SETI Institute Hosts Summer Interns
SETI Institute, a nonprofit organization in California whose mission is to “explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe,” hosted three Principia interns this summer. Dr. Laurance Doyle, director of Principia’s Institute for the Metaphysics of Physics and a principal investigator and astrophysicist at SETI, helped match the internships to each student’s interests.
Senior Andy Crump, a computer science major, tracked the asteroidal and cometary sources of meteoroids, which is related to terrestrial impact predictions. Gabe Korinek, a 3+2 engineering science student, tested the use of geophysical signals to forecast earthquakes. And senior Susie Bonwich, a business administration major, learned about nonprofit fundraising in SETI’s Institutional Advancement Department.
Each of the internships provided remarkable access to people and equipment. Shadowing a scientist from Holland, Andy utilized SETI’s observatories to research meteor light curves, and cameras to record data. He wrote computer programs using MatLab and C++ to calculate where a meteor would hit and then linked the calculation with Google maps to determine the likely location. “My mission was to figure out information about light curves and about the density of the meteors that caused them,” he explains.
For Gabe, the biggest takeaway related as much to breadth as depth. “I was able to work with some incredible thinkers, including a scientist from Germany,” he comments. “I also hung out with people who were working with data from the Kepler space observatory and attended presentations on the James Web Space Telescope—a giant infrared telescope, 21 feet in diameter, that studies planet formations.”
Susie enjoyed broad exposure as well, getting to try a wide range of activities. She wrote a business plan, promoted the radio show, made improvements to the website, sat in on meetings with venture capitalists, worked on branding the institution, and incorporated social media into institutional fundraising. “The director of Institutional Advancement took me under her wing, and it was truly a hands-on experience,” she notes. “I also learned that scientists aren’t typically business-minded, and that fundraising for the organization requires continuous internal education.”
By all accounts, the summer was a success. “The mentors at SETI Institute had very positive things to say about the Principia College interns,” Doyle reports. “They represented the College very well, and each scientist said he would welcome such interns again!”