Week 10


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July 31 – August 4

I spent the first two days of this week preparing for my final presentation, which can be accessed here.

I am leaving my MSU directory with a readme file describing the various procedures I have written and adapted throughout the summer, but I am also hoping to continue working remotely with Dr. Qiu into the coming semester. I believe that I can still make myself useful, at least with certain parts of the analysis. It's an exciting time, heading into my second year of school—finally tackling some of the upper level classes that will lead me towards a greater understanding of the theory I've been exposed these past few weeks!

This REU has been both a constructive and humbling experience. I know that I have a lot to learn, but I have a lot of people to thank for both the new foundations I have laid and the progress I have made this summer...

... my fellow students, for all the fun times in our little windowless computer lab; for Baldy Crew adventures and farmers' market runs; for many a lunchtime conversation covering everything from our Netflix queues to exactly how IDL stabbed us in the back that morning. It wouldn't have been the same experience without them all!

... Dr. Eric Priest, of the University of St. Andrews, for his skill at getting us thinking quickly on our feet; for his candor and open-mindedness; and for his belief in me, which he expressed at a particularly crucial point during the summer.

... Montana State University and the National Science Foundation, for their continued support of the solar physics REU program. I am quite thankful to have been able to make it to Bozeman!

... and, of course, my advisor, Dr. Jiong Qiu, for her continuous guidance and immense patience; for her confidence in me and willingness to let me try to tackle new tasks on my own; and for the part she played as a strong female role model for me as I move onward in my scientific career. Meeting other women working in physics, from my peers to graduate students to professors, has been a vital part of this summer for me.

Should any future REU students find themselves this deep in my summer website, for some unknown-to-me reason, I readily invite them to contact me at lbraltsk@gmail.com should they have any questions about my experience (or anything, really).

Thanks again to everyone I've met at MSU for such a great experience!

© bralts-kelly 2017