Week 10: The End of this Chapter

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Monday, August 8, 2022

By:

Janessa Slone

This is my last blog post, and wow my time in D.C. flew by. 

Let’s begin with what I did this week.

Sunday afternoon a lot of the interns got together to grab brunch at a crepe place near by called ‘Crepeaway’. I’m so shocked that none of us had been before, it was maybe a 10 minute walk from Amsterdam Hall. After the tough choice of sweet or savory, we all enjoyed our crepes and began to walk toward the Smithsonians. We went to the National Gallery of Art, and it was kind of a maze. 

Monday at work I published the Cloud in a Bottle Youtube video and looked over some instruction documents that I needed to fix up before. Later, I joined the D&D group for our last session. I quite enjoyed this session because we had it behind Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Potomac. Here’s a picture of us:

Tuesday at work I finally completed the Metal Resonance Demo. My main struggle with it was building the Audio Amplifier Circuit. It worked great! You can check out the demo on youtube in the next coming months. I also had a photoshoot with my SOCK in order to post it on the SPS National website. Soooo, let’s talk about my SOCK. I am so happy with all of the demos included in the kit. The purpose of the SOCK is to promote outreach to at least 80 chapters, and provide them with a kit full of activities surrounding one theme. This year’s SOCK theme is Eclipses. I wanted the kit to have something suitable for all ages. The main centerpiece is the Wooden Orbital Model, which is mechanical and is useful in describing the orbits of the Moon and Earth. Next, I included receipt paper in order for chapters to perform the ‘Scale the Solar System’ Demo. Chapters can scale the solar system down to 1 meter, 2 meters, or 3 meters with all of the conversions included. The ‘Paper Model’ demo is intended for younger participants. They can color and build an eclipse model in order to visualize the different types of eclipses. Lastly, what’s unique about this year’s SOCK, is the box is also a demo! I had ‘cut here’ stickers made and placed 2 on one side of each box. This creates a pinhole viewer so participants can safely view the Eclipse. Each kit will also come with a pack of Solar Eclipse Glasses, Presentation Guides, and a thumbdrive containing all materials and demos I’ve performed this summer. Order your kit here: https://www.spsnational.org/programs/outreach/science-outreach-catalyst-kits

I love the final result of the SOCK and I am so grateful to Brad and Mikayla for guiding me through the process. I realized that creative freedom throughout this process was important to me, and both Brad and Mikayla really allowed me to have that control. 

Tuesday evening I went to a Hamilton showing at the Kennedy Center. A couple summers ago I watched Hamilton on Disney+ nonstop, and this year it was so surreal to see it on stage. I was lucky enough to secure a ticket on opening night, and I plan to return to the show when I go back to D.C. for Physcon 2022. I would also like to add that I cried for the first 8 songs in the show because I was so overwhelmed with joy.

Wednesday, I published my SOCK on the SPS National Website and added all necessary links. I also added the new Physics and Astronomy Jeopardy, which you can find here: https://www.spsnational.org/programs/outreach/physics-jeopardy

Some of the interns then went to Rock the Dock at the Wharf. A really cool funky band was playing cover songs. We enjoyed the sunset and music at one of the well known bars. Because the event didn’t last long, we headed back to the dorms to whip up some crepes with leftover ingredients any of the interns had. They turned out so well and were incredibly tasty. 

  

Thursday during the day, all of the interns joined at ACP for a presentation rehearsal. All of the interns had amazing advice for each other, and it made us all realize that the internship is really coming to an end. We went through all of the presentations and had lunch, then headed back to the dorms where we all began to pack up. We packed the ‘intern boxes’ and basically took over the 9th floor hallway. The saddest part was the removal of the iconic consignment scrapbook door. Over the course of the summer, Emma and I have added small items from the events we attended to the door. 

Friday was the day of presentations. You could feel everyone’s nerves in the room, but every single intern did amazing. Thank you to everyone who came to support and those who have supported me all summer! I was a little nervous at the beginning of my presentation, but I am satisfied with how it went. 

To the interns,

This summer was incredible. It was something that I never thought I would experience, and you all made it so much fun. You have all impacted my life in one way or another and I will never forget all that I’ve learned from you all. The laughs we shared were one of a kind. From screaming the lyrics to chop suey to the numerous potlucks in consignment, I cherish each and every memory with you all. 

I wish we had more time together but as we all kept saying – this is not goodbye, it’s see you later. I better see you all at Physcon (I’m talking to you Justin!!). Enjoy the rest of your summer and good luck in your senior year, in grad school, and in industry. I am so proud of you all and so happy I was able to share my life with you all. 

Emma – love you girl. I’ll cry if I write anything more. 

Signing off,

Janessa Slone