Post 33: Blogging from my phone...

So I was about to turn on my computer to post a blog but instead I stopped and thought "I wonder if there is a blogging app." Well obviously there was. Rachel and I have been playing with our phones for the better part of the morning.

So today is December 31, and for anyone who uses the English calendar, it is also New Year's Eve. Last day of 2011. I have made a few resolutions.

1) Get rid of micro cavities by flossing more, and using flouride mouth wash after every meal.

2) Starting tomorrow I will do as many push ups as the calendar day. ie January 1st = 1 push up. & December 31st = 31 push ups.

3) Nap less. Study more. Naps should be once a day for at most a half hour.

4) Do more crosswords. I have an app on my phone of crosswords and I'd like to get to a point where I'm doing one a day.

5) Be an informed voter in the up coming presidential elections. Watch more news, read more news, talk about more news.

6) Smile more.

Post 32: Color and Design Final Project

Post 31: Those neutrinos deserve a speeding ticket.

For those of you who don’t know, or may not have cared to know, the speed of light is known as a constant in physics, and also as the universal speed limit. This speed limit was put in place thanks to Albert Einstein’s 1905 theory of relativity. Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, or so we thought.

Two months ago the physics community was baffled by an experiment preformed by the Opera Collaboration at Gran Sasso, one of a number of facilities that make up CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. After launching long beam pulses of high-intensity, high-energy muon neutrinos, the researchers detected startling results. The resulting proton neutrinos were traveling at a speed faster than the speed of light.

            Thanks to research done by the one and only Einstein, the scientific community is reluctant to accept that the speed of light is not a constant, let alone be surpassed by a neutrino. A neutrino is an electrically neutral elementary subatomic particle with a small mass that usually travels at speeds close to that of light.

            The Opera Collaboration was forced to re-conduct their experiment show that the results were nit the result of a statistical fluke. A couple of instrumental changes were made to the experiment including the use of short beam pulses, and increased the separation interval. Upon re-conducting the experiment earlier this month, the team gained the same results.

            A researcher in the physics department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Michael Witherell commends the researchers of Opera for addressing the beam length concern that many scientists had after the first experiment. Unfortunately, Witherell is still uncertain about accepting the results. “At this point, the only thing that will really change our understanding is to have one or more experiments agree or disagree with Opera’s measurements.”

            This is by no means the end of the story. A number of other possible errors need to be accounted for. This most recent run of the experiment only riles out one potential source of a systematic error. The results of the experiment must also be reproducible.

            Two more teams from Gran Sasso are working on experiments, Borexino and Icarus, to crosscheck Opera’s results, independently. Specifically, Borexino is focusing on solar neutrino physics and Icarus is looking at the usage of liquid argon detectors to study neutrinos. The issue with these two experiments is that they lack the equipment to conduct timing measurements accurately enough.

            There are two other groups not located at the Gran Sasso lab that will seek to duplicate the results. Japan has their T2K experiment and the Unites States has the Minos experiment. Minos is the best candidate to move forward with the research because the measurements are said to be a factor of five or so better than what Opera’s doing now.

            Decades of knowledge may be unraveling before our eyes. Many physicists are hesitant to accept the result, and allow their universe to be overturned. 

Post 30: Stop Motion Art Project [Work in Progress]

First try at stop motion, point and shoot photos edited in iMovie. (10/31/11)

Start of next project. Goal: Rocket flies to "alien" planet, where astronaut comes out and explores and then returns to earth. 

Post 29: Science Saturday Article

The first article I wrote for the school newspaper. Published on September 30th.

Science Saturday

Lycoming College’s annual Science Saturday was held last week.

Science Saturday started as a way for the college to showcase the new chemistry and biology building, Heim, and has since been a way for prospective students interested in the sciences to see what Lycoming College has to offer.

Faculty and students from the astronomy and physics, biology, and chemistry departments welcomed high school students and their parents into their labs.

Prospective students had an opportunity to not only see the lab settings each department offers but to meet faculty and students from possible majors. The students have the opportunity to choose from a number of sessions to get a more personalized view of the department that piques their interest. Sessions include meetings with the professors of each science department, and a session devoted to current student that have participated in out of classroom experiences such as internships, research experiences, or even volunteer work.

During the past 15 years it has been Dr. Michelle Briggs, biology, and Dr. Holly Bendorf, chemistry, who have coordinated the session for the out of the classroom experiences. The Saturday session showed prospective students and their parents that “there are great opportunities here,” Dr. Briggs said. The panel of six to nine students from across the science majors also demonstrates to the visiting students what they can accomplish in a few short years at Lycoming College.

Dr. Edward Gabriel, biology, said Science Saturday is a good opportunity for students thinking about attending Lycoming College for school “to see if it feels good.”

With so much information offered in such a small amount of time, Gabriel referred to Science Saturday as a way for students to get “ideas fast.” With all the laboratories and buildings open for the day it really is a good chance for students to check out the campus.

Dr. Christopher Kulp, physics, summed up the event: “Science Saturday is an excellent opportunity for prospective students and parents to learn about our programs in the Department of Astronomy and Physics. The prospective families also get to hear about the various opportunities that are available to our students in both the classroom and the research laboratory. Our goal as the faculty and students of the Department of Astronomy and Physics is to provide an entertaining and informative even for Science Saturday.”

The same is true for the biology and chemistry departments as well.

For a number of current students within each major Science Saturday is the reason they chose Lycoming College over other possible institutions. Dave Kenward, sophomore physics major, said it was the first of his many visits to Lycoming College. The power of an open house where the faculty and the students are at the full disposal of someone making a decision that will resonate for the next four years of their life is a great thing. 

Post 28: Family Weekend Recap and Another Art Project

So this past weekend was Family Weekend at Lycoming College. It was rainy, but then again that is nothing new for this area. It seems like it has been constant rain since the start of September. Although Family Weekend normally draws parents of freshmen, my mother came to Lyco to sit in on my classes and meet my professors.

Goal: Display value structure and composition.

Friday: Mom and I had the Lycoming sponsored dinner at Smokey Jo's, not recommending it. The mac & cheese was good, but it was cramped and not that great of BBQ.

Saturday: Faculty meet and greet, Mom met my Aquatic Biology and Religion Profs. She had already met all of my physics profs, but we talked with them just the same. It was at that point that we realized my Science Saturday article was on the front page of the school's newspaper, The Lycourier.
After talking to my profs, and setting the bar real high in my classes, my mom and I took the Hiawatha Boat Tour on the Susquehanna River. My mother has been planning that trip since Freshman year, it was a long time coming. Sadly we weren't blown away by it, for one thing it was raining and cold, but the information about the trip itself was difficult to hear, and my mom thinks a dinner cruise would have been more interesting. After the boat tour we had a bit of time to kill before the Culinary Walking Tour.

Pure Imagination

The Culinary Tour consisted of 4 restaurants within two blocks of the school. First stop on our tour was Di Salvo's on East 4th Street. The only way I could describe the venue is Pennsylvanian Italian, very romanesque with dead animals on the walls. The food though; DELICIOUS! I am so not a fan of sauce, let alone meat sauce, but it was amazing. They served us a simple rigatoni with the meat sauce and fresh ricotta cheese on top. I ate all of it because it was so good. After Di Salvo's we went to 33 East, located on East 3rd Street, I know big surprise. Well the venue itself was very pretty and inviting but I wasn't a huge fan of their menu. They served us sushi and some kind of sausage and rigatoni in white sauce. It wasn't horrible but I wouldn't get sushi there (I would go to Ichiban, the Japanese restaurant in Williamsport). Plus the prices were a little too high for a poor college student. Next stop was Franco's Lounge on West 4th Street. It was my least favorite out of the four. They served us the same as Di Salvo's minus the meat and the fresh ricotta. Their sauce, which they make and sell at the restaurant, was not good. I wish I hadn't forced myself to eat so much of the dish (I didn't finish it, but I still at more than I wanted to). The biggest reason I am upset I ate more of the bad pasta than I wanted to was the next stop. Acme Barbecue where have you been all my life. As we were leaving Franco's I wasn't looking forward to Acme mainly because I am not a pulled pork and ribs kind of person (I don't like pork). Well when we got there they had beef brisket sliders for us. I bit in to one and immediately felt like Adam from Man vs Food and I wanted to say: "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness." It was so good! I am now in love with brisket and want some more. I will be bringing my sister there for lunch on Friday.

Finally our Saturday ended with the comedian at Clarke Chapel. He was amusing.

Sunday: Church at St. Boniface's (they sing too much) and then breakfast at Denny's.

Post 27: Art Project = Done

Conceptual: Bride is purchase.

Visual: Lines in a book.

Post 26: Fall 2011 and other such things

Haven't posted in a while mainly because I didn't have much to say. Once I am done with the art project I am working on I am going to post it, right now it's a work in progress. The project is based on the UPC/barcode.

There are two parts to the project: 1) visually use the UPC code within a composition and 2) use the UPC conceptually, where the bar code is used to convey a message.

My visual piece is the lines in a book with a person's silhouette. For this piece I am starting with a picture of myself reading a book.

For my conceptual piece I am using a picture of a bride and groom where the groom is what is being purchased. I am pretty impressed with the general concept of the bride as a purchase. See starting point below.

This is my first draft of my conceptual piece. I am using a new program called GIMP, it's a cross between Paint and Photoshop, and I got it free online. The projects are due on Wednesday so I will have them posted by then.

Work in Progress

In other news, in one month it will be Halloween at Lycoming and I am in need of a costume. I have a couple ideas including a paper cut out doll, and a ghost. I am trying to be more creative but I am on a really strict budget. I was considering being super lame and just having my mother bring my Saloon Girl costume down here when she comes next weekend for Family weekend.

Post 25: Senior Year, take 2; Scene 1

I arrived at Lyco yesterday and moved into my dorm room for the last time yesterday. It wasn't until I could see Williamsport that it finally hit me, I wouldn't have the safety net of the friends I have had since the beginning. Out of the group of the 7 of us, 5 have started the next step of his or her life. Out of the two left at Lyco, me being one and Turtle being the other, I will be the only one crossing the stage in May. 

Brittany: She's at law school in Philadelphia. 

Kyle: He's at Grad school in Colorado.

Ellen: She's in Indiana or Illinois working at a camp.

Jordan: He's in Missouri at Boot Camp.

Rachel: She's at IUP, with her own apartment.

All five of them after one step closer to the real world. I hope to be at the same point this time next year. Graduate school in some other state. This semester is just starting and there is a lot to pack into the next 14 weeks.

Wish me luck.

Post 24: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

 

The Boone Plantation

In 1743, the son of Major John Boone planted live oak trees, arranging them in two evenly spaced rows. This spectacular approach to his home symbolizes southern heritage and will take root in your memory for many years to come. It would take two centuries for the massive, moss-draped branches to meet overhead, forming today's natural corridor and a scene that NBC Daytime television says is "a must see stop on any trip to Charleston, S.C."

The Praise House

The McRae Family purchased the plantation in 1955 and it was Mrs. McRae who furnished the house with antiques and began giving tours. Today, the McRae Family still owns the property, and they continue to make improvements to the plantation so that you, the visitor, can experience what plantation life was like in the 1800s. As you tour each site on the plantation our knowledgeable staff will help you understand the day to day activities of those who lived on plantations as well the history of the people who lived here at Boone Hall. 

 

Boone Hall was also one of the filming sites for the television mini-series North and South, staring Patrick Swayze, Kirstie Alley, and many others.

Post 23: Summer sun, somethings... ending

So the REU is now over, and people have started their travels back to where they call home. My travels don't begin until tomorrow afternoon. The end of something is always very bittersweet. I cannot express in words how happy I am to beginning my journey home. I believe I am most excited about not having to worry about my car anymore. That is a large burden that has been weighing me down. Every time I get behind the wheel I am so afraid that something else will happen and I will be stranded on yet another highway, near a shitty mechanic, and in this heat.

Rachel arrives at 2:30pm tomorrow, from there we are going to make a pit stop at Wal-Mart and then we will be leaving Gainesville.

I used Google Maps to get directions to our first destination, but then I decided I didn't want to follow directions. I will give Rachel the choice of traveling east or north first. East will take us to the coast and then we'll turn left and continue until we reach Charleston. If we go north first we will just keep taking roads marked North until we reach South Carolina and then work eastward. We do have a GPS for when we get closer to our destinations. I have addresses and those are the important things.

Next post will be from outside the state of Florida, and will include pictures.

Post 22: Happy August!

IT IS AUGUST! 4 weeks until school is back in session and just over 2 weeks until I am back to NY!

Today: Finish research and finish 2nd draft of paper.

Still got a lot of coding to do, as well as producing figures for both my paper and presentation. After results are produced I have to write a result section, and a conclusion/discussion section in the paper. I have to send the paper I finish tonight to both my mentor and the REU coordinator. Who knows how long I will be at the lab tonight. My grad student, Shiva isn't even available until a little bit from now.

Tomorrow: Finish presentation and edit paper.

I will get the edits back from both Sachin (my mentor) and Selman (the REU coordinator) and then I will have a whole other group of edits to make, probably more from Sachin than Selman. I will also finish my presentation in order to have it read to give on Wednesday.

Wednesday: Give mock presentation and turn in final draft of paper.

Sachin wants me to practice so he can make changes. "I don't want you presenting something I didn't approve." This presentation is only supposed to be 10-15mins long. The worse part about that time restraint is that when I get back to Lyco I will have to stretch it out for and extra 15-20mins, as well as creating some kind of hand out.

Thursday: Presentation day.

I present at 11:40am on Thursday, the last one of the morning presentations.

Paul, from Aamco, has yet to call me. I am hoping for good news about my car. He called on Friday saying they had to order a part, but seeing now that it is after five, I am not expecting a call from him until tomorrow at the soonest. Feels like forever ago that I was stranded on the side of Florida Turnpike and I-75.

Post 21: One Week More

Tomorrow begins the last week of the REU here in Gainesville, FL. It also begins the busiest and slowest week. Busy up until Wednesday at 1pm, we have to hand in the final copies of our paper at that time. It is also Wednesday at 1pm that the final presentations begin. I have yet to decide if I would prefer to present on Wednesday or Thursday. My lazy side says Thursday, my lazier side says Wednesday. If I get it done and over with that means I have nothing to do on Thursday except listen to other presentations and say good bye to the students in my lab, as well as my mentor.

After presentations are finished the group of us have exit interviews and payday. We re kicked out of our apartments at noon on Saturday, and seeing as Rachel doesn't show up until 3pm-ish I don't know what I am going to do for the down time. I am looking forward to next Saturday.

This time next week Rachel and I will be in South Carolina, on our way to our first destination, Charleston! History for me and a beach for Rachel. :) On the 8th we will depart from Charleston and head north to North Carolina, where exactly I don't really know, but Rachel does and here's hoping she remembers her GPS. We will be visiting one of her friends in NC, I am not sure on what we'll be doing but I am okay with that. From NC we will be heading to the DC area, specifically Laurel, Maryland where Kimberly and Kenny have graciously allowed us to stay for a few days. Activities on the itinerary in the DC area include: a day in DC, a day at Busch Gardens, a day seeing CAU and UM... Okay that 3 days, how long are we staying there? On the morning of the 14th, that is a Sunday, we will be driving to Delaware where we have tickets to a beach side reggae show, and then to Christy's if she ever asks Scott if he is okay with Rachel and I sleeping on their floor. From Delaware we will finally return to Rachel's home state of Pennsylvania, where I will meet her adorable kitten and then visit my boyfriend for a couple days. Then FINALLY after 12 very long weeks I will return home to Central New York, and spend the remainder of my summer vacation walking with my mom, doing puzzles with Grandpa, and seeing Adam Levine and Maroon 5 at the NYS Fair!

A very large number of pictures will be posted over the next 2.5 weeks to balance our this very wordy post.

Post 20: Adventures Galore; The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The good: My day at Universal's Islands of Adventure. See pictures below.

The bad: Breaking down an hour from Gainesville at midnight on my way home.

The ugly: Being stuck on the side of the Florida turnpike for an hour waiting for a tow truck, having my car 'fixed' by one mechanic just to get back on the road at 4pm and have to stop again because my car was still grinding, having to get towed again, spending another night in a hotel and having to talk to yet another mechanic the next day, OH and all while my phone was living on next to no battery and finally dying after getting off the phone with AAA Monday afternoon. Currently I am back in Gainesville with a borrowed car, from the mechanic that has my baby. My car is in need of a transmission, and will be getting a used one but I won't be able to pick her up until the end of the week. I blame the heat for all the problems my car has been having.

Butterbeer = delicious

Me and the Castle 

The Sorting Hat

The Castle, itself

Jurassic Park

The good. My day at Islands of Adventures, at Universal, Orlando.

Monster book of Monsters

Flying Broomsticks

Sonya rooting for Potter

DINOS

First stop in Universal's Island of Adventure.

The reason I do not like ham.

One of my favorite books by Dr. Suess

On the Suess-go-Round

WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

Meet me at the Hogwarts Express

Got my sister something from Zonkos

Post 19: 6 Reasons I hate Florida.

1. The Summer Weather
     1a. The heat
     1b. The humidity
     1c. The lack of rain

2. The Highway System
     2a. The Florida Turnpike
     2b. Divided Highways
     2c. I-75

3. The Overwhelming love they have for the Gators
     3a. Your blood is NOT Orange or Blue
     3b. Gator Hair Salon, really?

4. The lack of things to do
     4a. Other than over-priced Orlando

5. Air Conditioning
     5a. It's hot out and freezing inside.

6. The Winter Weather, and what comes with it
     6a. Snow Birds
     6b. Tourists

Post 18: More Disney Pictures

On the Dumbo Ride

In front of Cinderella's Castle

In the Stocks

Epcot

In the Mickey Ears

Marie

Mulan is not amused

At the Haunted Mansion

Tigger and Pooh

Japan