This first week with the CIRES RECCS program has been a whirlwind of new experiences. My only hesitation going into the first day of the program was that, being a non-traditional student, I would not have much in common with the other interns in my cohort. I was wonderfully surprised. I found myself being a relatively median age- and what a diverse crowd! Jumping right into team-building exercises, it was quickly so apparent that everyone had come from incredibly different backgrounds but shared the common drive for learning and research. Our overnight trip to the Mountain Research Station (MRS, if you will) really sealed the deal. With the help of Deb (praise Deb!) we all bonded more quickly than I could have ever hoped or expected. I look forward to having support from these humans in my day-to-day life for the next two months and beyond!
Post team-bonding, I got to jump right into working with my mentors, Katy and Greg. I am stationed in Benson Geology on CU Boulder campus- a really impressive building which I recommend checking out, if you haven’t already. On Day 1, Katy helped me set up my desk and introduced me to the software I will be using throughout the internship, Agisoft Metashape Pro, which performs photogrammetric processing of digital images (drone images of a debris flow site, in this case) and generates 3D spatial data. My mentors went above and beyond to make me feel included in the lab, and I was lucky enough to make a friend on my first day- a master’s student who works at the desk next to mine. I am excited to get to work and see what this next week brings!
— Keely
I was also relieved that the cohort is of a diverse age group. Glad you are in a fun and friendly lab!!