Sunday, June 9, 2024
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Hello all! This was a busy week as far as interning goes! I learned a lot this week about the amount of care put into choosing story ideas for Physics Today. There are many different criteria to consider when looking at a topic. As The Open Notebook says, the story angle should be intriguing, timely, supported by evidence, and original. PT staff pitch ideas in meetings and then work together to ensure that the topics chosen follow these criteria, which is no easy feat. It is hard to keep your finger on the pulse of a vast field of science, especially since modern physics research is so interdisciplinary.
I went into the Maryland office on Wednesday and met many of my coworkers in person for the first time (including my mentor, Andrew)! It is a bit of a commute to make it out there, but not as bad as some the other interns have to make. Maia and I raided the supply room for arts and crafts things and made some sick paper planes. On Wednesday evening, all the interns met at ACP DC to attend a Trimble Lecture by John Mather and Mark Clampin from NASA. Astrophysics research is exciting for many, but the amount of planning that goes into telescope creation is no trivial matter. On Thursday, we had a dinner cruise on the Potomac, entailing good food and drinks and a little synchronized line dance action. I am really getting started on a few projects now for work, and I will be conducting my first interview this upcoming week! Special thanks to last year’s PT intern, Hannah Means, who has already given me lots of assistance and mentorship!
Jenna and I did responsible adult activities on Monday, such as laundry, taking out trash, and grocery shopping. We are starting to stock up now on grocery items, so cooking is more feasible and fun! I used my mini rice cooker for the first time on Tuesday. It can make three cups of rice, which is more than enough for one person. I made chicken katsu and rice for dinner (which was great but now I have so much chicken I need to eat).
At some point during the week, we watched the third and fourth Indiana Jones movies. I had never seen any Indiana Jones before, and I might have been better off for it. The fourth movie is so absolutely bonkers that the entire time, Charlotte and I were in shock. We would think it couldn’t get worse, and then it did. We also watched Shrek, which might have been equally shocking if I hadn’t seen it a million times as a child. All songs in the Shrek soundtrack are permanently “Shrek songs” in my mind, including Hallelujah.
On Saturday, Jenna and I got brunch (see thick french toast below) at Tatte. We then went to Second Story Books and Kramer’s, and I bought two books at the latter. I have read two books since arriving in DC, so I think it's fair if I buy two more? We did a little more grocery shopping and Jenna made some killer banana bread. A small group of us played Cranium, and I accidentally sight-read Mary Had a Little Lamb (I am not usually capable of reading music).
Today six of us went to the zoo (me, Jenna, Charlotte, Maia, Charles, and Kaden). Unfortunately, the red pandas were hiding from us. I saw a red panda for the first time last summer at the Seattle zoo, and I am convinced that they are the cutest animals to ever exist. I will have to return to the zoo later this summer and hope that the red pandas are feeling more friendly. Two other cute animals I was introduced to are the fishing cat and the sand cat (see sand cat below). We didn’t get through the whole zoo, but my favorite part so far is the small mammals exhibit.
Signing off til next week.
Sonja Boettcher