Friday, June 8, 2018
By:
Disclaimer: I am not one to write a perfect blog post. In fact, this is my first time ever sitting down and reflecting on my activities (outside of a lab setting). Something I am more familiar with is telling stories to my friends and family in person, so hopefully this will come to feel more natural as the program progresses.
I began the journey to D.C. from my home state of Texas, where the weather was almost polar opposite: 95 degrees and no sign of rain versus D.C.'s regular rainy/cloudy days (no complaints here, though!). I happened to turn 21 the day of the move-in, so finally arriving to this city was probably the best gift I could have asked for. Things started a bit rough in D.C.; bags entirely soaked from the rain, traffic was unusually bad, my suitcase handle broke on the way up the 5 flights of stairs after the elevator broke down... BUT I was extremely glad to be settled in and have the chance to meet my rommates (who are incredible, by the way). I immediately remembered the hastiness and quickness of the life in D.C. from my last visit, and got right into the rhythm of things within the first day. I was nervous yet ready for my first day at the program.
Monday was a typical day: orientation, formal introductions, and learning the metro system that I would be using every day while here. Everyone I had met that day seemed to fit their internship role at SPS quite well and everyone seemed to get along within hours of knowing each other. I am honored to be working amongst 14 other individuals who share a similar passion for physics; whether it be physics outreach, policy, research, governance, etc.
As the week progressed, the other interns and myself bonded a bit more, I signed up for a gym membership at the local university, and I was introduced to my mentors at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Within the first couple of days, I have learned so much about a field that I never knew even existed: microwave engineering. This week I am learning about transmission line theory, superconductors, electromagnetic field simulating software, and other things for a specific detector I will be working on. I am placed in an astrophysics lab that studies the cosmic microwave background via superconducting light detectors. Currently the goal of the laboratory is to design and test detectors that can be used on one of the next big potential space exploration missions for NASA: the Origins Space Telescope (OST). This project aims to explain how the universe started by studying the polarimetry/anisotropies of the radiation emitted from the big bang, and I am glad to be apart of the mission!
Also, a worthy thing to mention is that D.C. is absolutely BUZZING right now due to the victory of the Washington Capitals over the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Stanley Cup. It is a great time to be in D.C. with everyone! I look forward to exploring the city this weekend with friends from Texas Lutheran University and fellow interns.
Daniel Morales