Sunday, August 2, 2020
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[All views are my own.]
Happy August! Or as it sometimes feels, happy March part 6!
This week, I started wrapping up my research project. I wrote up a longer abstract for NASA and seeing my work all formalized was pretty affirming. I started putting together my presentation, which meant going through a bunch of figures and finalizing the best ones. I also spent some time cleaning up and explaining my codes; your codes are only as good as their comments! I hope my code children will go on to make cool results in the future.
In NASA news, I listened to a cool talk about how they select astronauts nowadays. Did you know up to a third of their applicants apply as a joke, just to get a rejection letter from NASA? Pretty funny. I think I’m alright studying space from down here, but it’s interesting to think about. NASA also hosted a panel for National Intern Day, full of impressive former interns-turned-NASA administrators. It was cool to hear about their paths after interning!
In SPS news, we had a great talk from Dr. Michael Fuhrer about topological insulators. I know next to nothing about condensed matter physics, but it seems really rad! If you like quantum physics, electronics, and math, his lab is for you. Us interns also had a quick little hangout, just to chat and see each other’s pets. Being remote has a lot of downsides, but I am glad I get to meet everybody’s pets.
In personal news, my oxalis is growing happily! Scrapbook photos attached. My mornings these days consist of making coffee/tea, reading some, and seeing how much my plant has grown.
Anna Murphree