Sunday, July 24, 2022
By:
This week at work we switched gears on our reservoir computing (RC) project. We decided to focus on a hybrid RC format and are trying to implement it for the Van der Pol and Lorenz equations. The hybrid format involves adding a more direct calculation to the machine learning algorithm by providing it with Euler method approximations of the equations as it iterates through time. The goal is to increase the prediction accuracy of the RC while avoiding using diminutive step sizes as would be necessary using a pure Euler method model.
I’ve also begun working on my final presentation for my project this summer. I’ll have to present in just a couple of weeks, so I need to figure out exactly what will be included in my presentation and practice explaining it.
Outside of work, this week was extremely eventful. On Monday, the interns got together for a potluck-style taco night. On Wednesday, I went with Lucy and Emma to the French embassy to watch a theater production. The play was in French, but luckily they had English subtitles so I could follow along. The facility is beautiful so I would definitely recommend checking it out.
On Thursday, the NIST interns treated us to a tour of their workplace. We met many research scientists and got to hear all about their fascinating work. The highlight for me was visiting their anechoic chamber, a room designed to be so quiet that it can reach zero decibels. I had never seen anything like that outside of videos, so I was thrilled to check it out.
On Friday, Brad Conrad came down to GW to give the interns a talk about potential career paths in physics, and we found it very helpful. Afterwards, we went to Quigley’s for happy hour with Brad and a few GW employees.
On Saturday, some of the interns travelled to Sandy Point State Park in Maryland to visit the beach. The location is gorgeous, and the beach is lovely, so I would definitely recommend a trip that way if you’re in the area. I’m from Virginia Beach, so I don’t give my approval out lightly.
Until next week!
Benjamin Johnson