Trabajo en La Universidad Autónoma

Apart from taking in the sights, smells, food, and culture, we also had the incredible opportunity to partake in various internships all over Madrid. Of the three offered (Hotel San Mauro, wibiGoo, and Universidad Autónoma) Dee and I worked at the Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid (ICMM) where we learned anything ranging from Quantum Physics to Nanoparticles. 

Dee walking to up the front stairs to the. ICMM at La Universidad

Specifically, the lab that we worked in was oriented around machines called STMs (Scanning Tunneling Microscopes) which take advantage of the quantum properties between a point which carries a current and a semiconductor. Thus utilizing the conducive properties of the metal, the STM was able to take a topographic image of this "muestra", a.k.a the metal being observed. Long story short: physics in Spanish=like nothing I've learned before. Ever. 

STM machine with Irene, one of our metors who is from Las Islas Canarias

Here is a topographic image of gold, taken using the STM

A poster of some of the work done at the ICMM

During our two EXTREMELY fast weeks at the Autónoma, I can say confidently that I learned. Having never taken a course in physics, let alone material physics, I think you can get a pretty clear idea of my initial reaction... But as time went on, and our mentors (Irene and Rebecc) at the university, currently working on their doctoral theses, helped us to understand what they were doing (keep in mind almost entirely in Spanish), Dee and I were able to follow along and even build upon what we were observing! Not only did we learn an abundance of physics, but it was also a great immersion experience. We ate lunch every day with our post-grad mentors and their friends. This not only was a source of immersion, but also entertainment! Everyone that we met was so friendly and obviously well versed in their area of research; not only that, they were excellent teachers of colloquial sayings and gave us a snippiet of culture! 

As a gift to say thank you to our mentors, in memory of a game trash can paper toss we played one day, Dee and I decided to get them a Little Tykes basketball hoop and ball to keep in the lab for down time. And for our last lunch at work? Paella! 

Looking back now, just two hours off of our last day, I can say that I am immensely grateful, and can't wait to apply what I have learned here to both my Spanish class and as well my Physics class this coming school year! 

(For anyone interested this video, constructed from images of atoms manipulated by STMs, is related to the research conducted at the ICMM--thought the video was created at IBM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0)