Last Week-Frost Science

At the beginning of my internship not only were my parents very skeptical, but they almost didn’t let me do it because they believed safety was an issue.  However, I can now say that if I hadn’t done this internship I would’ve been at a major loss.  Throughout my internship I have gained valuable communication, computer, and life skills that will be very beneficial as I enter this new chapter of my life.  I have also met so many amazing people who have given me numerous points of life advice and I was able to discover what I would and would not like to do when I enter my career.  I have learned that when I begin my career I don’t want to be cooped up in an office doing computer work, I’d rather be interacting with people and out in the field.  Throughout this week this point has become clearer than ever to me.

We made a mess with liquid nitrogen bubbles

My last week started off on the computer where I organized spreadsheets and looked up all the email addresses for principals in Dade County (which was a challenge).  On Wednesday, I went to an outreach at a library in Hialeah where I assisted the facilitators with the “Gross Bodies” lab.  While the outreach was a lot of fun, I also got to witness some very interesting things in Hialeah.  One person had a statue of a seal outside of their house named Herbie, another lady was crossing the street while doing a verrrry interesting dance, and lastly outside of the library there were eggs being fried on a solar panel.  On Thursday, I got to help and watch a “Freeze It” demo that dealt with liquid nitrogen.  This was one of the highlights of my week because I never knew liquid nitrogen was so cool.  Lastly, I ended this week by going on an outreach at the Coral Gables Museum where my coworkers and I did two Roller coaster programs.  I really enjoyed this program because it was fun interacting with the kids and seeing the different methods they used to build their own coaster.  Also, since I plan on studying engineering and the program dealt with engineering it was great seeing the kids become engineers for a day.  During my last outreach, a little girl came up to me and told me she was also named Francesca which was pretty cool.  Helping with the outreaches taught me the importance of being engaged in the community and getting young children involved in science.  I learned that I enjoy outreaches so much more than doing computer work because I could feel that I was making a difference in the community whether it was getting one kid interested in science or making a kid's day by telling them happy birthday.

Liquid Nitrogen Demo

Eggs in Hialeah

Liquid Nitrogen Cloud

Roller coaster lab

ICE CREAM!!!!!

My last week ended with my coworkers surprising me and bringing me to an ice cream shop in Little Havana.  I was extremely excited because I LOVE ICE CREAM and had never been to Little Havana before.  They also gave me a glass heart with some of the rocks I classified in it.  The gift was very thoughtful and it showed they appreciated all the work I helped with.

Overall, the two hour trek to get to the museum and the two hours to get back home was definitely exhausting; but, the experience I gained by interning at the museum is something I will be forever grateful for.  I can’t wait to visit the new museum that is opening at the beginning of next year and all the amazing people I worked with (Michelle B).

Adios for now!