Sunday, June 19, 2022
By:
Third week in DC and I've completed my full transformation into a Nats fan.
I went to my third Nats game in two weeks in a row and although we lost this timw against the Phillies, I was more than happy to get my Nats hat and the employee shirt that was awarded to the first 20000 fans who showed up at the stadium on Friday's game. Needless to say every single person got a shirt that day as the stadium was not even quarter full. The Nats loss was the second blow this week after the Celtics lost the NBA finals against the Worriors after a tough game. Honestly many Celtics fans were just happy to have qualified but it would've been nice to win the finals against one of the best teams.
Another first this week! I finished my first draft for my first update at PT, which was about microcomb-driven silicon photonic systems. I started out writing this piece on a recent research paper with many aspects of photonics unbekownest to me, did a lot of research, possibly more than necessary, to comprehend the details and the importance of this newly dicovered approach, and produced my first draft. Christine and Andrew reviewed the first draft and they were quick to give me their suggestions. Prior to my starting at Physics Today I've been explained that the review process would be long with many version of the draft being re-written and the final piece being sent to the researchers for final suggestions, but I've forgotten how tough it is to receive the first review after riding the highs of the accomplishment of getting the first draft out of the way. Needless to say they've reminded me. I've been doing some more research to incorporate more basic information about microcomb working principles. I was also assigned two different projects by Ryan and Toni this week. I am excited to learn more about the Physics Olympiad and write about the recent host country switch from Belarus to Switzerland following Belarus's involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. It is encouraging to see the physics community doing their part in standing against the wrongful invasion of the foreign lands of a country. I have also started reading a book on defense and security technologies and ethics to produce a book capsule about it .
Other than work, we had the time to attend an orchestra concert at UMD with all the interns and Brad, Mikayla, Jack, and Kayla. The pieces were all American and beautifully played by the yound musicians who came together for the summer. Our metro rides from ACP back to DC gives us, fellow interns, enough time to dive from one subject to another such as the interesting eating habits from Phillipines, the nuances of the Nepali language, and the beauty of the Georgetown waterfront. Aside from this SPS activities we attend together, I have been enjoying the clean up lunches that bring all American Center for Physics employees together during lunch breaks. I have met many staff whom I wouldn't have the chance thanks to clean up lunches.
I am considering getting a City Bike membership as I have been getting more and more used to riding a bike around the city.
Last update of the day, I was lucky to have dinner at Le Diplomate, a famous dining spot in DC previously visited by President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Pete Buttigieg, yesterday. I tried Escargot (the snails) for the first time and I don't care what you think, they were DELICIOUS!
More on next week's update!
See you soon.
Gizem Dogan