It feels like just yesterday I chose a random day to write my blog. That day, of course, wasn’t yesterday—it was June 16, the very first day of SSP. As I sit here in the computer lab on July 21st, it’s hard to believe we’ve already spent five weeks at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
During these past five weeks, I’ve learned how to survive on 4-5 hours of sleep, determine the future position, velocity, and orbital elements of an asteroid, operate a 20” telescope, and so much more. Before SSP, I didn’t think it was humanly possible to learn all of vector math in a single 3-hour lecture or the basis of quantum mechanics in another. Yet here I am, looking at my notes (which, I might add, have already filled an entire notebook).
One of my favorite things about this program is the sheer amount of information we learn every single day. From error propagation to linear algebra to stellar evolution, it’s truly wonderful to discover something new. Although… there were a few times when I, along with many others, couldn’t help but fall asleep.
SSP is hard. With six-hour lectures almost every day, grueling coding assignments, rigorous problem sets, and late-night observations, it’s a real challenge. But it’s precisely this difficulty that makes SSP so much fun!
Stay with me now.
Despite this seemingly impossible schedule, it’s still possible to have fun. Late-night debrief sessions, frequent hikes, boba runs, karaoke, and movie nights are just a few examples. Even while solving complicated integrals and coding over a hundred lines of code, we somehow manage to enjoy ourselves. For instance, when our OD code wasn’t working, Morgyn and a couple of friends and I decided to walk around the campus speaking in British accents. Somehow, this helped us articulate our errors more logically. Or another time, after coding for hours, we spent nearly an hour outside talking with our TA, Emily, about brain rot, MIT, and other things not worth mentioning (if you know, you know).
And even when running on 5 hours of sleep and two sips of coffee (I don’t like coffee) I always look forward to observing our little asteroid during the late shift— 1990 UR1 (who isn’t so little—comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay). After snapping a few images, we can see our little future Mars annihilator wiggle on the screen. For context, our asteroid is a Mars crosser and we hope it’ll crash into Mars in a few million years.
Sometimes, we get the chance to capture some truly stunning images. For many people, the mesmerizing photos from the JWST fuel our passion for astronomy. Just a few nights ago, my team and I were able to observe the moon in all her glory. The intricate details of the craters and the brightness of the surface were not only striking but also profoundly beautiful.
By far, the absolute best thing about SSP is the people. Everyone here is brilliant, down-to-earth, and simply incredible. There isn’t a single person who I don’t admire. Tomorrow is our last full day at SSP, and I can’t even put into words how much joy and love I feel for this place. SSP has become more than just a program; it’s become our home. It’s funny how, five weeks ago, we were strangers, and now it feels like we’ve known each other forever. We share the little things, like who will be the first to doze off in class (not me), who insists the Earth is a cone (check out Kaci’s blog), and who’s heading for ice cream after lunch (everyone). Perhaps, in the end, there was more to SSP than just astrophysics.
About me: Hi! My name is Aya Elamrani-Zerifi and I am a rising junior at Hereford High School in Parkton, Maryland. I’m really into astrophysics, aerospace engineering, and aviation! In my free time, I enjoy reading, camping/hiking, playing badminton, and learning new languages!
Back to the blog’s home page
SSP International is a nonprofit offering inspiring science immersion experiences. Founded in 1959, its mission is to provide opportunities to accelerate learning, doing and belonging in science. SSP International’s flagship program is Summer Science Program, a leading education experience for exceptional high school students in astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics and more.