It’s remarkable how quickly we’ve settled into our daily routine here, just days after arriving! Every day has been jam packed, and today was no different. We kicked off with an engaging mathematics lecture by Dr. Andersen, where we derived the cross product formula using vectors. The highlight was his creative use of a tetrahedron made of pipe-cleaners to illustrate shadow angles. Following that, Dr. Rengstorf taught us how to calculate Julian dates and touched on spherical trigonometry equations. We also had our first problem set of the summer due today!
Later in the evening, we gathered in the game room for a casual ping-pong tournament, a much-needed break from the intensity of our psets.
The day concluded with us admiring the breathtaking sunset from outside our dorms.
Despite the packed schedule, there’s still so much left to discover here. I’m so excited for our upcoming field trips, movie nights, and the chance to observe celestial wonders through the renowned Tortugas Mountain Observatory telescope. My experience at SSP has been nothing short of amazing thus far, and I’m confident this summer will be unforgettable.
By Avantika M
