Hi everyone!
This past summer has been the first summer that I spent on campus at Wellesley doing research. Last year I did my summer internship in Bulgaria, so this was definitely a different experience. Physics, however, is one of those subjects where it’s essential to get as much experience with research as possible in college—not only to help you build up your resume and confidence as a scientist, but perhaps more importantly to help you figure out what fields and aspects of the subject you’re interested in. For me, that second part has definitely been on my mind lately with senior year coming up and the decisions that it brings along. I still don’t know if I want to go to grad school or do something else, so exploring different paths has definitely been a priority for me.
Working hard on some simulations over the summer
I was very fortunate to work with Dr. Samantha Lewis over the summer. I worked in her lab alongside five other students on different aspects of the same big project. The big goal of the project was looking at ways to optimize certain structures called PBG resonant cavities and learn about their different properties and applications. Those structures basically trap certain configurations of light inside them, which are used to enhance small signals (interactions of very light particles) inside them. We were mainly interested in that property as a way of looking for a proposed particle called the axion. I worked in a team with one of the other students, and we were specifically interested in looking at the limitations of the PBG part of those structures. We got some very interesting results that we got to present at the big poster session event at the end of the program. All students doing research on campus got to participate in the poster session, so it was a really interesting and social experience
Dr. Lewis and the team
In a less academic aspect, experiencing a Boston summer has definitely been an experience for me. The weather was a real struggle for me, mostly because of the high levels of humidity. The temperatures were also really high, which was a struggle since our on-campus rooms don’t have ACs. On the positive side though Boston is a really fun city over the summer. My friends and I went to all sorts of markets, concerts, and tourist attractions that I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience had I not stayed there for the summer, including Boston Pride and the Fourth of July Celebrations.
Jellyfish at the Boston Aquarium
WNDR Museum Boston
A crafts market
I also got the chance to work during the Reunion Weekend on campus. Every five years Wellesley classes get to come back on campus and have fun with their college friends. The school always hires some current Wellesley students like me to help out during that weekend. I was attached to help out the red class of 1984. The weekend was really chaotic, but it is also one of my favorite Wellesley memories. Everyone was so happy to be there, and you could feel the positive energy throughout campus.
A photo from the parade at the end of the Reunion weekend
That’s it from me for this week! Stay safe!