one month down
Wow, so what have I been doing? Well right now it's Monday and I've decided that work does not need me there. My job started out as designing a part to attach a sample to a test probe. I finished that, and no one really wanted to take the time to check over my work. Then I was asked to design an antenna configuration for use in a waveguide [rectangular box that guides waves, keeps them at a certain freq]. I don't know anything about antenna design, so I didn't get much done. Then we found out that we can't use waveguides for what we're doing, so then I spent about 4 days playing Mahjonng while waiting for my mentor to get back from vacation. Mixed in with that, the post-doc working on my project showed me around some of the labs. I got to dress up in a bunny suit and go into the clean room a few times. I would take a picture,,, but I probably look stupid and can't take a camera into the lab. oh well.
I do have some pictures from work and other things I've done, so check those out at http://web.mit.edu/fishie/Public/DC%202006 If I have time, i'll make it into a webpage.
The past week or so I've been doing real work. I cleaned up Si wafers that had either Bi, BiAu, or BiGe deposited on them. I picked two samples out of the 8 per wafer, and mounted them on test pins. I waited for someone to wirebond the sample to the test pin [it's like soldering with microscopic wire]. After the samples were ready, I put them into my test probe and tested the resistance at 300K, 77K, and 4.2K. [yeah, 0 Kelvin is absolute zero. .3K is space. They don't let interns get that close though] The whole point is to develop a Bi film whose resistivity drops when the temperature drops. So far, we haven't figured it out. We have some theories, and now I have to wait for the post-doc to make new samples. In the meantime, I'm finishing up my CAD drawings [hopefully by today]. I've also been asked to weave cables together. Yep, my job at NASA - sewing.
Oh but Allie, we don't care about work - what do you do for fun? Well, we've gone to DC a few times. We went to the Air and Space museum, and Tim M Vijai and I somehow ended up at a gay pride rally that day. Tim M and I got a flyer about Introductory Buddhist meetings, so the next weekend we went. It was really cool, and we ended up going again yesterday. I'm still not sold or anything, but I'm going to keep checking it out. On the 22nd, I went to a Brand New concert in Baltimore. Amaaazing. I love that band. I stayed too long and missed the bus back to where I live, so I had to get Diana, my friend with the car, to pick me up. Thanks Diana. Tim visited the 23rd-25th. He got in late Friday, so we didn't do anything, but Saturday we went to DC. Went to the building museum and then walked around and looked at monuments. Sunday it rained, so we just stayed in and watched movies. This past Friday Tim M and I went to a rave in DC. I had an awesome time, and I really hope there are raves in Boston.
During the week we don't do much. We get free meals Mon Tue and Wed. Monday and Wednesday they're catered meals at the house, so we can just grab food and leave. Tuesdays they're at the Best Western, and we're supposed to stay after to listen to a speaker. We've stayed twice, and it's just not worth it. We've been going to the gym lately, so that's what we do after work. Sometimes we go to movies, or Target, or food shopping. Nothing that amazing. I'm just having fun, making new friends. It's nice to have other people want to be friends with me.
This past weekend my roommate hasn't been around. Her bf is here and they got a hotel in DC for thurs-tues. Awesome. We've been fighting a lot lately, and I tried to move out and I can't. Boo. I rearranged the room, against her wishes, and now I have my own space. I lofted my bed and my desk and dresser are underneath of it. I have a little storage corner between my bed and the wall. A lot of our problems were that we were in each other's way all the time and I would get pissed and just leave, which would make her think she owned the room. She's refusing to buy her own ethernet cable, and the one in the room is too short to reach her desk. I decided that wasn't a good enough reason for me to be miserable in the room, so now her desk is on the other side of the room and she's going to have to deal with it. We don't get along at all, it kind of sucks. I'm glad I have friends here though.
I don't know what I'm doing for the 4th, we're going to DC but not sure what we're going to do there. This weekend I'll be in Boston, then the 28th I'll be home. For that really big holiday.
Oh, I bought and ibook. It should get here soon, I hope.
I guess that's all from me. How are you, lj peeps?
<3Allie
I do have some pictures from work and other things I've done, so check those out at http://web.mit.edu/fishie/Public/DC%202006 If I have time, i'll make it into a webpage.
The past week or so I've been doing real work. I cleaned up Si wafers that had either Bi, BiAu, or BiGe deposited on them. I picked two samples out of the 8 per wafer, and mounted them on test pins. I waited for someone to wirebond the sample to the test pin [it's like soldering with microscopic wire]. After the samples were ready, I put them into my test probe and tested the resistance at 300K, 77K, and 4.2K. [yeah, 0 Kelvin is absolute zero. .3K is space. They don't let interns get that close though] The whole point is to develop a Bi film whose resistivity drops when the temperature drops. So far, we haven't figured it out. We have some theories, and now I have to wait for the post-doc to make new samples. In the meantime, I'm finishing up my CAD drawings [hopefully by today]. I've also been asked to weave cables together. Yep, my job at NASA - sewing.
Oh but Allie, we don't care about work - what do you do for fun? Well, we've gone to DC a few times. We went to the Air and Space museum, and Tim M Vijai and I somehow ended up at a gay pride rally that day. Tim M and I got a flyer about Introductory Buddhist meetings, so the next weekend we went. It was really cool, and we ended up going again yesterday. I'm still not sold or anything, but I'm going to keep checking it out. On the 22nd, I went to a Brand New concert in Baltimore. Amaaazing. I love that band. I stayed too long and missed the bus back to where I live, so I had to get Diana, my friend with the car, to pick me up. Thanks Diana. Tim visited the 23rd-25th. He got in late Friday, so we didn't do anything, but Saturday we went to DC. Went to the building museum and then walked around and looked at monuments. Sunday it rained, so we just stayed in and watched movies. This past Friday Tim M and I went to a rave in DC. I had an awesome time, and I really hope there are raves in Boston.
During the week we don't do much. We get free meals Mon Tue and Wed. Monday and Wednesday they're catered meals at the house, so we can just grab food and leave. Tuesdays they're at the Best Western, and we're supposed to stay after to listen to a speaker. We've stayed twice, and it's just not worth it. We've been going to the gym lately, so that's what we do after work. Sometimes we go to movies, or Target, or food shopping. Nothing that amazing. I'm just having fun, making new friends. It's nice to have other people want to be friends with me.
This past weekend my roommate hasn't been around. Her bf is here and they got a hotel in DC for thurs-tues. Awesome. We've been fighting a lot lately, and I tried to move out and I can't. Boo. I rearranged the room, against her wishes, and now I have my own space. I lofted my bed and my desk and dresser are underneath of it. I have a little storage corner between my bed and the wall. A lot of our problems were that we were in each other's way all the time and I would get pissed and just leave, which would make her think she owned the room. She's refusing to buy her own ethernet cable, and the one in the room is too short to reach her desk. I decided that wasn't a good enough reason for me to be miserable in the room, so now her desk is on the other side of the room and she's going to have to deal with it. We don't get along at all, it kind of sucks. I'm glad I have friends here though.
I don't know what I'm doing for the 4th, we're going to DC but not sure what we're going to do there. This weekend I'll be in Boston, then the 28th I'll be home. For that really big holiday.
Oh, I bought and ibook. It should get here soon, I hope.
I guess that's all from me. How are you, lj peeps?
<3Allie