By: Andrew Xue
7:12am: My phone alarm clock goes off with a loudening ring that seems to also awaken my roommate. I jump out of bed to turn it off, then immediately get back in. The last few nights of collaborative 1AM problem set sessions had taken its toll.
8:47am: I finally leave my dorm. Admittedly, this is later than I normally get out, and quite close to the 9AM lecture time that Ms. Quick told us to get to by 8:55. But a new day has started, and that’s all that matters.
9:00am: The first lecture of the day begins, and it’s a continuation of our introduction to Python classes. We go over for loops and while loops before exploring a bit of NumPy and Matplotlib while I strain my neck trying to see over the person in front of me swiveling back and forth in his chair. Professor AB has a pretty hands-on, experimental approach to teaching, which always helps make learning programming more interesting.
12:00pm: We break for lunch.
1:00pm: Our second lecture of the day, this time on matrices, begins. We review the basics of systems of linear equations before going over determinants and solving 2D and 3D rotation with matrices. Mr. R is a very easygoing, fun loving guy, and that helps make the tiring (due to our overall lack of sleep) afternoon sessions more relaxing.
4:30pm: Emergency toilet roll restock. Some participants play card games in an act of desperation and camaraderie.
5:30pm: Dinner starts, and we have new groups. Today’s an interesting mix, with spaghetti, turkey, and asparagus, and my new tablemates chat up on the latest daily problem solution (after the submission time).
7:00pm: We all get back to the classroom, expecting another problem set work session that lasts until we eventually close at 1am. And that’s the conclusion of yet another day at NMSU Astro II. The workload at SSP is a lot to manage, with the constant assignments meaning we need to constantly work ahead, but it’s this challenge that is ultimately rewarding and will prepare us well for college life. So far, teams have been submitting remote LCO reports for their asteroids images, but we’re all looking forward to when we can work with our local TMO telescope to directly track asteroids in a couple days.
