My most recent week here at Lowell has been more relaxed. Nick was gone and I spent a lot of my time organizing data and inputting results into the system. It has been a valuable experience for me to try coding with Python. I am taking lightcurve data about the magnitudes of asteroids and reformatting it into plain text files that use the standard Asteroid Lightcurve Data Exchange Format (ALCDEF). This includes information such as the object’s designation, time and date it was observed, the filters used, the object’s magnitude, etc, and the raw data. This helps other researchers utilize our information for their own purposes and expand the knowledge of asteroids and their characteristics.All of the other students who have been doing summer internships here at Lowell are wrapping up their projects. Many of them are writing or co-authoring papers and preparing presentations on the cumulation of their research. Next Tuesday they are presenting them for each other and the Lowell scientists and I am looking forward to hearing more about what others were working on and all of the projects that have been going on here. I have been enjoying my now weekly routine of dancing on Wednesday and Saturday nights at the square and Galaxy Diner. I have officially learned to dance eastern swing, collegiate shag, lindy hop, salsa, and merengue! It has been a great way to unwind and have fun with some of the other interns.
On Saturday, my aunt’s department at the hospital was hosting their 39th annual fundraiser in the form of a race. They had 2k, 5k, and 10k races, and it was fun to see the variety of people that participated! I ran the 5k (my first ever) and had a fantastic time, actually coming in first place overall for the women’s 5k. Afterwards I went to Wonder Woman with my cousin and enjoyed having the day off. Sunday was spent preparing for the upcoming week, as well as going to the Navajo fair and having dinner with my grandparents. I have really appreciated how much time I have been able to spend with them. Next week I am looking forward to wrapping up the new website for MANOS and hopefully visiting the Discovery Channel Telescope!
So proud of you Syd! Love hearing about the mix of your internship, dancing, running and spending time with family! Looking forward to hearing about your Discovery Channel Telescope visit! -Julie Evans (Mom)