Sunday, June 2, 2024
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Part One: Arrival
It’s crazy to think that just nine days ago I was on an isolated beach in Costa Rica, timing the high tide to climb a waterfall which would lead us to the nearest town. A few days before that, I was on an air balloon over the illustrious Teotihuacán pyramids in San Martín, México. And now, I am approximately 1,660 miles from my home in the North American plateau and high desert of Denver, Colorado.
Arriving in Washington meant overcoming an unexpected 12-hour flight diversion in Cleveland, Ohio. Settling into Washington meant combatting severe thunderstorms in the pursuit of groceries which were of course placed into paper bags. I am sure it is common knowledge that paper does not maintain its’ integrity well in water- yet the sacrifice was worth the small environmental impact. After two days and help from two separate Metro attendants (heroes), I was able to fix my Metro card for commuting around the city.
This is my first time in the Northeast part of the country. It is different from Colorado in so many ways: 1) everything is greener, 2) there is so much more water in the air, 3) the elevation is almost 5,000 ft lower (which means I can run a mile about 1 minute faster than usual), and 4) the fashion is impeccable. Of course, there are many more ways in which this part of the country varies compared to home. Notably, I have a great appreciation for the integrative dynamic of Washington which could be described as a “hustle and bustle” but with a diverse, cultural charm.
Part Two: Radiation Physics
Did you know that radiation is everywhere? Humans have evolved in a world filled with radiation. Many are familiar with the radiation from the sun, but I think less of the general population knows about sources such as soil radiation. Bananas, for example, are minimally radioactive. In fact, they are used as an equivalent measuring tool to put into relevant perspective different quantities of radiation. The radiation due to a flight from coast to coast in the U.S. is equivalent to eating several hundreds of bananas! I learned this on my first day as a NIST intern under the Dosimetry and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy expertise of Dr. Ileana Pazos, my research mentor for the summer.
In the first week, I learned about different types of radiation such as alpha, beta-plus, beta-minus, gamma, and neutron radiation. I also got familiar with my project: emergency preparedness in radiation dosimetry. I learned about half-lives, what makes a nucleus unstable, applications and theory of irradiation, and how we measure the energy of an unpaired electron using EPR Spectroscopy. I’ve learned all of this and more in the first week- so I can only imagine how much I will learn this summer! Needless to say, I am already getting excited for the end of the summer presentation symposium.
Follow my journey in Radiation Physics this summer for more factoids! 'Til next week,
Piper Malczewski