. Jenna and I have offices two doors away from each other; any closer, we would likely spend most of the day chatting and not getting much work done...

Friday, I worked from ACP. The building is beautiful. There are offices with standing desks, big windows, and lots of plants. There are many Monsteras, so I might have to secretly take a clipping of a plant and propagate it from home! My mentor and I planned out my research project for the summer. I am a Mather Public Policy Intern, so the research is focused on policy recommendations rather than a technical report. I am working on making the FDA clinical trial process for drug approvals “smarter.”

The other SPS Interns have been great, we have played a few board games, SpikeBall, touch football (my team won), and went to a farmers market. I am excited for the rest of the summer!

Outside of work and friends, we have had a total of 3 fire alarms so far. The worst happened at 3 am. I barely made it out of the building awake.

Highlight: New Friends!

Lowlight: the NIST commute and 3 AM fire alarm

The Federal Deer

The other interns have decided I’m horribly uncultured when it comes to movies and have taken personal offense. To “fix” this problem, there are now weekly movie nights. We have gotten through all Indiana Jones movies now; next is the Shreks.

Jenna and I went to the State Department on Tuesday for a meeting. It’s a pretty cool building with lots of flags. Even more exciting was that we did not need to go into NIST after the meeting; the commute is killing me.

On Wednesday, we met Dr. John Mather, the namesake of our public policy internship. The reception and talk were lovely. Charles spoke with people from NASA Goddard and secured us a tour of the center (thank you, Charles).

On Thursday, we had the networking cruise. More importantly, on Thursday, I found out that the deer at NIST are federal employees and are badged. Jenna still does not have her official badge yet, so technically, the deers have greater clearance than Jenna. This is my new favorite fact.

Friday, we worked from ACP again. I went on a lunch adventure to try and get my fingerprints taken for an FBI background check for my Australian citizenship. According to the website, I have to go to a USPS office, and they’ll send them to the FBI for me, but only certain USPS offices will take them. The one near ACP does not, and now I’ll have to take a different adventure to Arlington. Luckily, George Mason Law School (where Jenna wants to go to law school) is right next to the Arlington USPS, and I have convinced her to come with me.

We also went to Jazz in the Garden on Friday. I won lottery tickets but didn’t realize I was supposed to request more than one (Jaden didn’t tell me, so it’s his fault), so we had to sneak three extra people in. Luckily, the teenagers manning the gates did not put up much of a fight.

Saturday was DC pride! We first went to the Natural History Museum (which I was underwhelmed by; I prefer the NYC museum), then ventured to the parade to meet other interns.

Sunday was a zoo day! Jenna is afraid of birds. I think that’s really funny. When asked if she would rather fight a bird or an alligator, she said alligator. I think she’s crazy.

Spy Kids is Awful (and so is Charles)

Spy Kids is an awful movie. Jaden expedited Spy Kids up the movie list, claiming it is critical to my cultural literary. If anything, I became illiterate after watching the movie. Charles and Jaden say I lack taste and we need to watch it again. I simply refuse.

On Tuesday, Jenna and I went to NIST. I napped on the Metro ride there. It was lovely. I finalized my final report outline and we planned the tour of NIST for the other interns. That night, we went to a free comedy show in Adams Morgan; it was pretty good! There were a few questionable jokes, but overall net positive for a free comedy show.

On Wednesday, Jenna and I were horribly separated (I accidentally overslept and went to ACP for work while Jenna went to NIST). It was eerily quiet at ACP without Jenna and I was forced to get all my work done without chatting. It seems as if Jenna and I are usually the distraction. Later, we went to Rock the Dock at the Wharf. Evan (not physics intern Evan, but Amanda’s political science friend) absolutely destroyed at corn hole.

Thursday was a NIST day again. We had our first in-person office meeting and a retirement happy hour. Jenna also ranked her favorite StarBurst flavors (a productive day for the Mather Interns). After much consideration about flavor and other beer aspects, Brad got Jenna and I a beer at happy hour (thank you Brad). Surprisingly, it wasn’t awful! Maybe this is summer I grow to not hate beer.

I have my cousin’s wedding in North Carolina this weekend, so my parents arrived on Thursday night so we could drive down on Friday afternoon. My sister stayed in the GW dorms with me Thursday night and met a few of the other interns. She was disappointed with how “physic-y” everyone was (I blame Jaden for wearing his Quantum shirt to meet her).

I was only at ACP for the morning on Friday (per the wedding), but it was a very eventful morning. Maia got out of the Astronomy on the Mall boom whackers, distracting everyone for a good half hour. Charles almost set the building on fire by putting wax paper in the toaster oven. And there were free croissants (one of my favorite foods).

I left that afternoon and came back to DC on Sunday afternoon. This weekend was the longest Jenna and I went without seeing each other since meeting each other. It was devastating. Jenna and I went for a walk, picked Jaden up from darty, played banagrams, and then watched Good Will Hunting and WallE. They decided we had to watch some actually good movies, so I don’t bail on movie night after Spy Kids. Unfortunately, on Sunday night, Charles irreparably destroyed our friendship. I graciously offered him a piece of my grapefruit, but he hated it so much that he spit it out. He might as well spit in my face and declare us mortal enemies.

Breaking into the White House Lawn

This week brought Goodwill Hunting, WallE, Spider-Man, and Lego Batman—all very good movies. I suppose we are redeemed from the disaster of Spy Kids.

On Monday, I taught Charles how to do a handstand. Once he can do a handstand, I will forgive him for his grapefruit sins.

Tuesday was a big day. Jenna and I went to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing with the Boeing CEO David Calhoun. It was a surreal experience to see a high-profile hearing in person rather than on the news and social media. Equally momentous, Reidyn and I beat Jaden and Johnny in Spikeball, ending their undefeated record.

The interns had off on Wednesday for Juneteenth. We spent the day at brunch then the portrait gallery. I helped Chef Johnny make radish pancakes. I shredded 5.25 lbs of Daiko Raddish, then spilled wine and the rice flour. It turned out delicious. The potluck was one of my favorite moments during the internship.

Thursday was another big day. Jenna and I visited the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The building itself was beautiful and the energy of all the staffers bustling around was infectious. We also saw famous people: John Legend and Chrissy Teagan, Jose Hernández, and Kamala Harris (from a distance). I might have gotten in trouble with the Secret Service. I tried to walk through a gate onto the White House lawn area. I was promptly told I did not have clearance.

Thursday was also Charles’s 21st Birthday! To celebrate, we went to an 18+ club (Johnny is still 20) and partied it up. I don’t think I’m built for party life; I was mostly ready for bed when we were out.

Friday was much calmer. We worked in ACP and then went to the French Embassy for live music.

Saturday was busy again. I visited the National Museum of African American History with a friend from home. Later that night, we all volunteered at Astronomy on the Mall, which was not my favorite experience. It was loud and crowded in the building. I think I would have preferred to be outside with the heatwave than cooped up in the building.

Sunday, we walked to the Georgetown Flea Market. It was brutally hot, but seeing different parts of the city was nice. Once we got home, I immediately went to the pool and cooled off. We watched the first Spiderman, a movie that is not as good as Lego Batman but most certainly better than Spy Kids.

Jenna leaves a slew of broken hearts in her wake

It has come to my realization that Jenna and I spend about 12 consecutive hours together. From commuting to work to after-work hangouts, I do not think I go for more than 30 minutes without seeing her daily. While this is absolutely lovely (because she is my favorite, and I am her favorite (Jaden is not her favorite)), it means that if she were to ever leave me, I might implode. Unfortunately, she left me this weekend.

Monday we worked at ACP, then played spikeball. Reidyn and I were partners again and did quite well. However, Reidyn has a very strong high five and left my hand bruised (literally bruised) for 2 days after. We will have to change our per-point celebration.

On Tuesday, Jenna and I went to the NIST office for the first time in weeks. I spent my last 30 minutes of work trying to find a place to play trivia at. After lots of hard work and dedication to trivia, I found a place in Virginia with no spending minimum and no ridiculous line. Little to my knowledge, it was Shrek themed. Fortunately, we just watched Shrek 1 and Shrek 2. Unfortunately, there are 2 other Shreks I have never seen and I have the memory of a goldfish. We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose.

Wednesday and Thursday, Jenna and I went to the NIIMBL national meeting. The sessions were 2 hours long, so I got a bit antsy, but the topics and talks were super interesting! Plus the catering was the best conference catering I have ever had. Wednesday night we watched Scott Pilgrim Versus the Universe. It was a very long movie and my attention span is very short. I rate Scott Pilgrim better than Spy Kids but worse than Spider-Man.

Thursday, Jenna left me at 2 p.m. EST. To distract me from the Horrors of a Jenna-less DC, Jaden, Kai, and I went to the Cleveland Night Market. It was a mid market, but we found a happy hour with Mojitos, so all was okay.

Friday, outside of ACP work, Jaden, Chris, and I went swimming and then we all went to see Ratatouille outside at the Kennedy Center. To everyone’s surprise, I had seen Ratatouille before Friday.

On Saturday morning, at 7 a.m., Kaden, Charles, and I went for a run to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It was lovely. Later in the day, we visited the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Folk Festival.

Jack (the creator) had two extra tickets to the Symphony at the University of Maryland, so Jaden and I spent the evening getting to and being at Maryland. The symphony played Blue Cathedral and Beethoven’s Ninth. That was my first time hearing Ode to Joy live; it was beautiful. Jaden, unfortunately, almost fell asleep.

Sunday was beach/hike day. 11 of the interns went to Cunningham Falls State Park for a hike to a waterfall and a small beach day. The fun thing about getting to the park was that there were 6 of us in a car meant for 5 people. Jaden, Charles, Kaden, and I were a bit cramped in the backseat. Kaden sat on Charles and then Jaden’s lap for the ride there. That was a painful hour. On the way back, I sat on the car floor. I was quite comfy. The waterfall itself was beautiful. The beach was full of children but overall nice. I don’t think I like sand all that much. I took a lovely beach nap, played monkey in the middle, and ate a sandwich.

Once we got back, we watched the Cars movie. It was very good, but I have many questions and concerns about the Cars cinematic universe. I have even more questions and concerns about why Charles knows so much about the Cars cinematic universe.

5 Hotdogs on the 4th

There are perhaps three things I am completely sure of: movies over 2 hours make me antsy, movies with guns, violence, and death freak me out, and hot dogs are one of the few perfect foods. The former two made it nearly impossible to get through Batman the Dark Knight Rises. The latter made it so I ate 5 hotdogs over the course of the 4th of July.

Work-wise, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were a blur. A short week with the thrill of fireworks and hotdogs does damage to productivity.

On Tuesday, we went to another trivia night. This time, it was in a restaurant, and we had our own table. It was fun, but it lasted for 2.5 hours. As per my attention span, that’s a bit long.

Wednesday brought swimming, sourdough, and Superbad. Charles has been attempting to make a sourdough starter. He has been mostly successful. Every day, he has to remove half of the starter to allow for gluten growth. He has been making little sourdough pancakes with the excess; it’s been delicious. Superbad was not delicious. In addition to guns, violence, and death, I don’t think I like raunchy movies.

For the long weekend, my boyfriend (Skylar) flew in from New Orleans. I picked him up from Dulles, and when we got home, it was straight to grilling! The interns (plus Evan, Kaden’s girlfriend, Muji’s brother, Skylar, and a few random frat guys from the frat house we were grilling) played lawn games, drank beer, and ate hot dogs to celebrate. I ate 3 dogs—A lovely afternoon.

Then, we left to camp out at a spot to watch the fireworks. We were falsely informed we needed to get there by 4 pm to secure a spot. I think we could’ve arrived at 9 pm and been okay. We weathered through 5 hours of rain and bugs—I took three naps and ate 2 more hot dogs.

On Friday, we had off work, so Skylar and I explored the Botanic Gardens and the National Gallery and got sushi. Later that night, Jenna, Charles, Skylar, and I played Catan. Unfortunately, Skylar won.

Saturday, we spent the morning in a coffee shop eating croissants (another perfect food) and went to the VA Air and Space Museum with Kai. There were many missiles and bombs and not a whole lot of space. Later that evening, Skylar and I went down to the wharf and then ate pasta. It might have been the best pasta I have ever eaten.

Sunday, I took Skylar back to the airport after an extensive walk to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, and the White House. I will miss having him here with me.

Once I got back from Dulles, we had a surprise welcome party for Collins and played some Uno. We watched Batman and now I think we have to go back to kids movies for a bit.

You cannot spell “beach” without “human torpedo”

Up until Sunday, I was under the impression that Forest Gump was a feel-good kids’ movie. It turns out that it’s not. There’s death, drugs, and assorted scariness. I was also under the impression that as soon as we got into the ocean, my friends would not create a human torpedo to launch a water offensive at me. All my dreams and expectations were drowned on Sunday.

Monday brought work at ACP and the premier of The Bachelorette. This was my first time watching anything related to The Bachelorette, and I was thoroughly pleased. I live for the drama.

On Tuesday, Jenna and I went to NIST. I took my metro nap and had a fairly productive workday. I discovered that Jaden is not only awful at Bananagrams but is also very bad at the GamePigeon Word Games. He has yet to win a word game against me. We played trivia later that night. Not only did we lose, but my attention waned more quickly than last week (I almost fell asleep at the bar). But, at trivia, I tried an espresso martini for the first time. It was a bit too sweet for my liking, but I felt very fancy drinking it.

Wednesday, Jenna and I toured the Capitol with a few women from OAM. One of their friends works as an AAAS Fellow in the Senate, so we got a special behind-the-scenes tour that included the coveted Senate Subway. The Senate Subway is essentially a little trolley car that goes between the Senate offices and the Capitol building. It’s only a 5-minute walk between the two buildings and a minute on the trolley, but I can see the allure of a small underground government train. More importantly, this was on Jenna’s bucket list, and we crossed it off! Keeping with the theme of fun transportation, we watched Cars 2 on Wednesday night. I don’t understand why the franchise went straight to an international spy movie, but who am I to judge? It was a pretty good movie.

On Thursday, the big boss at OAM brought in donuts. The morning was spent chatting with our colleagues over coffee and donuts. I caught up on the work I missed on Wednesday and continued to dominate Jaden in all GamePigeon games. Later that evening, Charles and I went for a run and then played Mario Kart with the other interns and Jaden’s brother (Brady)—I came in last in both the run and in Mario Kart. The night ended with Charles absolutely killing it in Just Dance. Why is he so good at Just Dance? The world may never know.

Friday, I got a new task: creating social media posts for Manufacturing USA on Twitter and LinkedIn. I am thoroughly enjoying a break from my main project. Later that evening, we went to happy hour. Jenna and I spilt fried pickles; it was lovely. We went home, Jenna and I both ate bananas and peanut butter, I took a nap on her small couch, and then we geared up to go to a bar. This one was a sit-down bar in Georgetown. I enjoyed the ambiance; we sat and chatted for a few hours before it got a little too loud, and we returned home.

Saturday brought a busy morning. Jenna and I finally ventured to the Arlington post office to get my fingerprints taken for my Australian citizenship. I put my name down and then we explored George Mason Law for a few hours. It was a beautiful campus, and I could see Jenna going to law school there. A few blocks away from the school, we ran across a softball game, specifically the GMU vs Georgetown Law School softball game. For those of you who are not familiar with Jenna’s sports history, she played softball in high school—so seeing the GMU team play seems like a positive omen. The post office took my fingerprints and sent them off into the bureaucracy. We then visited the National Archives to see the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Later that day, we played more Just Dance—Charles destroyed the competition again; I’m convinced he practices secretly—and ate Jenna’s homemade buffalo chicken dip. It was delicious. It is critical that everyone knows that Jenna made the dip; one intern—I won’t name him explicitly, but know his name starts with a “K” and ends with an “Aden"—failed to mention that Jenna made the dip in their blog.

Sunday was a beach day! We packed the cars and headed to Annapolis for a day of football, sandwiches, and (unfortunately) sand. The water was lovely—despite Jenna, Jaden, Charles, and Kaden attempting to drown me at separate points throughout the day. They created a new water attack: picking Kaden up and throwing him towards me as he spins in the water. It somewhat resembles a torpedo, somewhat resembles a drowning cat. I’d like to think their actions are all because they are all intimidated by my elite word game abilities. We got Taco Bell on the ride home, and I was positively elated. There are few things that make me happier than Taco Bell.

We got home, and after winding down for the night, Jenna and I watched a few comedy specials, did some yoga (I have discovered I can put my leg above my head; I’m very proud of this), and then watched Forest Gump. It turns out Forest Gump is not a rom-com. I do not know exactly how I came to believe that Forest Gump was a lighthearted movie, but I feel as if someone should have warned me that I may get a bit spooked while watching (if you’re keeping up with my movie reviews, you know I scare very easily).

In fear of the frat mosquitos

The Princess Bride, like every Star Wars movie and The Dark Knight, is campy. Apparently, this is a controversial take, but I would like to point out that Batman parades around in a cape, whispering about darkness and Anakin Skywalker simply exists.

Monday was working from ACP; I am getting towards a complete draft of my report and unsurprisingly defeated Jaden in another game: scrabble. After work, Charles and Jaden taught me how to play chess. I don’t think I have good enough forethought to be any good at chess yet. The game took over 2 hours, with a break in the middle for dinner. I do not think I have the attention span for chess, either. I also made a peach cake with Maia and Kai.

Tuesday was working from NIST. Brad returned from vacation bearing gifts (beer for Jenna and I). We did a practice walking tour of NIST in preparation for our upcoming intern NIST tour. No one had faith in my ability to give directions, so I took copious notes. Tuesday night was the bachelorette again, this time with the peach cake.

Wednesday, Jenna and I worked from ACP for the Lunch and Learn with the FYI writers. Johnny, Charles, and I created an excellent plan to make a bunch of money: we will pool every intern’s stipend, lease our housing, and franchise a TacoBell. Surprisingly, if we combine our stipend and lease GW housing at the going rate, we have just enough for a TacoBell. We are sitting on a goldmine. I also convinced Maia to play Scrabble with me. Charles, Kaden, and I went for a 4-mile run in the rain after work. I passed out shortly after showering.

Thursday was the NIST tour: a very eventful and stressful day. After successfully getting all the interns to NIST via metro (I was unable to nap out of fear of never arriving at NIST), we spent the day running from presentations to tours to pizza and ice cream potlucks. I never once got lost and I believe that’s a win on the day. After the tours and commute home (I was able to metro nap), we played lawn games at Jaden’s frat house (Jaden is like so frat). I did incredibly poorly at the die game, but Kaden and Jaden kindled a growing romance, so I guess something good came out of the game. Unfortunately, the frat house lawn brought an onslaught of mosquitos. I made the worst mistake and did not put bug spray on my legs. Friday morning, I awoke to a concerning number of mosquito bites on my legs (Jenna thought I had chicken pox). Between Friday at 12 pm and Saturday at 8 pm, I took one Benadryl every four hours to prevent me from ripping my legs off. I am in agony.

Friday, I finished the first draft of my report and started my slides. More importantly, I had a chili dog for the first time. If you have been keeping up with my blogs, you are already aware of my love for hot dogs. However, I have yet to mention my love for chili (I wouldn’t go as far as to say I like chili more than hot dogs, but it’s definitely up there in the food rankings). Unsurprisingly, I very much enjoyed the chili dog. So did Kaden. We have big plans to make chili dogs before the summer is over. The night ended with Catan, I won despite trade embargos levied against my nation by Charles and an attempted filibuster by Kaden.

On Saturday, Charles, Kaden, and I went for a 6-mile run. This is the farthest I have ever run. We then had post-run breakfast sammies and croissants from Tatte. Jenna and I went to the Post Office Museum in the early afternoon. Jenna rates the museum a 9/10 in museum stars. It may not be the most interesting content-wise, but the building itself is beautiful (high ceiling and natural light), and the exhibits are thoughtfully designed (lots of colors and such). We ended the night with my second-ever baseball. At my first baseball game, I brought a hat I was knitting to keep me entertained. Unfortunately, the interns (by interns I mean Jaden) banned me from bringing my crafts, but I got away with destroying in online scrabble.

On Sunday, Jenna and I invaded Jaden’s pool. Jenna made us her grandma’s secret pasta recipe, and we ate dinner as a family. We played spike ball and then watched the sunset over the Potomac (I thoroughly bug-sprayed my legs). We then watched The Princess Bride.

I think The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies we’ve watched this summer.

It’s always been Ohio against the world and it will always be Ohio against the world

Apparently, my comments on the “campiness” of Star Wars and the Dark Knight Rises have to be amended. After an hour of fierce debate and discussion amongst the interns, it seems as if Batman is inherently campy, but the Dark Knight Rises is a serious movie and the Star Wars prequel trilogy is undeniably campy, but the original trilogy only has campy aspects (in my opinion it has enough campy aspects to be camp but I digress). Regardless, this week bought Whiplash, 10 minutes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Mamma Mia. Which, respectively, are not campy, awful, and campy.

Monday was work in ACP, and there was nothing notable outside of my continuing domination of Scrabble and GamePigeon Games. That evening, we played Catan; this time, there was a trade embargo levied against my nation for the entirety of the game. I still won. I suppose the moral of the summer is that I am too good and everyone needs to be better (This is a joke; I continuously lose at Chess).

On Tuesday, Jenna and I went to NIST; nothing notable happened at work. As is tradition, we watched the Bachelorette in the evening. As the show goes on, I’m less entertained. Jenna made banana bread and it was delicious.

Wednesday, we went into NIST again. Highlights include my office handstand, the NIST gift shop, and finishing up some work on my report and presentation. Barely anyone was in the office; Jenna and I were lonely. In the evening, we watched Whiplash.

Thursday was intern appreciation day, requiring all interns to be at the ACP office. Desks were shared, jokes were made, and the campiness of most movies was debated. Not too much work was done on Thursday, but I got a second draft of my presentation together and finalized another draft of my report. Thursday evening brought a yoga class with Charles, Brynn, and Amanda, then climbing at Amanda’s (and I guess Charles’s) gym. The yoga was amazing (a little crazy at times, but overall 10/10), and I remembered why I don’t often go climbing (it hurts and not in a good way).

Friday was NASA Goddard day! We all piled into the Metro and road all the way to Maryland to see some astrophysics. I hate to say it (because I am a known believer that space is not real), but it was very cool. I’m sure other blogs go into tremendous detail on what we exactly saw, so for the sake of brevity, we saw the Hubble Control Room, the beginnings of Lisa, and a large Roman prototype. After home and dinner, some interns went to happy hour for apps and drinks. I had fried pickles again. We later watched Mama Mia.

Saturday was an exciting day: brunch. I got a ridiculous amount of food for $19 (see below for the spread). Post brunch, I played horse with Johnny, Caden, and Jaden. I did not win, but Jaden is undeniably worse at basketball than I am, so I count that as a win. We watched some Olympics then trekked to the Air and Space Museum. I worked on my presentation and planned on the Sunday events.

Sunday morning Jenna and I went for a walk for coffee and pastries. I bought a sardine-themed tote bag too. Sunday afternoon brought the first annual Intern Olympics. At 4 pm, the interns convened to give their all in a team competition for ever-lasting glory. My team was Sonja and Jaden; our nation was Ohio. We came in 3rd (podium). But we had a good showing in all events (we won the coveted Hallway Hurdles with Jaden’s sub-7-second run; I fell during the race and now have rug burn on my legs). Only

God works in mysterious ways (I accidentally ordered 24 hot dogs)

I have accomplished quite a bit this summer: I did a presentation, wrote a report, networked, and made friends... but perhaps more importantly, I have expanded the list of movies I have seen. I know watching movies isn’t necessarily a skill (or a difficult exercise), but I would like to think that I have improved my movie-watching ability. This is what I am most proud of.

Monday, I had to venture to NIST alone (Jenna needed an extra hour of sleep). I managed to stay completely awake for the entirety of the metro trip. Our mentors took us to lunch (I learned that Mahesh has an extensive tropical fish collection, Jenna’s University has an obscene amount of fountains, and Brad’s favorite cake is a vanilla Swiss roll with berries). After lunch was a mock presentation for our mentors. That night, we watched Bullet Train.

Tuesday morning, Jenna and I toured the White House. It really is just a large, old house; it was cool, though! I Instacart ordered 12 hot dogs and chili while touring the White House in preparation for a potluck on Thursday (you guessed it, Kaden and I are making chili dogs!) (you also might be thinking it was weird to specify exactly how many hot dogs I thought I ordered, but it’s a critical part of the story). I went to work at ACP for the rest of the day while waiting for my hot dogs’ delivery. At 4:30 p.m., my hot dogs were delivered, but, to my surprise, I received 24 hot dogs. Turns out, I cannot count and assumed there were 4 hot dogs per pack; there are actually 8 hot dogs per pack. God works in mysterious ways. That evening, we went to the botanical garden and watched the Bachelorette.

Wednesday, Jenna and I had our last day at NIST. We got lunch with our work girlies and then all chaos broke loose! The bathrooms started flooding and we had to leave NIST early. This was another blessing in disguise (24 hot dogs being the first of the week) because we got to ACP in time to join Johnny and Jaden for an early dinner at a pupusa restaurant (pupusaria). Later in the day, we went to Rock the Dock at the Wharf (it was wet because it rained, and the cornhole bags were gross).

Thursday was a run-through of all presentations. But more importantly, it was potluck day. Kaden and I made the 24 hot dogs and chili; they were delicious. Other notable additions were Maia and Kai’s peach cake, Johnny’s quesadillas, and Charles’s jar of pickles. I ate two whole pickles after losing a bet to Johnny (he has a premature gambling issue).

Friday was presentations! We had Tatte for breakfast (it was lovely), and then the rest of the symposium was a blur. There were books, cake, and goodbyes; it was quite bittersweet. When we got home, we went to the mall to play spike ball for the last time. After that, we went to dinner at Tonic, and then we all gathered for one last hangout. Jaden, Charles, and I stayed up quite late to finish packing. Friday rolled into Saturday, and we all said our goodbyes.

I will miss everyone and our routines. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When else will you be 21 in a new city with 16 other physicists as friends? Quite bittersweet.