Week One: Excitement and Events

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Friday, June 2, 2017

By:

Lexxi Reddington

Over the course of the next ten weeks, I will be chronicling my time as an SPS Intern, specifically in working with the wonderful team at the Niels Bohr Library and Archives at the American Institute of Physics. I am staying in downtown Washington D.C. where people are fast, formal, and focused - at least compared to my home in Colorado. Take the metro to 1 Physics Ellipse, though, and you are suddenly surrounded by a serene environment of bright green trees and groomed grasses. I even saw a deer sprinting across the road on my first day of work! To say the least, this internship program will likely be incredible.

I am working as the AIP Center for History of Physics Intern, along with Tori Eng. Together, we will be developing, designing, and installing a physical exhibit to highlight the importance of history to physics. This is important because it directly supports the overarching goal of the Niels Bohr Library in showcasing information on the history of physics. We will also create an online companion piece to the physical exhibit, and promote the two via social media outreach campaigns. I am excited about this project because our mentors at the AIP have given us considerable freedom in making the exhibit. My greatest passion is obviously physics, but I do enjoy artistic challenges and opportunities to showcase my skills at graphic/visual design. Ultimately, I will be spending my summer learning more about physics, artistically displaying what I have learned, and sharing the results with as many people as possible. What more could I ask for?

Living in D.C. for the summer is also an exhilarating opportunity. So far, I have ridden the green line in the complete opposite direction than intended, been displaced from the blue line due to power outages, and walked far more than necessary because of general metro confusion. But I am learning. The food is delicious, the monuments are stunning, and my fellow interns are great people to spend time with. I have visited the Arlington National Cemetery, met Nobel-Prize winner John Mather, and am visiting the National Mall this Friday. Cumulatively, this internship program seems to be brimming with career development opportunities, chances to gain practical experience and new knowledge, and fun! There is even more to come, just wait until next week...   

Lexxi Reddington