I spent the summer of 2007 working for the VIRGO project based in Italy, whose goal is to measure gravitational waves. I first learned about the opportunity to ‘Study Gravity Waves in Italy’ (to quote the subject of the e-mail I received) from the Caltech LIGO REU program in February. By March I had applied. By April I was teaching myself Italian because I was going to Italy! The program ran in parallel to CalTech’s LIGO REU program. In fact, I was in effect a LIGO REU student, which included the same living stipend. As I’d never before been out of the country, it took me some time to organize all the proper paperwork for a passport and a visa, but, by June, I was all set.



I worked for a group stationed at La Sapienza in the heart of Rome. Now no amount of audio tapes can possibly prepare you for the first time hearing and seeing a different language, and I very nearly lost my calm when I’d disembarked at Leonardo DaVinci - Rome’s international airport. Fortunately though, English is the tourist’s language, and, after navigating my way to the downtown train station, I was able to meet my mentor, and move my things into my apartment, which turned out to be a half hour’s bus ride off campus (not at all an uncommon thing overseas, it turns out). It took me a couple of days to get fully adapted first to living in another country, and second to living in a big, big, big city. I had three other roommates, all graduate physics students, and each from a different country. We all spoke English (turns out English is not just the tourist’s language but also the physicist’s), and they played a big part in helping me adapt to the new style of life.



I spent my weekdays on the university campus, working on my research project. For newly beginning experiments it turns out there are normally quite a few bugs to work out, and mine was no exception. I certainly learned a good deal of physics, but my progress was slow, and I did not and could not do much for the benefit of VIRGO, although I undoubtedly laid foundations for the next person who takes up the project. I worked closely with the professors in my group, but, unlike what I’d imagine is the case in the US REU programs, I had very little interaction with other undergrads or grad students, and I expect that severely hindered my progress. I spent my weekends exploring Rome. I got to spend nine weeks meandering around a city in which many people consider themselves lucky to spend even a few days. This was far and away the most rewarding part of my experience. I dedicated a day to visiting, for instance, the Vatican, or the ruins of the Forum. It’s worth saying, though, that such an experience would not be for the easily home-sickened because I knew no one in the country, and meeting new people on a limited understanding of the language was difficult at best – let’s just say I now have a much deeper appreciation for Facebook.



I also spent a week in Pisa, where the actual VIRGO interferometer is located, so that I could get a feel for the overall project of which I was doing such a small part. While staying at a hotel in Pisa, I visited some of the cities in the northwest of the country, including what may remain, even if I visit a hundred other countries in my lifetime, one of my favorite places on the planet: the Cinque Terre national park. While in Pisa, I was hosted by an American physicist who had just received his PhD and was spending a year working at VIRGO – it was very cool to see first hand one possible path for a ‘professional’ physicist. My REU was a fantastic experience. I learned first hand what it means to be one small cog in a huge, intricate physics experiment, which was something I’d heard, but never truly experienced before my REU. There was one point while I was visiting the interferometer that a conversation jumped from English to French to Italian and back to English – it was amazing to sense such community across national boundaries for a common purpose. Of course the fact that I got paid to spend ten weeks in the Eternal City, and the enthralling experience of learning a new language, culture, and way of life made my Research Opportunity a truly incredible Experience. (I mean for that ending to be as cheesy as possible!)

If anyone has any questions about the REU application process, or the program itself, feel free to e-mail me at OneStank@ufl.edu.