Hi!
Firstly, if you’re an acquaintance of mine, yes, I am in fact alive. I know I haven’t responded to your texts, emails, voicemails, letters, flare signals, etc. for three and a half weeks, but in my defense I’ve been a little busy trying not to get eaten by the OD monster. That and acquiring an entirely new vocabulary. I really didn’t mean to leave you on read (on god bro, trust). Onto the main attraction.
This is not your traditional blog post in that I have no intention of summarizing a certain day’s events. Instead, I’d like to offer a glimpse as to what the past three and half weeks have been. Now, they tell you SSP is “the educational experience of a lifetime” … since 1959. I would argue it’s more like the 38 experiences of a lifetime. (I include the “since 1959” as a reminder to myself that no matter how infuriating my python bugs are I have it infinitely better than the inaugural participants who took photos of their asteroid on film.) Not only have I learned something awe-inducing in lecture every day, I’ve grown as a problem-solver with every QOD, as a collaborator with every problem set, and as a person with every cheer, groan, and game of fish. I go to bed every night knowing I learned something new and tried my best; there’s really nothing more I could ask for.
When I told people about my summer plans prior to SSP I received many responses along the lines of “wow, that sounds horrendous but I guess it’s cool if you like science.” I would like to publicly reply: yes. It IS cool. I don’t know about you, but I think looking at a few pictures of the sky and being able to figure out where a floating chunk of rock (space potato) will be at any point in the future is pretty dang cool. Other things that are cool: understanding how the camera inside your phone actually works, learning about galaxy formation, the role of dark matter, and the gasses around said galaxy, star guts (AKA the interior of stars), and the dozen other things we’ve done. That’s not to say SSP isn’t hard. It is. But it is so exhilarating and rewarding to be engaged and challenged.
Beyond our beloved Bio Annex (yes, that’s the building we spend 12 hours a day in, the irony is not lost on me), we’ve had some thrilling adventures. No mirror selfie will ever beat the one we took in front of a 35-meter telescope at Apache Point. If it weren’t for SSP you would have never seen me (who, by the way, is terrified of heights) jump off the high dive. And I could’ve never imagined I’d go sledding on a mound of sand.
So, I’d like to thank my amazing faculty, TAs, and classmates for all the memories I’ve made so far. I can’t wait to see what new ones I’ll make in the next 2 weeks.
Oh, and to those who celebrate: Happy YP day! Wishing you 17 fascinating math problems in the near future.
I’m Steinunn, a rising senior from Pasadena, CA! When I’m not doing math or astronomy you can find me on stage – in the school musical or singing classically – or in court as a Closing Attorney in Mock Trial.
