Meeting and meetings

Meeting took place in two forms today. One was an introduction to new people and the other was a time when mentors presented research to the students. After a great breakfast outside with a few REU students, we all piled into a small conference room in UGA's physics building to hear the professors give orientation talks about the program. After a brief lesson on a computer program that reduces gathered astronomical data everyone answered the beckoning grumble in our stomachs.

Lunch was spent at a little Italian restaurant somewhere in Athens that played great jazz over its intercom. Sitting at a big, group table I got to talk with more people from the group and the bonding only got stronger. One thing is apparent. The mentors in this program choose their students wisely. Not specifically because one student has a better GPA than the next but they chose students who could work on a project well and also be a good human being. I also think there is a bit of type-matching that took place. Erika and her mentor Dr. Rumstay are both theatre buffs. Dr. Leake and I are both laid back and slightly tilted personalities. Matt Wood and one of his students share a vigor for atheletic activity. It's a great way to get a group together. It helps me realize that the world does have a heart and that jerks don't get all the perks in life.

Well now that our stomachs were full of good, breathy food the group wandered back into the artificially lit conference room where we finished up the talks for the day. Recess time followed the meeting and the discussion of an ultimate frisbee game turned into a reality. The group of astronomers formed a large ring in a field on campus and threw around a frisbee and my aerobee to warm up for the showdown. When the game finally begun, I was reminded that my body only really likes short spurts of fast exercise. You could graph my speed, endurance, and accuracy with a hyperbolic curve. It slowly faded into a pathetic game where I wondered, "Hmm... The frisbee's way over there and there's no way I'll get to it in time. So, I may as well walk. Oh. They scored. Back to the other end of the field..."

Nevertheless, the much needed exercise was a great time with everyone. I was particularly impressed with the head of the SARA REU program, Dr. Matt Wood. Dawning an uncanny resemblence to engineer Miles O'Brian on Star Trek, he flew up and down the ultimate field so well as to make nearly everyone there half his age seem, well, old. The game was completed when my team was trounced by the opponents without scoring a point. No matter, a thunderstorm threatened the area and I was ready to dedicate my attention to it. No sooner than we gathered our stuff and headed towards the hotel than did the sky open up upon us. Jason and I slowly progressed towards the hotel and we enjoyed the warm daluge. I saw no lightning but was in awe with the towering clouds and bellowing thunder.

Well all spent dinner at a Thai/Chinese as the conversation at out table (1 of 2) got audibly out of hand. Not only did we stay for hours at this place but we got really verbal! There wasn't an opinion at the table that went unheard when the subject was movies. And speaking of movies, we all got the urge to see Star Wars: Episode I that night. With dinner barely settled in our stomachs the group piled into a couple vans and headed to the theatre for the science-fiction spectacular. It was enjoyed by all, even those of us for whom it was the forth time seeing it — like me.

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Fri. June 4, 1999

Meeting and meetings

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