Sunday, June 15, 2014
By:
I've continued to work on what will become an optimization code for the CLASS bolometers. After evaluating the intensity, power, and noise, I'll move on to optimizing the window for detection, which is limited by the opacity of the atmosphere. Most of the other people in my lab were out of the office for various vacations and conferences this week, so I've kept my nose (for the most part) on the grindstone, working out the pieces and bugs in my code and deepening my knowledge of python. Python is completely new to me, but after some knowledge of C++ and Matlab, it is coming very quickly.
This weekend was very full. After going to the DC Pride parade in Dupont Circle with Ashley and Kelby, a friend from Italy came into town last weekend after presenting a paper at a conference. I took the bus out to Dulles to meet him, and we got back very late (but still in time for hot donuts from Krispy Kreme). Sunday morning we explored a farmer's market in Dupont and made our way back down to Foggy Bottom. From there we walked past the White House, down Pennsylvania towards the Capitol, and then decided to head back. On our way we decided to hunt down some local beer, but ended up walking way further than we expected (as seems to be a trend in DC). We were still able to find a few places with a wide variety on tap before heading back home for dinner. During his stay we also sampled District Taco, which did not disappoint, and the Whole Foods pizza, which was also delicious. However, Monday night, we prepared basil pesto in the traditional style from his region with pasta for the other interns.
Kirsten Randle