Sunday, June 14, 2020
By:
Wow, what a week. So much turmoil around us, not only with COVID-19 but also in society with #Strike4BlackLives and #ShutDownSTEM. Will life go back to some sense of normal? What will that normal be when it finally returns?
Monday morning rolls around, and I have a million different things hitting me at once. This internship is fantastic, especially since many do not have the opportunity this summer, but doing so from home has its' disadvantages. My dogs want my attention, my cats want to lay on my computer while I am trying to get my work done, and my wife, as many would understand, wants my attention as well. As I settle in for the day and begin doing my research, I did tell you what I was working on, right? Probably not. So this summer, I have the privilege of working with the APS Bridge Program to try to raise awareness of the program and develop ways to recruit more underrepresented minorities(URMs) in Physics who want to pursue their Ph.D. What an opportunity!!!!
Having found many other programs with a similar focus, but on a much narrower scale, I determined to find out what they were doing that worked and see if it would be a way to proceed. After spending what seemed like an eternity, probably only a few hours, reading through several different websites for a variety of programs, I finally felt like a had a good grasp on what they all had in common and what was different. Oh, I almost forgot, lunch meeting via Zoom, what a great way to socialize when you span across different time zones. I loved the opportunity to get to know some of the other interns, as well as their mentors, better.
Tuesday started off early, especially since I had a progress meeting with my mentor. Compiling the information so that we could have a meaningful discussion took a small bit of time in the morning, but all went well. I presented the data, and it seemed like progress was in the right direction.
Wednesday, oh what a day. Today was #Strike4BlackLives and #ShutDownSTEM. I spent the day in quiet contemplation as I read many articles and researched the plight of blacks in science, and particularly in Physics. Although the day wasn't about working on my project, it very much coincided with what I was tasked to do. Honestly learned a great deal today, but I also realized how much I still needed to learn. We were supposed to have our intern outing today; however, it ended up getting rescheduled for Thursday. What a shame, I really wanted to take this opportunity to talk to the other interns to understand their feelings and opinions. Hopefully, we can talk tomorrow.
Thursday was spent researching and trying to find contact points with several of the successful programs. With little luck in finding the right people, however, I continued to delve into the programs and successes with a renewed vigor. As the night began to roll around, again, it was to be a postponed evening with the other interns. This time it was moved to Sunday, not a good day for me, but I hoped I would have the opportunity to make it. I spent the rest of the evening considering the sociopolitical turmoil around the US.
Friday, the end of the week, but when you are working virtually from home, it feels no different than any other day. Finally, I was able to make progress, I have some names and email addresses. Now to compose an email and try to make meaningful contact. The day passed fairly quickly, as did the weekend. I was able to poke my head in for just a minute on Sunday night for the intern outing but unfortunately could not stay long. Hopefully, we can touch base more next week.
As I finish up the week, I wonder how much of where I am and what I am is based not on talent and achievement, but on opportunities that were given to me. Someone once said it's not what you, but who you know. I think it's more than that. It's not what you know or who you know, but sometimes it just comes down to where you come from. It is a sad world we live in.
Joseph Dees