Monday, June 3, 2024
By:
Hi! My name is Amanda Maeglin, and I am the APS STEP UP intern this summer. I am a rising senior at Vanderbilt University, where I am triple majoring in Physics, English with a creative writing concentration, and the Communication of Science and Technology. I am so excited to be working for APS this summer, and I can’t wait to write about my work, and my other adventures in DC, for the next nine weeks!
Although I live in New York City, and have been to DC many times before, arriving here was certainly an adventure. My cousin got married on the 26th, so I arrived in DC a day later than most of the other interns. Unfortunately, my phone decided to entirely stop working the day before the wedding, and I had to go get it replaced in the morning before driving down to DC. This took quite a while and we got a late start on the road. We also grabbed dinner when we arrived, which delayed my move-in just long enough that it was pouring rain by the time we pulled up to Shenkman Hall. Upon arriving at my room, we discovered that my key did not work and I could not get inside. After a long call with the support hotline, we were finally able to get in. Needless to say, my DC experience had an interesting start. I’m hoping that I got all the hiccups out of the way, and that it will be smooth sailing for the rest of the summer!
On the other hand, starting my internship has been an absolutely wonderful experience! All the interns attended orientation on Tuesday, where we learned more about AIP and SPS, got to get to know each other a little better, and talked about the structure of the internship. I had a great time getting to meet all the other interns and learning more about what everyone will be doing this summer. After orientation, myself and the other APS interns had an IT orientation and an APS orientation that we attended on Zoom. I got to speak with my mentor Nicole for the first time since my interview, and learn a little more about APS and the work I will be doing! For the rest of the week, I mostly worked on learning more about the STEP UP program. STEP UP is designed to encourage more high school aged girls to pursue undergraduate physics. The bulk of the program is a series of two lessons – Careers in Physics and Women in Physics – that are taught during the school year. I read through the lessons and completed their various activities, read through the program’s grant proposals, and learned more about female involvement in physics across the world. At the end of the week, I had a meeting with the leaders and regional coordinators of STEP UP, where I got to learn more about what they have been working on over the past couple months. The regional coordinator for New York City actually teaches at the high school I went to! I was also invited to attend an APS webinar on building trust in science communication on Thursday, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I definitely learned a lot this first week, and I am excited to start diving into more of my work in week two!
I have also really enjoyed getting to know the other interns in the program and having the chance to explore DC. Because my job is fully remote, I want to figure out some good places to work from. I don’t love staying home all day, so I have been trying to go to a different location each day to see what works best for me. I have already found a couple of cute coffee shops that I like, and have even been able to go outside and take advantage of some of the lovely sunny days. Outside of work, I have already gone to some really exciting events. On Friday, another intern Maia and I went to a concert at the National Museum of American History where eight students from the National Orchestral Institute played rare instruments from the museum’s collection, including Stradivarius violins! It was absolutely incredible to witness. Immediately after that we went with several other interns to Heurich House where we saw a fascinating exhibit by Xena Ni about time travel and using our hope for the future to inspire action in the present. I was absolutely delighted to have such an art-filled Friday! This weekend, I explored Georgetown with my roommate Brynn and one of my friends from school. It was such a cute area, and I am excited to go back. I also have really appreciated living so close to the National Mall. I’ve gone on a couple lovely walks over there, and even saw a baby duck while I was strolling around the reflecting pool!
Overall, it has been a very wonderful first week, and I am really looking forward to the rest of the summer. We have a lot of exciting things planned for next week, and I can’t wait to write about them!
Amanda Maeglin