Kai Hostetter-Habib, 2024 AIP Center for History of Physics/Neils Bohr Library & Archives Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Princeton University

Hi, my name is Kai, and I am the AIP History/Niels Bohr Archives Library & Archives Program Intern this summer! I am a rising junior at Princeton University where I plan to study a combination of Astrophysics, the History of Science, and Peace Studies.

Growing up in New York City, I became involved with social justice and activism at a young age, understanding the need to uplift voices that often go unheard. As I grew up, I involved myself with efforts to make whatever community I was a part of more inclusive so that everyone felt welcomed into whatever space they inhabited. Consequently, as my love for the history of science grew, I became interested in researching how science and marginalized identities have interacted with each other (or lack thereof).

Over the past several years, my academic studies and research have primarily revolved around exploring how science has impacted those considered ‘other.’ In particular, I have focused on how many scientists carry the same prejudices as larger society, and how that, in turn, leads to feelings of ostracization. By exploring this, I realized the importance of listening to minority voices and the importance of visibility.

Through this internship, I hope to continue researching the intersections of science and social justice. In addition to researching physicists of marginalized identities, I hope to use outreach to encourage others of the same identity to know that they have a place in the physics and astrophysics communities.

At Princeton, I’ve expanded on my belief that listening to others is key to growth by serving on the Student Government’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and the Princeton Rose Castle Society which seeksto use reconciliation and restorative justice to engage people in dialogue across differences. Additionally, I am a peer reviewer for my school’s undergraduate research journal and a French translator for a student-run club. Outside all of this, I also love making ceramics, drinking tea, baking, and watching movies!

Internship

Host: American Institute of Physics

Internship Blog

Week 1: Lost in the Woods

This week, I was lost in the woods.

Starting a new internship in a new city can be daunting. You need to acclimate to your environment and job, all while trying to make the most of your time in a new place and make friends. It can be exhausting, but it is also exhilarating.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kai, and I’m a rising junior at Princeton University where I’m studying History of Science and Applied Math (with a focus in physics/astrophysics). I am also the AIP History/Niels Bohr Archives and Library Program intern, and at my internship, there seems to be an endless stream of information that I need to orient myself to. With every step I take, there is a new historical figure, event, or debate popping up that I need to learn about. However, while vast and perhaps scary at times – as forests can be – it is also sublime.

Over the past week, I have read countless articles on physicists of minority identities that often get lost in the traditional narratives that surround the history of physics and other natural sciences. Although we might typically hear of figures such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Richard Feynman, and Galileo, we rarely hear about those who fall outside the categories of White and male. In turn, because of this lack of visibility, these vital players in physics’ development get erased from the commonly told story. Yet, the history of physics is much richer than many believe it to be, as I realized much more this past week. This realization is exactly what makes history and all its complex workings so alluring. Through history research, I can get lost in all the information, recognize the beauty in its entanglements, and keep treading on, eventually making sense of the past’s complexities.

Mind you, when I say that I was lost in the woods, I don’t mean this solely in the metaphorical sense. I also (briefly) got physically lost in the woods. You might look at me and ask, “Kai, you are in a city. What forests could there possibly be?” In return, I would look at you and say, “That’s exactly what I thought.”

As a person who always wants to take full advantage of whichever situation I’m in, I decided to make the most of my first weekend. Starting bright and early on Saturday, I left for Georgetown to visit Tudor Place which had an exhibition on the lives of enslaved workers on the estate of the Peter family (related to Martha Washington) in the 1800s and the enslaved people’s descendants. Moving and thought-provoking, Tudor Place illuminated these hidden stories, forcing goers to recognize the complete, un-whitewashed stories that we frequently do not hear. With still half a day left, I decided to go to Dumbarton Oaks – an old mansion and gardens that houses Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art. The thing to realize about Dumbarton Oaks is that it has renowned gardens, so the tickets were all sold out. I still wanted to see nature though, and conveniently, there was a park right next to the estate. As I went deeper and deeper into the park, it became a forest. Dirt trails followed babbling streams, and sunlight gleamed emerald through the trees’ foliage.

Despite my countless experiences hiking and (correctly) following maps, I somehow managed to stray off the beaten track. The path became increasingly overgrown, and I thought of turning back. I had no clue where I was. Yet, the beauty of the park made me continue onward. I wanted to explore; I wanted to get lost. Only by doing so could I see things I hadn’t seen before. By taking a deep breath, taking in the beauty around me instead of panicking, I knew that I would eventually make my way out of the forest. And I did.

With this mentality and trying to make the most out of every situation I’m in, getting lost in the woods can be a good thing if you let yourself be confused. Use your confusion as a conduit for exploration and interrogation, and always lean into the natural beauty around you.

P.S. If any future intern is reading this and wants ideas as to what to do, I’ll try my best to put my recommendations at the end of each post.

Recommended Activities: Heurich House Museum, Tudor Place, Dumbarton Oaks and the park surrounding it, the National Cathedral, DuPont Circle Market, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Week 2: A Frank Conversation

I honestly cannot believe this is already the end of the 2nd week. Time is passing so quickly, and even in this short amount of time, so many memories have been made.

This week, I really dived into my work, as I decided to research a person named Frank Kameny. If you’ve heard the name before, it usually tends to be because he is regarded as the ‘grandfather of the gay rights movement.’ He co-founded the Washington DC branch of the Mattachine Society – an early gay rights organization dating to the 1950s. He organized the first demonstration by an LGBT+ advocacy group in 1965, picketing and marching for equal rights. He consistently pressured politicians to change their stance on whether homosexuals should be allowed to work in the government or not. In cases where public servants were stripped of their security clearances solely because of their sexuality, Kameny defended them by serving as their de facto attorney. Kameny was the first openly gay candidate for Congress, he helped convince the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider their classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder, and he attended the first briefing at the White House where gay rights were officially discussed. Kameny was truly remarkable, but what most people don’t realize (if they’ve heard of him) is that he was a Harvard-trained astrophysicist. When historians tell his story, they often minimize this aspect of his life because all his other accomplishments steal the spotlight. However, this side of him (his astronomy background) needs to be told and held in its full beauty – a task I’m attempting to do through my research.

To learn more about Kameny, I read The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini (a book I highly recommend if you are interested in doing a deep dive into Kameny) and countless articles, but I also spent all of Thursday exploring Kameny’s personal manuscripts and files using the Frank Kameny Papers in the Library of Congress. If you haven’t spent hours going through the finding aid for this collection, let me illuminate it for you: the Frank Kameny papers are essentially all the correspondence, case files, legal records, and writings that Kameny accumulated over his 86 years of life neatly tucked into a mere 161 containers totaling 56,300 items. It takes up 65 linear feet in the Library. That is about equal to a truck with a semitrailer, the height of a 5 or 6-story building, or the length of a large sperm whale. Mind you, I did not physically sort through everything, but I still needed to sort through all the information. In the end, I wound up going through 8 boxes over the course of 7 hours, and I managed to find everything I needed (which meant I didn’t need to go back the next day!). You’ll just need to wait until a future blog post to read more about my findings :O. My mentors, Corinne Mona and Will Thomas, have been super motivating throughout this entire week, and I could not have asked for better mentors. I am also eternally grateful for the rest of the CHP/NBLA staff who have shown genuine interest in my research and are always attentive listeners when I talk about it.

Honestly, this research has been quite timely, as it was also DC Pride this past weekend – an event that probably could not have happened without the advocacy, activism, and strength of Frank Kameny. This weekend, some of the other interns and I went, and it was a blast. For those of you who have never been to a Pride before, make sure to bring lots of sunscreen and water! This week was also full of internship programming. On Wednesday night, there was a Trimble Lecture hosted by CHP that was a conversation between John Mather and Mark Clampin and on Thursday, the SPS team scheduled a dinner cruise for all the interns and SPS staff which was extremely fun. Because this week was mostly dedicated to research, I didn’t have as much time to go to museums, but yesterday, I went to the zoo with some friends from college, and afterward, Maia and I got Filipino food at this restaurant called Purple Patch up in Mt. Pleasant (absolutely scrumptious and cannot recommend enough) and subsequently went to the DC Jazz Jam at Haydee’s restaurant (free jazz!). And, of course, since that wasn’t enough activity for me, I ended the day by playing a chaotic version of Uno with the other interns (“Guno”) and baking bread (because we were out of sandwich bread and I somehow got into my head that baking it would be easier than running out to CVS to get another loaf).

Until next time!

Recommended Activities: DC Pride, the National Zoo, eating at Purple Patch, DC Jazz Jam, checking out the Library of Congress.

Week 3: Thank You For The Music

As I sit here typing this up, I feel as if I should disclose to my loyal readers that every time I write one of these blogs, I always have my Google Calendar up for two reasons: 1) I have the memory of a fish, and therefore cannot remember anything I’ve done by myself, and 2) I use Google Calendar religiously. However, this is truly beside the point, and I will move on to spare all of us the pain of reading an essay about the joys of gcal.

“Kai,” you may ask, “What did you do this week?” The real question should probably be, “What haven’t you done?” because let me tell you, apparently, I fit a lot in (unbeknownst to me before I pulled up my gcal). Here we go!

In terms of work, I FINALLY finished up my research on Frank Kameny. I created this huge timeline of all his jobs, accomplishments, run-ins with the government, protests, and anything else you could possibly think of. When it comes to history, I firmly believe that getting dates right, particularly when multiple important events happen within a short time frame, is paramount in preserving a person’s story and making it easier for future historians to understand what happened correctly. Yet, no other historian seems to find this as important, so I made my own timeline from scratch – in doing so, though, I could figure out how everything connected, particularly when placed in the larger context of the Space Race. From this, I wrote up a pitch for an article and submitted that. We’ll see what comes of it, but regardless, I will be writing some sort of essay/article/paper/blog post on Kameny in the next few weeks. I honestly am ecstatic about what I’ve found so far, but I will not disclose anything. I don’t want to ruin the surprise after all. Thursday and Friday were dedicated to learning the ropes of oral history work, in which Jon (one of the historians) kindly gave me training on the subject. I then spent most of Friday researching and compiling a list of scientists I might reach out to.

Now, on to why my blog post is called “Thank You For The Music.” If you didn’t know, that is the name of an ABBA song, which I think is fitting as I went to a total of 4 concerts this week (no ABBA unfortunately). After leaving you last week with the DC Jazz Jam, I went to a Lizzy McAlpine concert at the Anthem on Tuesday, a Pomme concert at Union Stage on Thursday, Jazz in the Garden on Friday, and I stumbled upon Concerts on the Green in Great Falls on Sunday. If you couldn’t tell, I love music, and I’ve loved it ever since I was little. Now, with my limitless freedom, I spend so much of my time (probably too much) going to concerts. Alongside that, I also went to the National Gallery of Art with some of the other interns in which we partook in two of my favorite pastimes: 1) making the same poses as chaotic paintings and statues and 2) making the most nonsensical and anti-intellectual comments on the art. Honestly, 11/10 museum-going experience because of that. Afterward, Jaden, Kaden, Charles, and I all went thrifting where I got the BEST shirt ever made: a tie-die shirt that says, “What would Dolly do?” And honestly, I think that should be everyone’s mantra in life. I spent most of Sunday rotting in my room watching shows (I also finished the 3rdseason of Bridgerton!) because I could, until 5 pm hit and I got the sudden idea to go on a hike. At 5 pm. Yes, I know I repeated that but who in their right mind decides to go hiking at 5 pm. Me, apparently. I’m so glad I did, though, because this hike was STUNNING. I drove 30 minutes to Great Falls Park and hiked a 2.5-mile loop that took me alongside the Potomac. The water was so clear, I wanted to jump in, but I didn’t bring any change of clothes or a towel. Now I know for next time. I then decided to reward myself with a sweet treat by going to Great Falls Creamery where they had the most delicious Banana Cream Pie ice cream. I’m going to have dreams about it. There was also live music when I stumbled upon this creamery, so the moral of the story is always get ice cream when you desire it.

Buh bye!

Recommended Activities: (Cheap) concerts, Jazz in the Garden, the National Gallery of Art, thrifting, Great Falls Park, Great Falls Creamery, Concerts on the Green.

Week 4: Patience is a virtue

Waiting: an apt theme for this week. As I write this, I am currently waiting in the Boston airport trying to get back to DC after a wonderful weekend at my cousin’s wedding in New Hampshire. However, my flight is delayed, so I must wait at the airport for five hours now. That’s just how life is though — you never know what to expect, and you must make the most out of your situation. Thus, I am writing this at the early, early hour of 3:00 PM instead of my usual 11:00 PM.

This past week was one of a lot of waiting and trying to figure out how to pivot with the unplanned time I found myself with. As you know, the week before last, I finished up my research on Frank Kameny, and I am waiting to hear back on what form my final write-up on him will take. Likewise, when I tried to move on to my research on James Pollack, I needed to wait for permission to access certain archives before I could dive into the meat and potatoes of this project. I’ll probably need to wait a bit more on both fronts, as I still haven’t heard back from various people. Faced with this predicament, I turned my attention to another valuable form of history research: oral histories. If you didn’t know, the Niels Bohr Library & Archives is home to an Oral History collection of more than 1,500 oral histories. However, most of these interviews focus on the histories of older, White, male scientists (to no one’s fault). As a result, I realized there was an opening for increasing representation of various minority identities. Thus, I turned my focus on researching accomplished physicists and astronomers who have also dedicated their lives to making the field more diverse. Pen in hand, I began researching scientists anddrafting emails, and slowly, I started to hear back from people. Honestly, this project is something I’m very excited about, as there are so many modern scientists that people don’t know about but who are some of the most interesting people I’ve read about.

This week, AIP interns also had Juneteenth off, as it’s a federal holiday. A normal person probably would have slept in late, rested, and restored their energy. Am I a normal person though? Most would say no. Instead, my roommate (Maia) and Piper accompanied me on a 50-minute car ride to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland at 8:00 AM for a 7-mile hike. To be fair, I was only planning on hiking 4 or 5 miles, but carpe diem, you know? The mountain and trails were great (even if my hiking buddies are speed demons), and we had a nice lunch of PB&Js afterward. When we got back, it was time for the Dumpling Feast. Okay, it was really just a potluck basically, but Maia made probably 50 dumplings. Sonja and I made spam musubi, a Hawaiian staple. Since we both have roots in Hawaii, we are somewhat addicted to them. And let me tell you, they are delicious. I know you, my reader, might be like, “Spam? Eww, that’s disgusting.” Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it (unless you can’t eat pork or meat, in which case, that’s valid). We also celebrated Charles’s 21st birthday, so I made him an olive oil lemon cake, and we continued celebrating with him on Thursday (his actual birthday). I then left for New Hampshire on Friday, as I said earlier, it was my cousin’s wedding. I think I would like to live in Vermont or New Hampshire; there’s so much nature everywhere, and it’s so calming to me. Even though it rained all weekend, it was a blast, and I’m glad I made the trek all the way up there. I also FINALLY completed the book I was trying to finish reading for months, so I’m glad I can move on to another one now.

Until next week!

Recommended Activities: Sugarloaf Mountain, potlucks, and New Hampshire :)

Week 5: Death by Chocolate

I can’t believe that we’re more than halfway done with the internship! Time really does fly by when you’re having fun. This past week was super busy, so I’ll break my week down more systematically instead of my usual ramblings.

Monday: The Physics Today team got back to me about my pitch for an article, and they accepted it! In a few weeks, I will be a published author! The article will be focused on Frank Kameny (who you should know by now, as I’ve mentioned him probably in every blog post) and how his situation undermines the commonly held belief that the Space Race of the ‘50s and ‘60s was a ‘Golden Age.’ At NBLA, we also had our monthly Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon, so I updated Frank Kameny’s Wikipedia page to include more information on his early years (and fix some formatting issues).

Tuesday: Because I am starting to solidify dates for the Oral History interviews, I am going to conduct, I needed to start researching the individuals to get the proper chronology and details of their lives and accomplishments. Consequently, I spent all of Tuesday working on researching and writing questions that I might want to use in interviews. In the evening, Charlotte found this trivia place. To our surprise, it was Shrek-themed. Honestly, Jenna and Sonja probably carried our team.

Wednesday: I genuinely could not tell you what I did on Wednesday. I distinctly remember doing something, but what it was is now between my subconscious and God. I also have the memory of a goldfish, and nothing is on my calendar. Ignorance is usually bliss, except when trying to write out a blog post and there are no thoughts behind my eyes.

Thursday: Okay! I remember what I did on Thursday. I spent most of the day figuring out how I wanted to structure and format my article and subsequently writing the outline for it. After work, Jaden, Charlotte, and I went to the Cleveland Park Night Market which was a whopping 6 tents, but it was okay because we found a cheap Mexican place to stop at.

Friday: I told myself I would wake up soooo early to get to the Library of Congress by 9:00, and I almost did! I got up, walked out the door, and got on the Metro. I made it all the way to Metro Center when I suddenly realized I had forgotten my library card! So, I had to go all the way back to Shenkman, get my library card, and make my way to the library once more. However, when I was waiting for the bus, this lady gave me two coupons for free pizza which was so sweet and made my day. I probably got to LoC around 10:00, which wasn’t too bad, but a late start. I also remembered to eat and drink while there, fulfilling my promise to Maia. If you ever find yourself doing research at LoC in the Madison building, I highly recommend the Madison Café on the 6th floor. They even have sushi! I went through all of the boxes I needed to regarding James Pollack, and I managed to leave around 4:00 PM. That night, some of the other interns and I went to the Kennedy Center and watched Ratatouille.

Saturday: One of my friends from Princeton just started her internship this past week, so I hung out with her all of Saturday which was so nice. We used the coupons for the free pizza (which was delicious), andwe went to the Eastern Market, Hirschhorn Museum, and the Folklife Festival at the National Museum of the American Indian. At the Hirschhorn, there was an exhibit that filled an entire room with very esoteric quotes. It may have sent me into a slight existential crisis, but in a good way, you know? The Folklife Festival was super interesting, although it was absolutely sweltering on Saturday. By the time I got back, I was exhausted. Yet, I cannot seem to relax for the life of me, so I spent three hours baking a chocolate cake that was inspired by the cake in Matilda (the one Madame Trunchbull forces Bruce to eat).

Sunday: Jaden, Kaden, Charles, Charlotte, Chris (Jaden’s roommate from GW), Reidyn, Brynn, Muji, Amanda, and Evan (Amanda’s friend from Vanderbilt) all went to Cunningham State Park which was super needed. We did a short hike to the falls and then went to the lake. It was a beautiful day, and I love being in nature. Being in the sun all day though definitely takes a lot out of you, so I just spent my evening watching Dr. Who (after some interns came over and had cake. I have too much cake. I don’t know what to do with it all. I don’t know why I do this to myself. I feel like Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

This next week is also going to be super busy, but I’m excited! Plus, it’s the 4th of July, so we have a long weekend. Rah rah America and all that. I also have realized I take approximately 0 photos of myself ever, so you really only get landscapes this week in terms of pictures.

Recommended Activities: Trivia, free movies at the Kennedy Center, the Eastern Market, the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Cunningham State Park.

Week 6: Peaches, Peaches, and More Peaches

Boy, oh boy, do I have a week for you. Buckle up because we’re going for a ride.

As you may know by now, I am physically incapable of relaxing apparently unless my body physically demands it of me. No, this is probably not healthy, but alas, I was trained for this lifestyle since birth. No joking, my family’s definition of ‘a break’ is getting up at 8 AM, walking a half marathon going to various museums and cultural landmarks, not getting back until 10 PM, watching a movie, and then repeating. ‘Sleeping in’ in my family is approximately 9 AM.

Thus, when I am in my apartment all day doing work and don’t leave the said apartment until the next morning, a force comes over me that says, “Kai, go walk 5 miles at 9 PM after trivia.” No, I didn’t plan to walk 5 miles, but a force of nature compelled me to explore all the monuments at night. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful all lit up at night, but it probably isn’t the safest idea to wander around late at night. Lucky for you, I’m here to tell the tale.

Because we had Thursday and Friday off for the holiday, I had to make sure to cram in everything that needed to get done into the front half of the week. Needless to say, I was extremely busy. Monday and Tuesday were primarily me preparing for the various (3) interviews I will be conducting over the next couple of weeks. Surprisingly, researching people, figuring out their life stories, and trying to write approximately 25-30 questions on them (as well as a brief introduction summarizing their life’s work) takes a substantial amount of time. Honestly, it probably shouldn’t be that surprising, but it was to me because I have no concept of time. Thus, I typed away into the night. My first interview with Dr. K. Reneee Horton on Wednesday morning went well, and I managed to complete all my work before the holidays! The break was extremely rejuvenating, even if I barely rested.

I slept in until the late, late hour of 9:30 AM on the 4th of July (30 whole minutes after what is considered ‘late’ in my family!), and Maia and I decided to get these amazing pastries from Rose Ave Bakery near the Zoo. Let me tell you, they were some of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had. We decided to split four, and here are my rankings: 1) Passion Fruit Donut (a malasada with a passion fruit custard filling), 2) Curry Butternut Squash Tart (a flakey outside similar to a croissant with a creamy butternut squash curry in the middle), 3) Spam Musubi Croissant (a croissant filled with spam, furikake, and unagi sauce), and 4) Mango Sticky Rice Amann. Let me tell you though, all of them were out of this world. Maia and I were speechless; they were soooo good. We continued our day by grilling up some hot dogs to celebrate this nation’s birthday, and I was utterly impressed by how many hot dogs Charlotte and Jenna could consume — actually gobsmacked. We then had the bright idea of going to the National Mall 4 hours early (because it apparently was super crowded last year), and we got a) rained on, b) attacked by gnats, and c) suffocated by the humidity. However, I still had fun, because if you tell yourself anything is an adventure, it makes life so much more enjoyable. The fireworks were cool, but I honestly expected something more, considering that this is the capital of the United States. But hey, they tried, I guess. At least they chose some banger songs.

I think Maia and I enable each other because, on Friday, we had the great idea that we should go peach picking! We hopped in Lola (the love of my life: my family’s blue 2018 Subaru Legacy) and drove to Hartland Orchard. The sun blazing over us, we picked a peck of peaches for only $20 (I’m not even joking, we took home like 45 peaches), and probably consumed another 10 between us at the orchard. They were the best peaches I can remember having. I also got a huge jar of honey for $10, and we picked a quart of blueberries and a quart of blackberries for $5 each! In this economy, that’s a steal and a half. At the farmstead, they also sold peach slushies (so yummy) and apple cider donuts (also the love of my life). We continued on our journey and went to an antique store in Royal Front, and we realized that Shenandoah National Park was only 5 minutes away! Not wanting to pass up this opportunity, we went in, went to the visitor center, and went on a short hike that passed a cemetery (no, I don’t think we wound up taking a ghost hitchhiker back with us). I ended the day by going to bed at the early hour of 9 PM and proceeded to sleep 11 hours.

Saturday, I went to the Air and Space Museum by Dulles with Charlotte and her boyfriend Sky. This museum was HUGE. It was pretty cool, and I spent the majority of the time (surprise surprise) in the Space Hanger. There was a space shuttle, as well as a bunch of space science items. We spent maybe 2.5 or 3 hours there because, after a certain point, there’s a limit to how many planes and helicopters you can see without losing it. I spent that evening at a potluck with some college friends, and once again, had to walk 30+ minutes back to Shenkman at 11:30 PM. The worst part about it was the fact that at basically midnight, it was still over 90ºF.

Sunday wasn’t much of anything because my body finally said enough was enough, and made me stay in my pajamas most of the day (except for a quick trip to the airport to grab another college friend who is here this week and cannot navigate public transportation for the life of them). The week finished out by having pizza with Collins, playing Guno, and watching The Dark Knight.

Recommended Activities: Rose Ave Bakery, 4th of July Fireworks, Hartland Orchards, Shenandoah National Park, Air and Space Museum - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Week 7: I cannot hide from them...

The one thing about Princetonians is that, in D.C. during the summer, there are way too many of us. Everywhere you turn, BOOM, jumpscare. Fortunately for me, there are a lot of programming and alumni connection opportunities as well.

On Monday night, there was a night tour of the Capitol, hosted by Rep. Derek Kilmer, where we got to go onto the floor of the House and even sit in the seats! Awestruck, I looked around at my fellow peers and I learned: a) at least 80% of Princeton students in D.C. probably have some sort of job with the federal government, including all the Hillterns, so b) it was just another day for them—nothing out of the ordinary. I, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. After all, I had never seen the House (or the Senate) before! My excursions continued that Tuesday where I got to attend a short talk by Congresswoman Terri Sewell. Bestowed with wisdom, I finished out the week by going to the U.S. Institute of Peace where there was an alumni panel. But wait! Sike! That night when I went out with my roommate, their girlfriend, and one of my friends from college, who did we run into? Not one, not two, but three (3) other students! Why we are everywhere, I have no clue. Honestly, it’s probably a bit scary considering that there are only 5,000 undergrads total.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked per usual. This week was extremely busy because I realized that my work was taking much longer than I thought it was. Correction: going through all the primary sources and picking out specific quotations is extremely tedious and time-consuming, especially when you have over 100 documents to go through. This might be a hyperbole, but I genuinely do not think it is. The difficult part of research is transferring all the knowledge you’ve accumulated in your brain onto paper for an audience who has not spent weeks pouring over these materials. Thus, it might be overkill to do this, but I’d rather be clear when presenting my findings. This week, I also interviewed Dr. Jan Eldridge—the Head of the Department of Physics at the University of Auckland. It, by far, was the longest interview I’ve ever conducted, coming in at 2.5 hours, but it was well worth it. This week, I have a lot of writing to do (mostly which I’ve been putting off), so send thoughts and prayers. I don’t hate writing per se, but I hate starting it if that makes any sense. Once I get in a groove, I’m all set, but there’s always a block before I start it.

Besides all the Princeton events, my friend from school was here this week, so they stayed with me for a couple of nights which was fun. I even introduced them to conveyor-belt sushi Thursday night which was much needed. I had gone so long without sushi. I honestly should be congratulated on how long I went considering I usually have sushi at least once or twice a week. On Saturday, I went to the National Archives Museum with Jenna and Charlotte which was super fun. No one stole the Declaration of Independence. There was also an exhibit of Russell Lee photographs detailing Middle America in 1946, particularly the lives of coal miners and their families. And then, Sunday was beach day! We drove up to Sandy Point Beach by Annapolis and spent the day there (before the beach closed due to a thunderstorm). The water’s temperature was perfect, and I spent at least half of the time there in it. The only downside was that we didn’t have umbrellas, so the sun zapped me of my energy. My car (Kaden, Reidyn, Charles, Sonja, and I) finished out the day by getting dinner at an Applebee’s, and I went to sleep at 8:45 PM.

Week 8: Busy as a bee

There’s a classic piece that flautists often play called “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Mind you, I have never been able to play it up to speed because I only play the flute casually, but if it doesn’t invoke anxiety, I don’t know what will. Maybe that’s just me projecting because the thought of playing it scares me half to death. I’m getting sidetracked...The reason I bring this up is because the last week has felt exactly like that song. The frantic rush to finish the song, but in a way that shows the rush is tasteful.

As we all know, the internship is sadly coming to an end :( . And with that, I must transfer all my research knowledge from my brain onto paper so that I am not the only one who holds the secrets of the universe. As a result, I’ve probably written, deleted, and revised over 6,000 words in the past week, and I am nowhere near finished. As a result, this blog post (unless I start rambling which is entirely likely) will be on the shorter side.

Beyond writing, Charlotte and Jenna very kindly organized a tour of NIST on Thursday which was extremely interesting, and where I finally met Brad Conrad and Sarah Ipri-Brown (a fellow Princetonian!). We also saw ‘Newton’s Apple Tree,’ the 1-million-pound weight, and a forensics lab.

Did I tell myself I would spend this weekend writing? Yes. Did I? No, much to my detriment. However, I had fun, and I forced Sonja and Collins on my adventures (much to their chagrin), so all was not lost. Let’s just say what I said would be a 1.5 hour outing doubled in time, but we saw Ford’s Theater... and all the places of Lincoln’s assassination... Moving on! Sunday, I got up bright and early and met some college friends at Great Falls Park where we hiked the Billy Goat Trail (which was more of a 3-mile rock scramble so be prepared if you do it). Of course, since I was out and about, I decided that I just HAD to go exploring (definitely not to avoid doing my work), so I drove to Occoquan which was a cute little town. There, I got some looseleaf tea and treated myself to a lobster roll and chai latte. I then realized I was only 20 minutes from Mount Vernon, so I explored that. The dramatic irony of this, looking back, was that as soon as I arrived at the birthplace of good ol’ GW himself, Biden announced he would no longer be running for a second term. After, again, treating myself to the gift shop (I need an intervention), I returned home where I discovered the greatness of Costco rotisserie chicken and where Maia made yummy chocolate chips.

The End!

Recommended Activities: Ben’s Chili Bowl, Jeni’s Ice Creams, Ford’s Theater, the Billy Goat Trail, Leaf & Petal and the Ballywack Shack in Occoquan, Mount Vernon

Week 9: Give me caffeine or give me death!

In my final weekend in DC, I ended how I started, and yet, I have grown so much in the past ten weeks. This weekend, on Saturday, I went back to the National Cathedral and Dumbarton Oaks — places I visited my first weekend here only to find them closed. 10 weeks later, I found myself at them again, only for them to be open, and I feel as though that speaks volumes to my summer.

I began the summer unsure of what I wanted to study, of who I was, how to make friends, and how to navigate a practically new city. As a chronic worrier, I worried. My brain wanted to close off new experiences, staying in the comfort I previously knew, just like how I originally found the National Cathedral and the gardens closed to me. However, over the summer, due to the internship, the other interns that I now call my friends, and forcing myself out of my comfort zone, new experiences await me. Although I am still uncertain of many things, I do not fear it as much. I know that if I take full advantage of the opportunities that come my way and lean into my interests and curiosities, I will be forced to grow.

It honestly saddens me that this internship is coming to a close because I’ve been so happy. I’ve attended concerts, explored museums, gone on hikes, and allowed myself to give in to spontaneity. Although life is about planning, it is also about letting yourself have fun. Work will only get you so far, and for me, it cannot bring complete fulfillment. Everything in life exists in a balance, just as it does in the universe. I do not know what my life has in store, and I think for the first time, I’m starting to believe that’s okay. I do not know why this blog post is getting so philosophical — I guess some things never change.

Anyway, I’ll stop being sappy. This week was, per usual, hectic, but I’m starting to see the light! Tuesday was the tour of the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, Thursday was Intern Appreciation Day, and Friday, Charles organized a visit to NASA’s Goddard facility where Robert Petre gave us a tour. Honestly, that was probably the highlight of the work week. Rob graciously gave us so much NASA merch and showed us Mission Control for the Hubble Space Telescope, LISA, an astrobiology lab, and the clean room where they are assembling the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope! Plus, he is such a knowledgeable, yet friendly, person to chat with.

As I said, on Saturday, I went to the National Cathedral and the Dumbarton Oaks Gardens, both of which are stunning. The National Cathedral is also home to the Space Window which is a stained glass window that contains moon rock that the Apollo 11 astronauts brought back from their lunar landing! That morning, I also went to brunch with some of the interns at a Japanese restaurant, and let me tell you, I think I had a food coma by the end of it. I finished up the day by forcing Maia to watch one of the greatest movies of all time between Olympic surfing matches: Surf’s Up. If you don’t know of Chicken Joe, search him up.

On Sunday, I got brunch with a family friend and had one of the best Caesar salads ever. I think I might have dreams about it. I then went to the African American History and Culture Museum which was extremely well done. There, they also had a temporary exhibit on Afrofuturism — a genre that combines themes/aesthetics of space and sci-fi with notions of Black liberation. I ended the day by participating in the second half of the Intern Olympics. I thought my team would make a comeback after both Muji and I scored points in Guno and Mario Kart, but alas, we did not make it due to our performances in Hallway Hurdles and the rest of the games. But hey! We still got the MVP award!

As I write this, I have turned to coffee. If you know me, I only start drinking coffee when I am desperate for caffeine, so I must end this blog before I lose all semblance of a brain. Ta ta for now!

Recommended Activities: Renwick Museum, Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf, the Titanic Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Elfegne Ethiopian Cuisine, Rakuya, the National Cathedral, Dumbarton Oaks Gardens, the Hamilton, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Intern Olympics!

Week 10: So Long, Farewell

To my loyal followers — please accept my sincerest apologies for my delay. Unacceptable, I know. However, it is not entirely my fault as I had more pressing issues at hand (what could be more pressing than you?? Usually nothing, except in this circumstance). Sunday, I woke up and had to RUSH to the doctor’s office to get antibiotic eyedrops (those exist somehow) before getting on a plane to Europe. Or so I thought. My flight was at 4 PM, so I got there at a reasonable 2 PM. I checked in, made my way through the airport, and settled until boarding. Then came the nightmare. Delay. Another delay. Another delay. It got so delayed that I would’ve missed my connection in Amsterdam if I stayed on that route, and the next connecting flight wouldn’t have been for another 12 hours. So, I switched my flight FIVE (5) HOURS in advance and did everything in my power to ensure that my checked bag (don’t judge me, I’m in Europe for 3 weeks) would get transferred. At the gate for my new flight, I even confirmed with them that my bag was on the flight. “Yep!” they said. And I thought all would be well.

Rookie mistake. I arrived 20 hours later in Turin, Italy, and patiently waited for my bag. You know what wasn’t there? My bag. This means that I am currently in rural Italy with barely any clothes. Luckily, this place I’m staying at for the next week has some spare clothes in its Lost & Found, but it still is not the best situation to be in.

Anyway, I digress. The last week was full of both work and fun (although I still have a couple of things I need to write). Honestly, I could not really tell you what I did, but I got crêpes with Sonja and Maia one of the nights, and on Thursday night, we had a final potluck! It was so chaotic, but it was super fun and nice to have a final event with everyone, as I left for home Friday afternoon. Then Friday, the final symposium, came! Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi gave the keynote speech, and then my turn to present came. Although nerve-racking, I think it’s often best to approach presentations as though you’re trying to tell a story or giving a performance. The other interns’ presentations were fascinating, and I think it was an overall excellent ending to the internship.

I then managed to pack everything into Lola, and my dads and I headed on our merry way back to the Big Apple, making sure to stop at a crab shack for dinner (which was DELICIOUS). Unfortunately, I forgot all my frozen bagels in the freezer as I rushed to leave, much to Maia’s chagrin. Luckily, she managed to give them all away (thank you, Maia!). I also drove in a torrential downpour where visibility is practically nonexistent without killing myself or my parents, so I really should be getting kudos for that.

Overall, this internship experience, as I said in my last blog, has made me grow both as a person and a researcher. From all the friends I’ve made to my mentors, Will and Corinne, to the rest of the CHP/NBLA staff to everyone at SPS, they provided me support and community during these past 10 weeks. For that, I am forever grateful.

Signing off,
Kai