VICTORY

Ok not really, but for the summer yes. On Wednesday I went in after lunch to finish going over my files plus some PADS basics with Jim. We then spent a couple hours with Steve discussing what to do next with the boards and the MAVEN project. Apparently, it is a rather low-priority project right now. For now it looks unlikely that I will continue to work part-time during the semester--I have 19 units right now, 23 if you count waitlisted units. At the least, I'll go in like once a month to stay on payroll.

And as for next summer, we'll see. Jim said that things will really pick up next year, and I'll definitely get hired again, maybe even work with a new undergrad, since I already know the workings of everything. Unless I find a Way better opportunity somewhere else, I'll probably stay on and move this project along. In the meantime, my files will have to be cleaned up, whether by me or by Bruce.

Something else I forgot to mention last time--the Lawrence Hall of Science! It's just below the hill, and it's kind of like an Exploratorium. Lots of different exhibits for kids to explore. I often see school buses taking schoolkids there. There're a fountain and killer whale in the front too! Here are a few pictures:

The last thing that's kinda cool is the radio telescope in the woods a short walk from the SSL. I think it's pretty small, but it's this first one I've seen in real life. This is a shot from the top of the Addition building:

And here's one from behind, except it's on the other side of a fence that I can't cross. -_-

But yeah, there we go. I think that about sums my summer up (on the Berkeley side anyway). Not sure if I'll keep posting, but yup. I'm definitely not done with the SSL yet, so we'll see you guys again soon!

Almost There!

So today I went to work again at the usual time and left at the same time as well. Well, for all the hours I was actually there, I did almost no real work at all. The only reason I went was because I was to help Jim get started in PADS and transfer to him my files. That didn't happen until like after 3 (why did I go in so early? -_-), so the rest of the time I was just fooling around as usual. Pretty uneventful day, as it will be tomorrow as well, but after this I'm pretty much finished.

It was such a nice day today though! Here's a lovely view of north Berkeley from the lab--this is how high up we are.

Here's another one taken on a foggier day from before. You can see the Campanile and the surrounding area (how small it looks from this distance!). Notice the patches of sun in the distance. It was pretty cool to see, especially with the clouds rolling through so quickly.

One last thing: notice that circular thing at the bottom? That's actually the Cyclotron, a miniature version of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. If you still don't know, it's also known as a particle accelerator or atom smasher. Here's a zoom-in of it:

It's part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL), owned by the U.S. Department of Energy but managed by the UC. So as you might think, it has quite a well-renowned reputation. Wish I could go there and take a look!

O yeah

I forgot to mention I got a sample of the anode (circular) board with the actual parts attached to it. It's in a sealed plastic bag, as I'm not supposed to take it out. Picture time!

I'm basically done with my work at this point. I didn't go today, but I'll probably go in tomorrow. I need to give my final files to Jim. He also wants me to teach him how to use PADS, having only acquired it recently himself. Classic example of our generation surpassing the baby boomers! Here are a couple snapshots of my product.


I'm a little frustrated that I couldn't get the bottom two sectors to be blue. Well, I could just Make them blue, but the electrical details are still a little different. O well, it still works out in the end; colors are only for aesthetic purposes anyway.