Tuesday, September 8, 2015
By:
I still can’t believe my fortune in being chosen for this internship! Getting to live in D.C. and work at NASA were both incredible stand-alone experiences. Together they constituted the best summer I have ever had! I had so much fun cruising around DC and meeting so many great people!
On Friday I gave my final presentation summarizing my NASA research. The other interns and I presented to family, friends, mentors, and employees of the American Center for Physics. It was definitely the largest audience I had ever spoken in front of. 
Giving one of the technical talks I was tasked to make “simulating infrared transmission through porous dielectric foam” accessible to a general audience. My presentation turned out great! I was really happy with the work I completed this summer.
Living in DC and talking with the policy interns I renewed my interest in discussing policy. Over the summer I also learned how important it is to have scientists working in policy. On Capitol Hill I got to see the significant impact a single scientist can have in the political process! Because of these and other summer experiences I am planning to attend law school. I will apply next year in hopes of attending after working for a couple years.
I am back in Portland now learning the joys of job searching. I have already applied to jobs in the hope of gaining some experience working in policy and legal fields. I have begun volunteering for a political campaign. I am looking forward to what the next few years have in store, in part, due to the experiences of this summer! Best of luck to all future SPS interns!
Max Torke