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Week 2
Friday 7/12
In the morning we had lab and continued to dehydrate our biodiesel. This day went better than Wednesday and everyone was able to get their biodiesel dry enough for tests the next week.
In lecture, we watched some pretty impactful documentaries on water and climate change, emphasizing how important it is for us to be innovative and understand how to mitigate climate change.
Tonight was COSMOlympics night, the night we had prepared for all week. First were the skits and honestly, we did the best (if readers were analyzing this newsletter we would call this bias and foreshadowing). Everything went as smoothly as we could have hoped and our Powerfuel Girls were the belles of the ball. After dinner, it was time for the activity part. We participated in three events: water balloon toss, a sponge game, and a three-legged race. Once we concluded the race, it was finally time to introduce the winners for the skit. We held our breaths as third place was called: it wasn't us. Second place was called: it wasn't us. And first place was.....
So......WE WON COSMOLYMPICS!! At least, the skit part (but that's the part people care about). Our Powerfuel Girls were able to save the earth from the harmful fossil fuels, entertaining the audience and handing them a sweet treat afterward. Also, it's not like we did terribly in the activity part either---we got second, surprisingly! We're glad we could hold onto the crown left behind by last year's Cluster 6 class. We will likely upload a video of our skit at a later date so please check back in if you want to watch it!
Saturday and Sunday 7/13-7/14
On Saturday, we went to the beach! It was really nice being able to get off the UCSD campus for a bit and explore La Jolla Shores and the surrounding shops. There were people playing beach volleyball, playing card games, and even just walking on the beach. The best part about it was being able to explore more of San Diego and take a break from our work.
Sunday was relaxing as we had more time off to ourselves. Many finished their laundry and hung out with friends.
Monday 7/15
Today is the first day we can walk to class without RAs! This morning we made our way to the York lab to continue analyzing our biodiesel. Lab groups were split into different activities, from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS).
After lunch, we went to the Natural Science Building for our last lecture with Professor Pomeroy. We learned about the inner workings of a diesel engine, the benefits of algae biodiesel, and did more review on chemistry.
Tuesday 7/16
We began the day preparing for the ethics presentation on Friday, working on writing scripts, creating slides, and running through presentations.
After lunch, we split into project groups and continued our projects. Some people did more chemical reactions while others prepared solutions to be tested.
Wednesday 7/18
Today we had a field trip with Cluster 3 to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and learned about the Scripps Ocean-Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS). The team at SOARS, including UCSD students and teachers, introduced us to a project they're working on in order to protect people living near contaminated sea water. After we toured the building and ate lunch, we traveled to our next stop, the Carlsbad Aquafarm. Here, we were given a tour and explanation into the farm's oyster-and-mussel-harvesting process, and many of us were able to try raw oysters. Our final stop was Roger's Community Garden, the student garden on campus. We saw butterfly cocoons and many types of fruits and vegetables!
Thursday 7/19
This morning we began our day in the NSB, joining a Zoom meeting with past COSMOS alumni and learning about their experiences. The rest of the morning was dedicated to finishing up our Ethics presentations before we headed to lunch.
After lunch, we went to York lab and split into project groups to continue our progress. We're excited to show everyone what we've been working on at the end of the program!
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