This weekly journal will detail my experience as a summer research intern at University of New Mexico. I will discuss the research that I work on, the obstacles I encounter, and the achievements I make. I will also talk about what it is like to live in Albuquerque New Mexico during the summer.



Week 10: July 29th- August 2nd

So this was my last week at UNM and it was pretty sad. I have gotten used to being in Albuquerque and going into the AMPRG offices Monday through Friday. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the office and our conversations. I am going to miss everyone very much and I am so greatful for all their help and support over the course of the summer.

Even though it was my last week I was super busy and stressed. I was working on finishing up my report when Sandra said she might have found another method to implement that would potentially give us more and better results that could lead to some more telling conclusions. While this was good for research it was really stressful for me. I had to go back through my code and implement new formulas and fix a bug (that Sandra had also discovered) then generate all new graphs and analyze the data. It also meant changing quite a bit of my report which is frustrating when it is Wednesday on the last week. I also was having a rough time implementing the changes. The code just wasn't working for me. Ugh!

Also my poster proposal for Grace Hopper was rejected. That came as kinda a blow because Erica's poster was accepted. I'm not upset about it but it did create a lot more work for me becuase now I am proposing a poster for the Richard Tapia conference. This proposal is a lot longer and more detailed than the one for Grace Hopper. It requires a two page project description. Along with the changes to the code, fixing my report, working on my website, and working on a poster I feel like I have too much on my plate. Oh! and I forgot to mention I have to present my research findings to the group on Friday! So much to do!

I have learned a lot and come a long way over the course of the summer. I was so stressed out and lost at the beginning and now here I am with a 12 page technical report that I am very proud of. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to Lydia and Sandra and the whole AMPRG team for their support and guidance. I would still be almost in tears over Matlab if it weren't for them. I am sad to be leaving but I will be taking away a new set of skills and abilities that will hopefully help me in my future. Hopefully I will get into the Richard Tapia conference! I am happy I stuck it out and I have gained a lot of confidence. I now know that I have the capability of learning new programs and languages relatively quickly with some assistance. I am not convinced that I want to attend graduate school for computer science but we will see! First I need to graduate then I will start my new adventure. I'm thinking California for my next step :)

Goofing Around
Goofing around with Peter
NM sunset
New Mexico Sunset
rose
Rose at UNM