Sunday, June 11, 2023
By:
Hi everyone! I can’t believe it is already the end of week 2. I already know that this summer is going to move way too fast. Here is a recap of what I did this week!
Monday morning I hopped on a zoom call with my mentor Nicole, and Sierra, who is helping with redesigning the APS Physics Quest website. We went over what the new site will look like, and part of what I am working on: Physics Quest (PQ) Extensions. Like I mentioned last week, PQ is a program of lessons designed for middle school physics/science classes, and the Public Engagement Team is working on enhancing them to include more diverse practices, counternarratives, and topics. Part of my job is to help make extension activities, or what teachers can do with classes after they have completed the lab activity. For example, one way I am doing this is trying to add activities that allow students to make real world connects with the physics they are doing in their class. Later Monday afternoon I spent a few hours doing work in a coffee shop which was very nice and relaxing. Doing work in a place like that makes me feel like a real adult. Monday night I met up with a friend from college that I had not seen in over a year since she graduated. It was great to catch up. She was on my college dance team, so we spent a lot of time talking about that. When we walked out of the restaurant, I also ran into a friend from high school that I had not seen in over 4 years! How crazy!
Tuesday was another workday with a few meetings and some work on extensions. As I tried making these new activities for the various topics, I realized that it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have to think about physics and these labs in creative ways to try and figure out an extension activity that is connected, but also builds on the principles they are trying to add. It is giving me a taste of curriculum building which if I end up going into teaching, is definitely a skill I will need. Also on Tuesday I attended a meeting with the Public Engagement Team where they shared some survey data about their programs to other APS employees. It was nice to meet a few more APS faces. That night I spent a while watching The Good Doctor (10/10 recommend if you like medical shows) and then called my friends Jessica and Sophia from school.
Wednesday was my first day back at ACP in College Park. I went in with a few of the other interns and when we got there the building was pretty quiet. I went down to the APS storage closet to look for comics that were once part of the Physics Quest program. There were over 20 boxes! Also on Wednesday was the APS Birthday Bash – a companywide meeting where they introduce new employees and announce people’s birthdays. Since I technically count as a new employee, I was introduced and said hello to the entire staff. It was definitely nerve-wracking but once again everyone was so welcoming. The other APS Interns and I spent the rest of the meeting laughing at how many birthdays there were, and the comments people were making in the chat. After taking the metro back home we hosted a game night in our room! We played Mario kart (which I learned that I cannot play on a Nintendo Switch) and Mario Party. I also made cookies with some cookie dough that I bought.
Thursday I went back into ACP for the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon. It is way harder to edit than it looks. I had some more meetings focusing on another part of my work (which I will save for next week when I have more to talk about), and eventually took the metro home. I had impulsively bought a ticket to see the New York City Ballet at the Kennedy Center the night before, so I went there for the evening. I sat really high up, but I really enjoyed the view since I was able to see the entire stage. I do live really close to NYC, but I never saw the ballet before, and as a dancer, I was really intrigued. My favorite piece was “Afternoon of a Faun.”
Friday I woke up and did laundry, and of course had a few more meetings. Besides working on my internship projects, I also met with my advisor from last summer since I will be attending the AAPT summer meeting in about a month to present that work. It was great to talk to her. Then, I went on yet another ballet journey. I found online that the Washington Ballet was doing a free performance at CityCenterDC (really fancy outdoor shopping plaza). I was able to convince Emily, Hannah, Tiffany, and Ruthie to join. Unlike the NYC Ballet, this performance was a bit more modern and contemporary, which I really enjoyed. We then came back and hung around for a few hours.
Saturday was definitely a highlight of my time in DC so far! I went with a few other interns to watch the DC Pride Parade. We got all dressed up and got a great spot right at the end of the parade route. I had never been to a pride parade before, and this one did not disappoint. We watched the parade for over 2.5 hours before eventually walking home before our legs gave out from standing. It was so crowded but luckily there was a lot to see. A highlight of that parade was seeing Kit Connor and Joe Locke from the Netflix show Heartstopper (I’m a huge fan)! It was so nice to see so many people be themselves and to experience the great vibes of that day. When we got back from that parade I was so exhausted and took a well-deserved nap.
On Sunday I traveled back to the Dupont Circle area to go to the farmers’ market with Hannah and Tiffany. I have been to a farmers’ markets before, but this one was about 5x larger. I got some super sweet strawberries, a chocolate chip cookie, and even a bagel to eat when we got back.
I’m slowly starting to put together a to do list of things I want to do here in the next 8ish weeks, and I am super excited to see what other activities I do this summer. Thanks for reading :) (P.S: make sure to check out the photo gallery below!)
Jenna Tempkin