Friday, June 9, 2017
By:
Eager to get down to business and prove myself worthy of the position, I began the week with more ideas than I could coordinate all at once, getting help from my mentors in SPS and my fellow intern Jacob Robertson to come up with an organized plan. The rush of Atronomy on the Mall is still fresh in my mind, greeting hordes of interested star-seekers and bewitching them with little more than marbles and pamphlets. By far the most rewarding part of my position is being able to share what I'm so passionate about to such a diverse audience. Whimsical science is the sort of thing that never ceases to be interesting. There's always a new discovery to admire, a new idea to debate, or a new lead to persue. Part of the beauty, I think, is that science is an ever-changing truth. Jupiter likely didn't gain dozens of new moons in the last few decades, but we've certainly been able to see more of them as our methods improve, and the fact that the number of known bodies circling around our solar system's most titanic entity keeps going up is a fact that can astound anybody.
With a plethora of new goals for my main objective, I set out to hone my methods as best I can, cross-checking with my fellow SOCK intern for ideas and critiques. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far, but I'm even more excited to continue on with the work and develop something that SPS can truly be proud of. I've stood in front of crowds of children and adults alike, held their attention with big words and spectacular demo pieces, and happily over-extended my time in the spotlight, often times much to the chagrin of event planners. Now, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to pack a thirty minute lecture into a minute long video. Not a trivial task, but certainly achievable, and one I plan to meet head-on.
Thank you to the Lamar University Physics Department, and especially Dr. Cristian Bahrim, for allowing me to work within the field I'm passionate about and encouraging me to make the most of every opportunity.
Zakary Noel