Friday, June 30, 2017
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This week, we finished installing our physical exhibit, Why the History of Physics Matters, in the Neils Bohr Library & Archives! This was incredibly exciting because we got to see all our efforts over the past five weeks finally come together into a final product. Pictures of our exhibit are attached below. Next week, Tori and I will finish installing the display case in the downstairs lobby of the American Center for Physics building.
Aside from installing the long-awaited exhibit, Tori and I have also begun to work on new projects. I am developing an e-newsletter that will hopefully be sent out to members of SPS. The newsletter series will focus on why the history of physics is important, and why people should care. My main goal in creating these e-newsletters is to make them visually appealing and engaging so that they stand out from other emails and students actually take the time to read some of the materials. Tori is working on several videos about the physicists we previously researched in order to convert some of the information from our physical exhibit into a short and interesting visual format. Our plan is to incorporate the videos into the newsletters. Depending on how much time we have after completing these projects, we will also work on other outreach initiatives.
Yesterday, we toured Riley and Eleanor’s internship sites at the capital. We sat in on a hearing about in-space propulsion for the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The best part of this experience was when Ami Bera, California House Representative, recognized us as interns from the Society of Physics Students at the beginning of his five-minute speaking period. The whole room then clapped for us as future scientists of America, which was amazing. Other highlights from the tour were passing by the office of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, seeing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and even briefly seeing Vice President Mike Pence rush past us with a large group of security officers. We also visited the hearing room for the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, saw the site where George Washington was supposed to be buried, and experienced the bizarre acoustics in the rotunda of the capital. All in all, the capital tour was much more eventful than I had anticipated, and I had a lot of fun.
Moving forward, this weekend is actually a four-day weekend! I am looking forward to all of the Fourth of July festivities. I will back in the office on Wednesday.
Lexxi Reddington