<p>Yay! We can all have a crash SAT session at SSP :)
It'll be great!</p>
<p>Oh, by the way, I TOTALLY OWN PAGE........THIS PAGE! :D</p>
<p>You people are right. I guess a summer in Socorro meeting new people and doing research will ultimately be better in the long run than studying for a bunch of tests.</p>
<p>fourth of julyyyy</p>
<p>shadowdance, you're such a romantic: "Summer is swimming and running through sprinklers and lemonade and getting sunburnt and misquito bites and mowing the lawn and painting picnic tables and hiking and canoeing and swinging on swings and reading books that aren't for school."</p>
<p>JM Pham, on a usage note, you should not tag toward with an "s": "But the fact of the matter is, momentum shifts toward SSP related activities" instead of towards SSP...</p>
<p>Hey guys, my friend sent me this article (or review) she found about SSP (i have great friends ^^) online. </p>
<p>Its neat - and it makes me more super excited haha. </p>
<h2>I thought you guys would be interested in hearing about SSP from another person's perspective. And from the looks of it, it seems pretty sweet :)</h2>
<p>Science Program New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
by Jeffrey L., Honolulu, HI</p>
<p>Socorro, NM: "Drinking water from a fire hose" is the perfect way to describe my six weeks at the Summer Science Program (SSP). The innovative hands-on approach where I used telescopic observations, measurements and computer software to determine the orbit of an asteroid, prompted me to reach higher than I thought possible.</p>
<p>The Summer Science Program was launched in 1959 in response to America's emerging space program. Every summer, 30 sophomores and juniors from around the world spend six weeks immersed in math, physics and astronomy.</p>
<p>It is hard to imagine a more eclectic group. We came from 14 states, and I did not meet a single person I would consider "normal." Indeed, many of their interests seemed almost paradoxical and in utter defiance of stereotypes. I met Mireille, a cheerleader and tennis player who wants to enter the Air Force, and Sean, a lacrosse player who asked his mom to send him homemade cookies and the Wall Street Journal. Dinner conversation included passionate debates over political issues and equally intense discussions about "The Simpsons." The diversity made for a vibrant community, where a bunch of misfits suddenly fit in. With this new unity, we combined our talents to accomplish tasks that seemed as unreachable as the stars themselves.</p>
<p>The biggest task, of course, was the orbit determination project, the core of the program. In teams of three, we guided an eight-inch refractor telescope to scan the New Mexico skies. Once we found our specific asteroid, we took a 10-minute exposure. My teammates and I did this observation eleven times during the two weeks, once every three nights. We took a total of 13 exposures to obtain the necessary three usable exposures that were in focus and not scratched.</p>
<p>Observing sessions were not all work; in fact, most nights were also spent watching shooting stars, scaring other teams, and memorable 1 a.m. trips to Denny's (making up for the cafeteria's not-so-fabulous dinner).</p>
<p>During the day, Dr. Hammergren, the director of the Doane Observatory in Chicago and Dr. Russell, a physics teacher and recent graduate of MIT, packed a semester of calculus, physics, astronomy and computer programming into 140 hours of lectures. Discouraged at first by the marathons through endless labyrinths of topics that might as well have been Greek, I began to doubt myself. I was surprised to find that many of my peers, who had already aced the BC Calculus exam as sophomores or juniors, actually felt the same way. But as the "fire hose" sprayed on, I resolved that I would try my best to follow the next day's lecture. I poured all my concentration into every variable and every formula. And with a worn-out wrist and eraser, I finally got it. I realized that, with enough focus and determination, I could learn at a rate I'd thought impossible.</p>
<p>The best part of the program was not the incredible amount of academics, but the interaction with my peers. Every Saturday night we would watch at least three movies, one after another, until 5 a.m., packed like sardines in a too-small room. We took a field trip to the Very Large Array near Socorro where "Contact" was filmed. We saw the majestic Pueblo ruins and walked to a golf course to watch spectacular Fourth of July fireworks. To combat one day's sweltering heat (it was usually over 100), the professors cancelled lectures and staged an elaborate water fight against students.</p>
<p>I knew nothing about astronomy before SSP and didn't need to. I cannot think of a better foundation for a science program that incorporates many fields of science - physics, chemistry and biology - and has a certain romantic, or idyllic, appeal. There is nothing that can describe the experience of gazing at thousands of stars in the enchanted sky, with absolutely no light pollution to diminish their gleam.</p>
<p>At SSP, I gained the invaluable experience of strengthening my academic skills and relished the atmosphere of my down-to-earth, self-motivated peers. During the last week of the program we stayed up day and night, savoring each moment. Six weeks may seem like a small part of one's life, but the Earth is also a small part of the universe. To spend this time with the same people and share their struggles and successes left us all close, and we still keep in touch.</p>
<h2>SSP prompted me to reach higher - not in competition, but in collaboration - not to prove myself to the world, but to challenge myself. The once-in-a-lifetime experience I had at SSP showed me that, truly, the sky's the limit.</h2>
<p>...We'll top it this year :)</p>
<h2>And oi! I found a schedule on the official site haha and I thought i'd post it for y'all to see. :)</h2>
<p>The basic daily routine is: breakfast, morning lecture, lunch, afternoon lecture, dinner. Each night after dark, some teams of students are scheduled to make an observation of their asteroid at the telescope. Observing may continue until well a
fter midnight.</p>
<p>Research team meetings are held weekly. There are no lectures on Wednesday or Saturday afternoons. A recreational trip is scheduled on Wednesday afternoon. On Saturday afternoon, students are taken into town. A movie is shown every Saturday evening.
Sunday is an open day, with transportation provided for those who wish to attend religious services. Activities such as hikes and games are available. All labs are open for use. After dark, observing sessions are scheduled as usual.</p>
<hr>
<p>If we can, we should all go out on one of the recreational trips to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when it comes out. I wonder how far back they plan the recreational trip and if we get any input.</p>
<p>Lol, you know you're a dick right Matt?</p>
<p>Jk...</p>
<p>i want to see lady in the water</p>
<p>m. night shyamalan went to my previous school</p>
<p>i also know that CC doesnt censor the word ass as long as one does not use it derogatorily</p>
<p>i.e. jeremy pham = ass</p>
<p>Did anyone see the Omen?</p>
<p>i hear its too much a copy of the previous omens</p>
<p>They said we watch a movie every Saturday. Do you think they would make us pay for it? T_T Cuz that would be sad.</p>
<p>Hey, kisstheskyxx, I just noticed you lived in NM, so do I. Do you live in Albuquerque?</p>
<p>i wouldnt mind paying for it but i think it def should be included in field trip expenses</p>
<p>new mex students go 4 FREE hehe</p>
<p>Redparrot, yes, I live in New Mexico.
But no, i don't live in Albuquerque. I live in Las Cruces, the city of crosses :)</p>
<p>I'm Ahra, btw.</p>
<p>hi ahra nice to meet you</p>
<p>Don't listen to him, he's yellow. XD</p>
<p>Lol at JM/Matt.. Btw, both towards and toward are correct... Towards is british and toward is american... Ahhh that SAT grammar studying pays off.. hehe :)</p>
<p>Hey thats a great article... but you know that we're all going to have an even more amazing time than he did!</p>
<p>Movies! Other than Pirates2... does anyone know of anything else that's coming out this summer that looks good?</p>
<p>oh... and for the record... I HATE grammar...</p>
<p>So if you're British, and you take the SATs in London, and theres like a grammar question on the test, and its about toward/towards, and they want the answer to be toward, and you put towards, because to you, it's correct, have you just forfeited your chance at a perfect score? And in similar situation, if you write toward in your essay, and your grader is British, and s/he counts it wrong, are you just another victim of grammar? Wow... now I have something to blame my poor writing score on...</p>