A Full Week Part 2
The week of July 24th was equally exciting as the previous week. We started off the week by meeting with Dr. Cagle at 9:30 AM on Monday. She made sure we were all up to speed, and then my roommate Alexandra gave her final presentation since she was leaving the following day.
Unfortunately, Alexandra's departure meant that I also had to leave our room on the 25th; if I wanted to stay in the room by myself, I would have had to pay double the amount of money that I had been paying for rent. This wasn't feasible for me financially, so I decided to find a new roommate. The search was successful, as I found another Smithie named Sunnie to room with. However, her original roommate was not leaving until the 30th. So, I was without a room for 5 days during this week. That in itself was an adventure.
I checked out of the room on Tuesday morning. That day, the design team was heading to San Francisco State University to use an Instron machine. Dr. Cagle wanted us to determine the material properties of some fabric. She drove us up to SFSU at 7:00 AM, and we met with the lab tech, Michael, to run our experiments that morning. We finished by noon, so we headed to a nearby McDonald's for lunch. Then, we took the 28 bus down to Irving St. to explore the area.
There were a lot of cute little shops on Irving St. Our friend and teammate Bisma got lunch from an Indian restaurant, and it looked really good. We also went to a Thai rolled ice cream place, and that was delicious. Then we took the N train all the way down to the ocean side of San Francisco, to Ocean Beach.
I had never seen the Pacific Ocean before Tuesday the 25th. It was quite a surreal experience to go there for the first time. I was even able to stick my feet in, and it was much colder than the Atlantic is at this time of year. Here is a photo I took down at Ocean Beach:
Dr. Cagle drove us back to NASA Ames that afternoon. That night, I stayed in the Navy Lodge with one of Cmdr. Svec's interns. Cmdr. Svec is one of the military personnel stationed at NASA Ames, and she is friends with Erika, the Smith alum who organized this internship program for us.
On Wednesday the 26th we met with Elle at Singularity to keep prototyping. Singularity University actually moved into a new building just outside of the NASA Ames gate, so we were able to look around the new building. The new lab is much bigger than the old one, and there is plenty of space for us to work. The design team has spent a lot of time just hanging out and doing work in the new SU space since it opened.
I stayed at the Navy Lodge again on Wednesday night. I cooked for the girl I was staying with both nights that I was there, since she was doing me a huge favor. She seemed to like my cooking, and we got along well. I am so grateful that I was able to stay with her.
On Thursday the 27th I went to a talk entitled "Exploring the Tsunami-Battered Coasts of Mars." The speaker discussed the Mars ocean hypothesis, and stated that some of the deposit patterns on Mars' surface could be due to deposition from ancient tsunamis. It was a really interesting talk, and I think the evidence found in the deposits only strengthens the validity of the Mars ocean hypothesis.
That night, I stayed with two Smithies who are also working here at NASA Ames this summer. They are super nice and we've actually become pretty good friends. I hope that we can hang out and keep talking during the school year.
On Friday the 28th I met with Erika over Skype to talk about some Materials Science stuff. I am so grateful that Erika has been giving me guidance in a field that I am so passionate about. It has been so enriching to work with her.
That afternoon I headed back to San Francisco to stay with Maddy and Freddie for the weekend. Not only did I want to see them and hang out, but they also have beds in their houses that I could sleep in, considering that I didn't really have a bed of my own during this period.
I stayed with Maddy on Friday night, and we started watching the show Stranger Things on Netflix. Neither of us had seen it despite its popularity, and it was awesome. We also went to the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen for dinner, where I got a Mac & cheese grilled cheese. It was delicious.
On Saturday I stayed with Freddie. I went over to her house that afternoon, and we hung out for most of the day and talked. Her mom Sarah was there, and we chatted with her a bit too. That night, Freddie's grandma took us all out to dinner at this Hibachi grill place called Benihana. I had never been to one of those places before, and it was so cool how the chef made all the food right in front of you. It was both delicious and really fun.
I came back to the NASA Lodge on Sunday, and I was able to check into my new room with Sunnie. It felt so nice to finally have my own room again. I slept well that night in my own bed.
Since then, I have continued my work prototyping, and I went on a tour today. More about that in my upcoming blog post about this week! Tune in soon.
Unfortunately, Alexandra's departure meant that I also had to leave our room on the 25th; if I wanted to stay in the room by myself, I would have had to pay double the amount of money that I had been paying for rent. This wasn't feasible for me financially, so I decided to find a new roommate. The search was successful, as I found another Smithie named Sunnie to room with. However, her original roommate was not leaving until the 30th. So, I was without a room for 5 days during this week. That in itself was an adventure.
I checked out of the room on Tuesday morning. That day, the design team was heading to San Francisco State University to use an Instron machine. Dr. Cagle wanted us to determine the material properties of some fabric. She drove us up to SFSU at 7:00 AM, and we met with the lab tech, Michael, to run our experiments that morning. We finished by noon, so we headed to a nearby McDonald's for lunch. Then, we took the 28 bus down to Irving St. to explore the area.
There were a lot of cute little shops on Irving St. Our friend and teammate Bisma got lunch from an Indian restaurant, and it looked really good. We also went to a Thai rolled ice cream place, and that was delicious. Then we took the N train all the way down to the ocean side of San Francisco, to Ocean Beach.
I had never seen the Pacific Ocean before Tuesday the 25th. It was quite a surreal experience to go there for the first time. I was even able to stick my feet in, and it was much colder than the Atlantic is at this time of year. Here is a photo I took down at Ocean Beach:
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| Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach, San Francisco |
Dr. Cagle drove us back to NASA Ames that afternoon. That night, I stayed in the Navy Lodge with one of Cmdr. Svec's interns. Cmdr. Svec is one of the military personnel stationed at NASA Ames, and she is friends with Erika, the Smith alum who organized this internship program for us.
On Wednesday the 26th we met with Elle at Singularity to keep prototyping. Singularity University actually moved into a new building just outside of the NASA Ames gate, so we were able to look around the new building. The new lab is much bigger than the old one, and there is plenty of space for us to work. The design team has spent a lot of time just hanging out and doing work in the new SU space since it opened.
I stayed at the Navy Lodge again on Wednesday night. I cooked for the girl I was staying with both nights that I was there, since she was doing me a huge favor. She seemed to like my cooking, and we got along well. I am so grateful that I was able to stay with her.
On Thursday the 27th I went to a talk entitled "Exploring the Tsunami-Battered Coasts of Mars." The speaker discussed the Mars ocean hypothesis, and stated that some of the deposit patterns on Mars' surface could be due to deposition from ancient tsunamis. It was a really interesting talk, and I think the evidence found in the deposits only strengthens the validity of the Mars ocean hypothesis.
That night, I stayed with two Smithies who are also working here at NASA Ames this summer. They are super nice and we've actually become pretty good friends. I hope that we can hang out and keep talking during the school year.
On Friday the 28th I met with Erika over Skype to talk about some Materials Science stuff. I am so grateful that Erika has been giving me guidance in a field that I am so passionate about. It has been so enriching to work with her.
That afternoon I headed back to San Francisco to stay with Maddy and Freddie for the weekend. Not only did I want to see them and hang out, but they also have beds in their houses that I could sleep in, considering that I didn't really have a bed of my own during this period.
I stayed with Maddy on Friday night, and we started watching the show Stranger Things on Netflix. Neither of us had seen it despite its popularity, and it was awesome. We also went to the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen for dinner, where I got a Mac & cheese grilled cheese. It was delicious.
On Saturday I stayed with Freddie. I went over to her house that afternoon, and we hung out for most of the day and talked. Her mom Sarah was there, and we chatted with her a bit too. That night, Freddie's grandma took us all out to dinner at this Hibachi grill place called Benihana. I had never been to one of those places before, and it was so cool how the chef made all the food right in front of you. It was both delicious and really fun.
I came back to the NASA Lodge on Sunday, and I was able to check into my new room with Sunnie. It felt so nice to finally have my own room again. I slept well that night in my own bed.
Since then, I have continued my work prototyping, and I went on a tour today. More about that in my upcoming blog post about this week! Tune in soon.
Well, you have been busy, sorry your roomie had to leave because of illness, but you got to know a whole bunch of new people but I'm glad you found a "home" for the rest of your time there. Can't believe your internship is almost over. Your sightseeing adventures are great, love the pics of the Pacific ocean. Enjoy the rest of your time at Nasa.
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