4/19/16

1. 4/19/16
1. Slept in
2. Math. Realized I hadn’t been hanging a ton with the math crowd, so got lunch with Andrew, Natalie, Emily.
3. Work, then off to CENPA! Met Ronaldo for an afternoon of research fun. Our task: to get some magnetic field measurements. We got our flux gate magnetometer set up, debugged it (iron tables suck), made sure north was the direction we expected. We tried a test run just holding the thing next to a ruler, but way too imprecise and difficult to hold the thing freehand at the right spot and at the right orientation.
4. We wanted to clamp the magnetometer to the ruler, but we couldn’t because the clamps were all iron or steel. So we spent a frustrating hour brainstorming how to attach the d**n thing. A threaded rod and nuts? All the rods we could find were magnetic. Screws and nuts? A pain, and none the right size regardless. An O-clamp--same problems. A custom-cut piece of styrofoam--maybe. We got close to sending me to the machine shop to make a custom aluminum clamp.  Ronaldo insisted we had to have an easier solution available, and I hit upon it--frickin’ rubber bands :D We raided the front office, amusing the deskperson on duty with our sophisticated experimental techniques. Then we took data. Ironically, the process was exactly like the incredibly-phony seeming “science” of the intro labs (I even had a lab partner!). Move the sensor, write down a number, repeat about 500 times :D
5. After CENPA, I headed back to Haggett, ate an apple with peanut butter for much needed impetus, then off to Glee. Good rehearsal.
6. Dinner at the 8 with Xin (outside). Tasty burrito :D Then to the IMA for some badminton. Defeated Xin soundly in an attempt to force him to up his footwork :D
7. Returned to Haggett, sent some emails, looked into Western’s summer programs (looks like you need a teaching certificate to teach). Lots of other little things ate up time. Went to the Nook for ice cream, split with Xin. Laundry.
8. Wrote this entry and shall hit the hay, so that I may work early tomorrow :D Cheers!