Matz Heads to NASA!

As you all can tell, my second week here at the NASA Ames Research Center is now complete! It was kind of a weird week in terms of structured work time, but overall I really feel as if I've made some headway this week! On Monday, our group of Smith interns gave a big presentation to our supervisor, Dr. Cagle. This presentation was the culmination of a project we've been working on for the past two weeks. Dr. Cagle wanted us, as a group, to design our own version of the product that she's been working on. Before Monday we had never actually seen the product as Dr. Cagle has engineered it. The point of designing our own prototype was to familiarize ourselves with the literature, and to get our creative juices flowing. Dr. Cagle ended up loving all of our ideas! But when she unveiled the product as she created it, we realized that our prototype looked nothing like the actual product. Dr. Cagle was totally okay with this, though. She loved how creative and in-depth we had g...

My first week at NASA is complete! It has been a whirlwind, and there has been a serious learning curve and adjustment to living on my own. Luckily I have made friends with some really cool people, both from Smith and other colleges around the country. Some of the other interns staying at the Lodge with us are from Iowa State, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Idaho State, and many more! Also shout-out to my fantastic roommate, who has been very supportive, kind, accepting, and is great cook! All throughout the week, I continued working on the product & project that my intern group has been working on since my start here. We wrap up this part of the project tomorrow (Monday), and after that we'll move on to different assignments and tasks. I am excited to see what is in store. A few interns in our group went to a really cool seminar this past Thursday. There were two lectures; the first was entitled "Life Support Systems – Air Revitalization at Ames," and it was abo...

Today was my first day of work at the NASA Ames Research Center! Yesterday, my roommate and I got settled into our room at the NASA Lodge. There is on base housing available for interns, which is super convenient and fun; there are tons of opportunities to meet other interns from around the country and the world! Our research group had several meetings today with our different supervisors and mentors: At noon, our research group met with Vahimir, a project coordinator for the product that we will all be working on (which I can't describe here because it's confidential). He talked to us about marketing and web design associated with the product, and how we can increase awareness of the product in the public sphere. Vahimir was very knowledgeable in terms of our project because he has been working with Dr. Cagle for a little over a year. After we got off of the video call with Vahimir, Dr. Cagle made her first appearance. Some of the interns who have already been here for...

Update: Today is the big day! Today will be my last day in East Hampton until August. My dad and I will be leaving this afternoon, as we will be staying in a hotel overnight. My flight is at 7:30 AM tomorrow, so we do not want to have to leave East Hampton at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning! I have never been so excited, or so tired from all the preparations 😴.  Wish me a safe flight tomorrow!

Hello everyone! If you are reading this, you are most likely a friend, family member, or contributor that has made the adventure on which I am about to embark possible. If you have somehow stumbled upon this blog, welcome! Let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Matz, but I usually go by Matz. I am a rising senior (!!!) at Smith College in Northampton, MA. My majors are Engineering and Music, and I have devoted every waking moment of my time at Smith studying these two subjects. I wouldn't have it any other way! When I'm not in the Engineering or Music buildings on campus, you can find me playing with the Smith College Wind Ensemble (I play the flute and the piccolo), or hanging with my theatre troupe, the Leading Ladies of Smith College. Back in February of this year, I received an email at around 11:30 PM on a random Tuesday. Much to my surprise, I was being offered an internship at the NASA Ames Research Park for the Summer 2017. I could not believe the news, and from ...