by Navit G.
To kickstart today’s blog, I’d like to say that the blog should be grateful I’m spending valuable lab hours on it (a day before the main Orbital Determination code is due). On the other hand though, I’m thankful for the change of pace offered by typing in English rather than Python and not getting an error after every line I type.
Each day at SSP furthers my belief that SSP has the rare quality of always being one of the extremes. It feels the need to always be a solstice and never an equinox (science references because well it’s an SSP blog) and not unlike a pendulum, it manages to perfectly oscillate between either of the extremes. From having 4 psets due on one day to times of relaxation on Sundays, that gave us a false sense of security before the next psets dropped. From singing the Spongebob theme at the top of our lungs to sitting quietly at midnight trying to crank out the last problem of the pset which just didn’t want to be solved. From waking up at 8:30am for lectures on weekdays (AND SATURDAY) to sleeping in till 3:30pm on Sundays because well….SSP.
Today’s lectures were no different. Starting off with our last lecture with Professor Virani and ending with special lectures by our very own Teaching Assistants, who over the course of one and a half hours bounced us from juggling to Super Smash Bros to dark matter to urban planning, leaving us more confused than the OD code troubleshooting process (PS. It’s always the unit conversions). Today also marked one of the most far-reaching achievements in the field of science – the grand reveal of the first image by the James Webb Space Telescope. At dinner (which is ordinarily a no phone zone), hearing the clash of sounds from the live broadcast commencing on everyone’s phones truly showcased each individual’s passion for science and made me feel grateful to be part of such an incredible group.
As I trudge towards the end of the program, I can’t help but feel homesick, but at the same time I can’t help but dread the day I’m not going to be able to complain about how sleepy I am, the day I’m not going to hear Professor Virani tell us astronomy is “not hard”, or the day we’re not going to have one of Joel’s sinister QOD announcements. What gives me peace of mind as I write this blog is knowing that on the last day I’m going to leave the program having learnt so much, having made so many new friends, and all the more memories.
About Me:
Hi! My name is Navit Gupta, and I’m a rising senior at Delhi Public School Pune . At SSP you can find me participating in some “heAvY cOllAbOrAtIoN” to put together the OD Code. In my free time I’m usually making terrible sleep decisions that further push me into the rut of sleep deprivation that is an oh so important part of SSP tradition.
