Experiences I Found Useful

I wanted to share some experiences that I’ve found incredibly fun, and that have led me to start my literature review. The summer after my freshman year, I attended my first Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth residential camp, where I took a course on global politics. I enjoyed exploring the similarities and differences between policies governing maritime waters and those applying to outer space. The summer after my sophomore year, I returned to the camp, this time taking a course on astrophysics, where I investigated sunspots and neutron stars. Then, during the second semester of my junior year, I took a dual enrollment course on Solar System Astronomy, which explored possible research areas for NASA and ESA to focus on in future projects. All the while, I co-led my school’s Women in STEM Club, where I got the chance to interview a solar physicist, which served as the catalyst that led me to start researching solar storms. 

Since this summer began, I’ve enjoyed browsing Google Scholar, finding free articles that enabled me to see what researchers have focused on. I’ve started reading through the lecture notes on MIT OpenCourseWare, working my way through the courses titled Modern Astrophysics, Astrophysics I, and Space Policy Seminar. I’m excited to see what else catches my attention, and I’ll report back on how my research paper is developing!