After my transatlantic flight from Scotland and a brief stop off in New York City, I have arrived in Bozeman Montana! Surrounded by mountain ranges in all directions I am very much reminded of the homeland - except for the temperatures! I learnt this the hard way as after a couple of treks to Walmart I was thoroughly burnt.
The REU Program kicked off on Tuesday and it was an opportunity to meet the fellow students - all of whom seem pleasingly capable of understanding a Fifer's accent! However, explaining the meaning of a 'Cheeky Nandos' to them is a difficult cultural barrier which needs to be overcome. This can be added to my project ambitions over the summer.
The first meeting with my supervisor Dana has introduced me to my exciting project. I will be analysing solar flare evolution using the numerical Post-Reconnection Evolution of a Flux Tube (PREFT) model. By convoluting the evolution of multiple retraction events based on different imposed paramters we hope to better emulate the spectral emission as observed in a loop top source, flaring on February 26th 2004.
Week 1 has consisted of much prepatory ground work - both theoretically and computationally. After being direted towards useful papers I spent much time trying to understand as much as possible about the reconnection, retraction and energy release processes in the PREFT model of solar flares. My understanding is summarised in the background theory.
After several IDL tutorials I am also beginning to get to grips with the language and its capabilities. Dana gave me a mini project to familiarise myself with the PREFT output data and reinforce my IDL progress. This involved extracting the flux rope profile and calcualting the speed of the retracting bends (rotational discontinuities). This was found to match the Alfven speed as theoretically predicted!
In order to better visualise the output data I also created an animation procedure. This creates movies of the retraction, density, velocity and temperature evolutions as specified by user input.
As the weekend arrived I was extremely excited to explore Yellowstone National Park! After a beautiful ride in Scott "Moustache" Hunter's Pontiac, we entered the West entrance ready for adventure. The park did not disappoint - spectacular views on a grand scale and incredble wildlife. The whirlwind tour included the Grand Prismatic springs, Old Faithful, Lake Village, Artists Point, the Lamor Valley and Mammoth. Amongst the host of bison we were also luck enough to see a grizzy cub! Incredible day to cap off week 1 Montana.
This week has allowed me to settle nicely into the program and make some good progress. After another useful meeting with Dana I feel that I am slowly but surely getting to grips with the theory. I have also been tasked with running various PREFT simulations to get familiar with the evolution characteristics.
As an initial investigation we tried varying the initial and final length of the flux tube. The results of which can be seen in project development. The simulations can be quite lengthy, so on the side I have been developing a user friendy widget to load data and visualise it better - thus helping interpret the output from PREFT. This proved a challenge but I feel that with each IDL challenge completed I become a little more confident in the language.
The lecture series also began this week with a couple of really insightful talks from Dana. It's pretty amazing how the complex processes in the sun can roughly be broken down into fundamental ideas we have all encountered as undergraduates. From hydrostatic balance and nucear fusion to kinetic theory and the generation of the magnetic field from the turbulent fluid behaviour - we are moving quickly!
In other news Mullan life is going well and I am surviving on my own cooking somehow! My fridge finally arrived and I bought a kettle. With the wonders of Tetley tea back in my life I feel very much at home. Unfortunately my homely bliss was interupted by my blinds falling off...ah well, you can't have everything.
On Thursday we all enjoyed the REU BBQ under the Bozeman 'Big Sky' sunshine. Couple of burgers will do nicely indeed thank you very much! At the end of a busy week it was fun to explore the monthly Art Walk on main street as local businesses displayed their crafts and handed out the odd glass of free wine. My ample beard apparently not enough to convince them of my age, I was duly asked for ID. Guess things don't change much wherever I go!
The weekend was a bit rainy so it was a good opportunity to check out the Rockies Museum. After trooping through the cold and rain in shorts and a t-shirt, like a true scot in tropicl conditions, we arrived a bit bedraggled but keen to explore. Plenty of dinosaurs and a planetrium expeirence proved an afternoon well spent.
Today will be a good opportunity to catch a bit of the French open final as Rafa goes for 'La Decima' - I'm having some serious withdrawal symptoms from the tennis. How will I cope when Wimbles come's around?! I'll also start analysing some of the simulations I've been running this weekend. Looking forward to cracking onwards and making some real inroads into my project in the coming week!
This week really took off work-wise. I have performed many PREFT runs and begun some spectral analysis. This has involved the development of several visualisation widget tools which I am overly proud of - some may say obsessive! After a constructive group meeting on Friday where I presented my results, Dana has suggested it is time to venture boldly into the bulk of the project. This will involve comparing my runs to the observed RHESSI spectra. Through a mixture of trial and error/logical guesses I will optimise the parameters for different times in order to simulate a more realistic flare evolution. This should keep me busy for the forseeable future!
Outside of work its been a refreshing week of cooler weather.My transformation into domestic god has also been completed as I have survived yet another week of my own cooking (with selective spongeing off other's superior cooking) and managed a load of washing. Given my uni track record this is a considerable achievement.
To mark the end of the third week a group of us went to the Bridger Brewing company for some bison pepperoni pizza - fair to say it hit the spot and I will return in the coming weeks! This was followed by an outdoor performance of Macbeth by a live Shakespearean troupe. As the closest thing to the 'Thane of Fife' about, I revelled in the Scottish references. The weather played its part as well as we were treated to the occasional shower - ever prepared I temporarily took shelter in a bin bag come sleeping bag.
Over the weekend we welcomed the return of the sunshine with a beautiful walk overlooking Bozeman. The Triple Tree Trail took us high up through some pinewood forests and granted us fantastic views of the Gallitin valley. As suggested by some locals in the know, we went offroad on a hidden trail which ascended rapidly. Thanks to all those hours pumping iron in the gym (not!) I made it - a bit sweaty and out of breath but worth the panorama! The descent was even steeper and more perilous which we audibly confirmed as we slipped and screeched our way down!
My Sundays have proved much more laid back as I'm in the routine of churchin' and brunchin'! After church, the holy crew of myself, Allsion and Julia were joined by Lilly at Nova Cafe. As a lover of meat and omelettes, the 'Meat Lover's Omelette' seemed like a safe option and indeed I wasn't disappointed. Sunday also marked Fathers day so a phone call home to pops was necessary - he seemed to appreciate the Yellowstone map for when he comes out in August. He doesn't need to know it was ordered the day before on Amazon Prime...
This week I made some strong project progress as I am now comparing the simulated PREFT runs with observed RHESSI data. My early struggles in IDL are paying off, as my scripts now allow for quick and efficient analysis of the runs. I'm really enjoying getting to combine both the computational side andd physical reasoning involved in this project and hopefully more interesting results will arise in the coming weeks.
Three lectures this week also offered much to think about as we explored magnetic field measurements, the solar wind and the upcoming total eclipse over North America. We also ventured outside the computer lab and across to the 'L' sculpture for the iconic REU solar photograph - good times!
Outisde of work, my food cooking hasn't really developed into anything more adventurous that pesto pasta but at least I'm not Julia who is just slapping processed cheese onto left over burger buns - sad to see really. Thus, it was a joyful experience to go to the Montana Aleworks on Friday night and order a massive Montana Meatloaf...absolutely top notch choice. Afterwards, our favourite engineer Bryan 'Bry Bry' Stanley needed some help with a bit of astrophotography so myself, Julia and Lilly joined him atop Cobleigh hall. It was a bit chilly but worth the view as we spied the Inernational space station and a cheeky shooting star to add to the Montana memories.
In the mood for adventure, Saturday proved to be an epic yet exhausting day. With Bryan driving, the astro crew from Friday night set off in search of something inetrseting to climb. With modest ambitions to begin with we aimed to do the obligatory MSU pilgrimage to the 'M' on the hill. Part way up we changed route and decided to aim higher and catch the 'M' on the way down. In hot conditions, on gravelly loose ground, it was a steep and challenging climb at points but the expansive forest and views of the valley were incredible and pushed us on upwards. Eventually we made it to a semi-peak marker point. Proud of our efforts we were immediately outdone by runners who were participating in a 10 mile hiltop race - yep that's right, we are not fit. Thankfully we intercepted them at a water station which generously replensihed our bottles.
After some deliberation we decided to continue higher still. Little did we know it got steeper and steeper. Getting sweaty and jellified in the legs we aimed for a connecting ridge which would swing us back round and down towards the 'M' - however this was not in fact going to happen. The trail had other ideas. Instead we were lead up and up until eventually, after 4000ft, we reached the summit of Mount Baldy.
The exposed mountain top, by name and nature, eerily mocked my own rapidly receding hairline but I didn't care because the views were awesome! Atop Baldy I befriended a dog called Lambo which liked the taste of my face. After the victorius group photo and a welcome rest we braced ourselves for the descent.
Going up was hard, but down was worse! The lack of stable footing and my paranoia of slipping made us progress at a ridiculously tentative pace - soz guys! At times I was reduced to shameless bum sliding down the scree - not a pretty sight. Eventually, thanks to the motivating prospect of pizza at the bottom, we made it to the 'M' and then finally the trail base. Hi fives all round...then straight to Columbo's for some quality nosh. Wanting more meat and pizza that ever before, I naturally ordered the 'More Meat Pizza'. It was indeed very meaty. Good times.
Absolutely exhausted from Saturday's exploits, Sunday was a necessary day of rest. It seems that the Sun wanted to extend my numerical simulations to a practical demonstration as I have been a wee bitty burnt from the Baldy adventure. Time to slap some factor 30 on that as we go into week five...already!
This week of work was a mixture of fine tuning previous results and outputting some new data as I continue to aim for a closer fit to the RHESSI spectra. I'm happy with my progress as we head closer to midterms and I think I have some interesting and potentially controversial results to share with the group next week. We also enjoyed a couple of lectures this week. Jiong discussed the magnetic reconnection heating mechanisms within solar flares - a good overview of some of the fundamental ideas underpinning my project. Also, Professor Eric Priest has arrived from the homeland. Happy to hear him praising the merits of St Andrews and its very respectable students, he proceeded to give an engaging lecture introducing us to a wide range of solar phenomena. With a couple of cheeky snaps of St Andrews squeezed into his presentation I was reminded that despite the beauty of Montana, I am very lucky where I study back home as well!
Having attained the self proclaimed title of domestic god earlier in the program, I have up till this point prided myself on my natural cooking abilities. However, such skill woefully abandoned me this week as I made, or at least attempted to make, a chicken curry. Rice and chicken doesn't seem much of a culinary adventure but somehow I managed to produce less of a chicken korma and more of a chicken kormageddon - stodge through and through. Julia and Lilly succumed to a cold the following day. Coincidence? They would maybe argue otherwise but myself, Bryan and Scott who have also sampled the korma have not befallen a similar fate...yet.
As an admirer of fellow cheesy bloggs I must take time out at this point to point your nose in the direction of Bryan Stanley's fantastical adevnture blogg - Casual Adventures with Bryan. After a midweek reading of my own attempts at a witty but factual blogg, Bryan has truly excelled in his own way. As I claim to have inspired his literary exploits, I feel our bloggs are intertwined in a bromantic manner and hence encourage the avid reader who just can't get enough of dodgy blogging to explore his accounts as well. Anyway...onwards with week five!
In an attempt to escape any more questionable cooking, Friday night was a good excuse to get some pizza at the pizza brewary establishment. The T-Rex meat fest of a pizza was a successful choice which pleased my stomach to no end. This was followed by half of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' back in Mullan. As Bilbo recounted his dramatic adventures in Middle Earth I too related with my own adventures in Bozeman - many an epic hike with the REU fellowship. No orcs or dragons yet but I still have 5 weeks before I head from there, to back again.
To begin the long Independence Weekend we got up early and headed to the trailhead for Blackmore Peak by the Hyalite reservoir. This was a pleasant walk through the pine woods which snaked through the valley to the base of Blackmore. Bryan, having done his research, informed us that here it would rise in an unforgiving ascent to the peak. With the memories of Baldy fresh and another punishing climb ahead, the four Baldy adventurers bailed and headed back to the reservoir to chill and explore. After befriending a large insect and admiring the beautiful scenery we moved onto Palisade falls. This must see site didn't disappoint as the water cascaded 100ft - sparkling spectacularly in the sunshine.
Having admired the falls it was decided that ice cream was in order so we drove back to Bozeman and paid a very nice visit to Sweet Peaks. Here I ordered a double scoop of vanilla on a waffle cone - a very good choice if I say so myself. As we revelled in our ice creamy heaven we were intrigued by another advertised option - ice cream...for dogs. Spoiled for choice between chicken and beef flavoured, we were curious. So after being cajoled into further enquiry by my Baldy compatriots I ended up sampling the doggy ice cream myself. I opted for beef and in hindsight I wish I hadn't. It was rank. I think dogs would like it but I am not a dog. I'll take my curry any day thank you very much!
Come Sunday the bad taste had dissipated and I was able to do some work and more importantly watch the Doctor Who season finale. This was immensely exciting stuff as Peter Capaldi's incarnation tottered precariously on the edge of regeneration...ooh I do like a good regeneration me. In the evening a merry band of us gathered to head to the Livingston Roundup Rodeo! The magnificent five of Scott, Julia, Jessica, Allison and myself thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. Indeed, becoming a cowboy has certainy moved up to fifth in my most desirabe career option list.
Taking our spot in the packed stands, I was treated to a fantastic display of patriotism as the crowd rose to the national anthem. In order to outdo any other country's opening anthem, a massive US flag was obvously helicoptered in from over the mountains. I was half expecting Captain America to parachute out and tackle a bull but this level of national zeal did not in fact transpire.
Without further ado the roundup got under swing. From out of the gates came cowboys atop bucking broncos. Thrown about violently it is testament to ther amazing skill that they did not break their backs. This was followed by some 'Steer Wrestling' whereby the cowboy would dive off his horse and tackle a bull to the ground. After venturing into the grounds to get a couple of burgers, I returned to more elaborate events that cowboys had thought up to kill themselves. Riding an angry bull seemed especially dangerous but did provide fantastic entertainment. It wouldn't be a rodeo without some lasso, so I was thrilled to see the 'Tie Down Roping' whereby two cowboys would work as a team to rope a calf and then bind up its legs. Great speed and agility was also displayed during the Barrel Race event where cowgirl and horse became one blur as they roared around the arena.
A firework display rounded up the rodeo to cap off a fantastic evening. A thoroughly exciting glimpse into the midwestern cowboy culture has been a great memory to add to my Montana memories...don't think I'll be participating anytime soon though. Yeeehaaaaah!
We were treated this week to a long weekend which extended into Monday and Tuesday as part of the Independence Day celebrations. Being a Scotsman, there is nothing we like more than declaring independence on a regular basis, so this proved a fun time.
Monday was relatively relaxing as I caught up on some midterm presentation preparation for later in the week. However, come the evening we decided to venture out to Hyalite reservoir to do some star gazing and try cacth a glimpse of the galactic disk. Setting off at 11pm we soon arrived at the ideal viewing spot - very peaceful and far from light pollution. We were lucky as the clouds mostly parted and the sky was spattered with a sprinkling of stars. The light of the moon was a bit too luminous and prevented Milky Way conditions - nonetheless it was a beautiful view! After discussing various strange American TV shows about singing vegetables and the intriguing dates of Scott "Two at once" Hunter we reckoned it was time to head back.
Waking up the next day I was ready for the best Independence Day ever - partly because it would be my first and also because it was going to be the best anyway. Throughout the day my ears were treated to glorius American anthems - indeed I've heard "God Bless the USA" so many times now, I'm almost "proud to be an American" too.
As the celebrations heightened towards early evening, a group of us headed to Bogert park to hear Scott "Baritone Big Puff" Hunter play in the community band. After a quick tour round the farmers market we settled down to the outdoor performance. This was a fantastic showcase of marching tunes, many the work of "Marching King" John Philip Sousa. These rousing tunes got us in the 4th July mood and excited for the upcoming firework display!
As the sky darkened and a few preliminary fireworks popped off in impatient excitement, we rushed to Cobleigh hall for a special rooftop view! Climbing up to the very top platform we were treated to a spectacular 360 panorama as the sun set across the city. All around us fireworks whizzed, framed by the imposing mountainous backdrop. As the main display got underway at the fairground park, I set up camera and got some pretty snaps to savour the memory. A few singalongs and lots of bangs later we climbed down satisfied with a very special 4th July experience. Heading to sleep we were serenaded by the sounds of continued explosions late into the night - 'Merica!
Back to work on the Wednesday we got cracking prepping results and presentations for Friday. But little did we know that drama was brewing deep within the Earth and none of us may even make it to Friday! On Wednesday night a magnitude 5.8 Earthquake hit Bozeman - the largest in over half a century. I slept right through the tremor but it certainly reminds me of the proximity to a supervolcano which has been exhibiting a flurry of minor quake in recent weeks. Assured by the geology community that Yellowstone is not about to consume me in a pyroclastic avalanche of death I have put tectonic tension aside and continued work on my presenation.
Having drafted and re-dratfed my talk under the supervision of Eric I was ready to go by the end of Thursday. Thus it was a nice break to see Prof Priest present the Inaugural Kein S. Gilhousen evening lecture at the Rockies Museum, discussing the links between faith and science. This was a very interesting topic with a lot insightful perspectives to thnk about.
Come presentation day it turned out I was more nervous about the Wimbledon third round match featuring Muzza and the flamboyant italian, Fabio Fognini. This distraction proved useful as I didn't overthink my talk - the presentation went well and I also thoroughly enjoyed hearing about all the other fantastic projects undertaken by my fellow REU students. Four hours later and with the talks concluded I was relieved to see the muzzman had pulled off a tense victory, saving 5 set points which prevented it from going to five sets!
Such a short week and we were already back into the weekend - nice one! Saturday being the established day for adventures, the Baldy crew assembled for a walk to Lava Lake. This was a beautiful three mile trail rising at a comfortable pace through the forest. Arriving at the lake we were somewhat disappointed at the absence of lava but this did not really matter because as per the norm in Montana, the views were awesome. After playing some pinecone golf we headed back down towards the trail head. On the descent Bryan became increasingly frustrated at the ease with which locals are drawn to my accent, 'unusual' name and Dunder Mifflin t-shirts. Apparently being Scottish is big news in Montana as each time I say hello they wanna stop for a conversation - maybe I should try saying howdy instead!
We decided to grab some lunch at Jersey Mike's where I ordered a truly amazing philly steak sub - good times! As a bonus the tennis was on in the background so I thought I must have collapseed on the walk and ascended into heaven. Turns out it was just ESPN.
Sunday was a very chilled day where we resumed our brunching habits in the Cat Cafe. An interesting cat themed establishment surrounded by cat decorations, served by a waitress named Cat and eating, would you believe it...a scrumptious chicken breaded steak with scrambled eggs. I am currently signing off the weekend by writing this blog which means I am up to date and can stop now...see you next week for installment seven - time flies!
Hello blog enthusiasts! I write in high spirits as my working week has been fairly productive - some breakthroughs with the multi convolution method have provided some promising results. Exciting times! We also enjoyed not one, not two, not even three but four...FOUR lectures this week. It's fair to say that I'm getting the flare for solar physics...gettit?! LOL indeed.
Outisde of work we were invited to Prof Eric Priest's house on Tuesday night where he and his wife Clare had prepared a fantastic dinner party. After mingling in the garden and trialling the mini playground (probably intended for those half my age) we settled around the table. Eric informed me of the superiority of Montana sweet corn. As you might imagine coming from an esteemed professor and member of the Royal Society he was absoutely correct - it was delicious. Cheesy sweet potatoes and a BBQ steak followed. Good chat and great food made the evening highly enjoyable.
The REU gatherings continued on Thursday night where we were invited to a garden party mixer bringing together all of the programs. Here I was introduced to two new sports which will undoubtedly change my life forever. Firtly cornhole. Here we chucked beanbags into holes and scored points. Despite careful trajectory analysis my performance was lacking so I quickly moved onto 'Spike Ball' - apparently the fastest growing sport in America. This seemed to be an evolution of volleyball where instead of a net we would bounce the ball over to the other team on a netted trampoline. This chaotic game generated intense rallies - if we were lucky maybe extending as far as three hits! Through some solid serving, incessant motivational screaming from Jessica 'We can do this' Sydnor and some actually decent play from Katie-Jane we emerged victorius. Defeating Bryan 'Intentional Obstruction' Stanley in such gladitorial combat provided the sweetest of moments which I will be sure to saviour for the rest of the program.
Come the weekend, the Baldy crew were assembled by the glorius horn call of Bryan echoing throughout Mullan. I lie, it was just a facebook message. He had once again done his research and suggested we explore the Lewis and Clark Caverns. This sounded mightily exciting so we set off nice and early towards the state park. After racing up to the cave entrance we were keen to descend into darkness. The first few caverns were populated by bats so we kept our voices hushed - this was a considerable challenge for Julia. As we worked our way deeper, our passage became ever more impeded by the encroaching stactites and stalagmites. This was worth it though as each tunnel would open into vaulted cathedrals decorated with mineral deposits and imposing columns. The immense structures would grow at a miniscule rate of an inch every 100 years yet with a little imagination you can imagine the caverns redesigning themselves as pointed towers grow drip by drip before collapsing under their own weight. Eventually emerging back into the land of light it took a little time to adjust to that solar luminoisty. After paying a lengthy expedition to the gift shop that even Lewis and Clark would be proud of we grabbed a quick lunch before heading back Bozeman-bound.
Sunday marked finals day of Wimbles so needless to say I was excited. Sadly Muzza had made an unfortunate exit at the quarter final stage thanks to a dodgy hip, so would not be challenging for the trophy this year. Having progressed through the appropriate stages of sporting grief including excessive nutella consumption I have emerged a stronger person and ready to watch Roger 'GOAT' Federer go for a record 8th crown at SW19. Indeed the maestro dominated proceedings as a wilting Marin Cilic offered little resistence. Nothing like a good tennis result to get me in the mood for another week of work. See you in week 8!
During the working week I have focussed on fine tuning my runs and trying to get a theoretical grasp on some of my conclusions. I feel very pleased with how my project has advanced and feel that I have made considerable progress over the summer. Hopefully the results of this study have publishable potential and can lead to some new exciting insights into flares. In order to pass on my conclusions I have started to write up the project in an official report - canny resist a bit of latex when the opportunity comes up!
On the Friday Johnstone had set up an outdoor get together event which was rather enjoyable. Here I discovered that my volleyball skills are even worse than my spikeball skills. Despite intensive training and guidance from volleyball gurus Scott and Bryan, I struggled to find the magic touch. I did however easily find the furthest corner of the adjacent car park on several occasions.
Moving onto Saturday and Julia and I joined the engineering REU students to go tubing down the Maddison river. Armed with what seemed like reinforced military standard rings from the outdoor rec centre, we were prepared for anything. This was in stark contrast to the engineers who turned up with limp, semi-deflated and entirely inadequate lilos. Setting forth boldly onto the river we swiftly made progress down the Maddison. Pleased with the buoyancy of my craft I smuggly drifted whilst the engineers grappled for the optimal lilo technique. This is a rare demonstration of an occasion where physicists have outdone engineers in anything remotely practical. Enjoying two bagels on my way down and bathing in the sunshine this was indeed a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Soon we were caught up by what has since became known as the 'Party Raft'. This merry band sailed upon a massive inflatable and were equipped with a wide range of beverages and banter. After considering becoming a pirate and commandeering their vessel, I decided that we were in fact too far from the Carribean for this to be acceptable behaviour. As chance had it, the currents brought my tube into tethering proximity and I briefly adjoined to the party raft. Here they were quick to supply me with two cans of beer at which point I undocked myself and made away with my treasures. After 6 miles or so of twists and turns we arrived at the exit point. A fantastic adventure and a great Montana memory.
In the evening Julia and I headed to the Bozeman County Fair. Drawn in by the prospect of good food we quickly found the tri-steak sandwich stall. This was a top priority for me and I was not disappointed. Stocking up on a large serving of lemonade we then made to a hypnotist show. It appeared like he was in fact able to control people but my inner scientific scepticim still makes me question his abilities of mental suggestion. Nonetheless, seeing a guy twerking wildly against a mannequin is funny either way. Following this we decided more food was necessary so we paid a visit to the deep fried bar where we invested in some deep fried oreos and a sugary delight called 'Elephants Ear'. It seems Montana can equal Scotland's reputation in this department. After a brief wander around the fair and admiring the incredible cuteness of a range of bunnies and goats we headed homeward to Mullan.
A rather quieter day on Sunday has allowed me to catch up on a few bits 'n' bobs. I also managed a wee phone call home to my family. They seem very excited about the prospect of flying across to meet me at the end of the internship and I'm looking forward to sharing the American ways with them. Not long now! See you next week for more blog tales.
This week it has really hit home that time is running out! The mad dash towards the finish line has begun all too soon and so it is time to start collating the many results of the summer. I have finished writing a formal report after a lengthy week long battle with latex...that is the typesetting system rather than the natural rubber extracted from the para tree. If you thought the multi column environment could beat me you are very much mistaken and I have came out the other side a stronger and certainly more patient person!
As Friday arrived I had the chance to present my report in the final flare group meeting. I tried to convince my fellow flare enthusiasts, Lilly, Julia and Chen, to join me in having our own personal walk-on anthem before presenting akin to a wrestling showdown. Despite being heavily invested in my personal preference, 'Bringing sexy Back' by the modern Shakespeare of music Justin Timberlake, I couldn't tempt the others to join so I also held my silence. The idea of walk on music died that day but the dream lives on.
As the weekend beckoned I was incredibly keen to squeeze myself onto the outdoor recs scenic kayaking trip. Despite the list being full, my persistent enquiries wore them down and they added me late on the Friday. Things went from exciting to even more exciting when Scott 'Smuggler the Juggler' Hunter kindly offered me a go in his car to prep for driving when my family come. In the US multi tasking is not approved of, so they have detroyed the clutch pedal - they call it automatic. I call it a synonym for lazy. Ah well they made their choice back in 1776.
After a brief circuit round the car park, Scott and I decided that some physical exercise was necessary. Having prattled on about my love for tennis at any given opportunity, we decided that we should give it a shot at the uni courts. We started off slow but by the end our rallies were truly epic - sometimes extending beyond three hits! Scott then proceeded to teach me how to juggle. I can currently throw one ball up in the air and can catch it most of the time, so I feel I am nearly there.
With the arrival of Saturday I rose bright and early to join Jessica on the kayaking trip. We met with the rest of the crew at outdoor recs and boarded the 'Party Bus'. After a fantastic stop at 'Granny's Gourmet Donuts' for guess what...you gottit..donuts, we headed on our way to the Maddison river put-in point. The journey was filled with 'repeat after me songs' which passed the time all too slowly.
After arriving and selecting my trusty inflatable kayak, I embarked onto the river. This was a chilled experience with a little bit of paddling and a lot of the flow doing the hard work for me. Occasionally I would lie down in the kayak and make like a viking burial ship, drifting secerenly towards Valhalla - but without the ceremonial fire. At other times I would paddle furiously towards a slightly choppier part of the river because I am a mad adrenaline junkie. In reality there was no whitewater whatsoever which suited my novice skills perfectly.
Arriving at the pickup point downstream after a thoroughly enjoyable paddle, it was back to Bozeman in the 'Party Bus'. A few chores awaited me as I had put off my washing for a considerable amount of time. After successfully negotiating this mountain of laundry I treated myself to a Pickle Barrel steak sandwich and an outdoor ukulele strum. A perfect way to end the day.
Sunday marked the final time that the brunch crew would meet up for our favourite food at the Nova cafe. This was a mixture of nostaglic summer reminiscing and good nosh, so ticked all the boxes that we were looking for. Julia and I also wanted stickers from the dispensible sticker machine so wasted all of our quarters on that - money well spent if I say so myself. Returning back to Mullan I have been writing up this penultimate blog entry. Hopefully we can get outside again later and there is always Game of Thrones to look forward to in the evening. A great final weekend with the REU before the final week...WEEK 10! The closing curtain, the last hurrah - bring it on!
So here we are; the end of the road, the final installement, the grand finale and to be overly dramatic...the Big Bozeman Bye Bye! Yes that is correct my faithful blog fans - if you are reading this then it seems you too have made it through 9 arduous weeks (of corny blogging that is). Having endured my writing and dodgy humour you may also be feeling somewhat emotional, yet excited to be done. So ladies and gentlemen I hope you are sitting comfortably and are ready to immerse yourself in the last ever 'Bozeman Blog'. To get myself in the mood I am currently listening to epic farewell music playlists on youtube...thus forgive me for any spelling errors as I struggle to type through the cascading tears which tumble down my face like the Palisade falls (Ref: Week 5).
Monday was a slow day where I continued to tie up some loose ends of work. This involved cataloguing all programs I used and tidying up my final report. Hopefully this will allow for my reults to be picked up and advanced easily in the future and if I'm lucky, maybe even a publication. Woop woop! This day also marked the sad farewell to my amazing supervisor Prof Dana Longcope. Throughout the summer he has given me fantastic guidance and direction and under his mentorship I have learnt so much. Together I really feel we have advanced the project and have an improved understanding about the capabilities of the PREFT model with respect to spectral synthesis.
To relax on the Monday evening Bryan, Jessica, Allison and I decided to try our hand at some ten pin bowling. Having not played in years my expectations were inredibly low. Furthermore, I felt that use of the bumpers would severely reduce my street credibility and hence I braced myself to face the waxen alley of skittles...bumperless. It is fair to say that we all played erratically so it came down to a few clutch moments. It was in these moments that I found my inner zen and entered into what I may term - the golden zone. Grabbing two consecutive strikes late on, I surged ahead of Bryan to steal the first game. Some may call it luck, I call it incredible matchplay. Fueled by the confidence and heightened swagger from the first game I was able to clinch another two and claim utter domination. Before I get carried away however I must stress that none of us scored beyond 100 points in any game and so despite my surprising victory I don't think a professional career beckons just yet.
Moving onto Tuesday and it was onto preparing and practicing my final presentation. After extending my midterm talk with the latest results I was ready to go and excited to share my progress with the rest of the group. To clear the head a few of us went to the Farmers market for the last time this summer. It was a buzzing atmosphere and the tri-steak sandwiches once again pleased me and my stomach. After listening to a little bit of Scott 'French Horn' Hunter tooting his way through some tunes in the community band I doddled on home to get an early night in anticipation for the big presentations the next day.
Presentation day started like any other - the incessant banging and thundering of heavy equipment as construction of the new dining hall next door continued. After a final run through it was time to take those hallowed steps towards Barnard Hall...towards my destiny in the Dayton Conference room. The active region students kicked things off with some amazing talks and before long it was my turn. Things seemed to go well and I just about squeezed in everything I wanted to say. After thanking the REU program, my fellow students and Montana, it was job done and good times. Just like that, everything wrapped up and the conclusion of 10 weeks work. Hopefully I can continue to stay involved in the project with continued access to the servers. However, for now a wee break is certainly welcome!
The students which followed impressed me greatly with their talks. From explosive events and loop-top flare sources to lightning bursts there was something for all the family - that is if your family happens to be composed of solar specialists and engineering prodigies. After a chunky day of talks and questions we were finally done. This felt very good indeed and in order to celebrate the REU program threw a pizza party at the Duck Pond pavillion. This was a bundle of fun. To begin with the Solar and Engineering REU students were pitted against each other in an epic game of volleyball. In truth the engineers destroyed us - thus recovering some of the their pride which was lost upon the Maddison with their limp lilos. When pizza arrived the game was swiftly abandoned as greater primal pepperoni priorities took over. This was also a good chance to mingle with the REU program coordinators and say a final goodbye and thank you - they have done an amazing job. Before the end of the evening I had my final chance to race Julia at the 50m sprint we had been hyping up since week 2. I fully expected to be stuffed but thanks to a single blade of grass she tripped over at the starting line. Being the role model of sportsman-like conduct that I am, I continued running without looking back. Although she made a respectable recovery I was able to jog across the finish line as champion. A glorius way to finish the day.
Thursday was the first day of acclimatising to no work. This has been a strange transition from the intense world of front line research. After treating myself to a lie in I forced myself to have a shower - I shouldn't have made the effort since the water was freezing. This did jolt me back into productivity and I used the morning to catch up on my blog. I then spent the last precious dollars on my Cat Card at Miller dining hall before a group of us headed to give Bryan some moral support at his final presentation. It was a very good talk and Bryan wore a shirt so definitely a spectacle worth attending.
Thursday also marked the exciting day that my family were flying out to meet me. Such a family reunion has proved rather more complicated as flight tracker informs me of multiple delays at every stage of their journey. What was a very smooth trip for me has been the exact opposite for them. With their predicament out of my hands I decided to have a bit of fun myself so Bryan and I ventured down onto 'Music on Main'. This was a throng of food, people and funky music. After walking the length of the festival assesssing the food options I opted for pizza as a safe bet. Toddling off home with pizza in the belly and cheesy tunes in my ears it was a most satisfying expedition. To end the day I participated in the Ultimate Uno REU 2017 championships. There was a large turnout and tensions were higher than ever. As the drama heightened so did the noise. Our hands quavered above the cards like cowboys ready to draw from the holster. However, only one could emerge victorious from this card slinging duel and on the biggest of stages, that person...was Scott 'I've never won this before' Hunter. Well deserved and a glorious moment I hope you will treasure forever!
And that brings us up to date - here we now are on the final Friday. I woke to the news that my family had to sleep over in Chicago. Fortunately they have squeezed onto an early morning flight so will eventually make it! I myself had one final scheduled trip to the Dayton Conference room. This program evaluation session was just an opportunity for me to sing the praises of an incredible summer and I'm sure all the other students will agree that we had an amazing time under the Big Sky. It is now sadly time to start packing and say goodbye to this adventure. One final group dinner at Columbos in the evening will bring us full circle as we eat the same beautiful pizza that brought us together on the first Monday. Just thinking about the heavenly meaty-tomatato BBQ combo is making me tear up.
So all that remains for me to say is a massive thank you to the REU and Montana State Uni for helping fund such a productive summer. Also a big thanks to my fellow students for making it a great adventure - as my previous blog entries show, we had some awesome trips. I feel at this point, the closing music of an epic movie should be playing...alas I only have spotify playing 'God Bless the USA (I'm Proud to be an American)'. Guess that will have to do. As this blog comes to a close I will miss and treasure these Montana memories. However, from one blog to another and this adventure onto the next, I'm sure exciting times are to follow. As I write this I am actually getting a message from my family who are out the front and keen to explore. I know my way around a bit now so I think I'm just about qualified to introduce them to the USA...so I better get down there and show them the crazy and awesome land of 'MERICA.
The End
Ⓒ Callum Fairbairn 2017 |