Today marked our first Sunday at SSP since arrival day, and it was a welcome change of pace. I finally caught up on some much-needed sleep, logging over 8 hours for the first time since the program began. Although Sundays are typically unscheduled at SSP, today still proved to be quite busy. After sleeping in, I started my day with lunch at the dining hall. The food at CUB is impressive – I’ve been trying something new daily and really appreciate the variety and buffet-style setup. Despite skipping breakfast most days, I can’t help but feel I’m gaining weight as the program progresses.
Post-lunch, we took a field trip to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The facility was fascinating, and we even attempted to explore some nearby hiking trails. Our group tried to find a rumored cave, but unfortunately, we had to turn back before discovering it due to time constraints.
Later, we went on our first Target run. I stocked up on breakfast alternatives to fuel my morning walks to class. David F and I had hoped to buy ping pong rackets, but when Target didn’t have any, we improvised by using calculators and phones instead.
Back in the classroom, I did some problem sets. The coding assignments were particularly challenging, but after some frustration, I managed to work through them successfully. Sam and David came in clutch helping me find a shortcut to matrix multiplication on python. The day concluded with my first actual observation session. Despite initial clouds threatening to obscure our view, we eventually spotted our asteroid (1994 AE2). While I might have sounded unenthusiastic in the video I took, I assure you, it was hypeeee.
Today was a full day at SSP, mixing academic work with new experiences. It’s clear that even our “free” days at SSP are far from uneventful.
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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.
