I’m going to hop on the “this is about to end train” that’s been running past Freddy since halfway through the program. Usually, I keep working towards a deadline (like the end of a semester), don’t think much of it as it creeps forward, but once it flies by, I’m surprisingly lost: “what just happened?”. That’s what happened last semester, and what I suspect, will happen again this summer.

Before I came here, I faced a huge block of time at Iowa State, when I would be spending a majority of the summer. I came in with little to no expectations, so I can’t exactly say that ISU met my expectations or not. It’s been an enjoyable time, however, and I’ve liked my time here in ways I wouldn’t have anticipated. I’m trying to figure out how I can use what I’ve learned from here, but I think it’s best that I leave and find out later.

Today we had a luncheon lecture by Dr. Peng Wei. He talked about optimizing flight patterns. It made me really appreciate all the air traffic control and optimization work that is done behind the scenes every day. He also explained to us what drone racing was. The video Peng showed us made it look really cool! I don’t know how the pilots can manipulate those drones at such high speeds. Dr. Peng Wei seems to be really involved both in research and with his club, and he gave us some great life advice during lunch. It was overall a really interesting talk, and I think he’s a great role model for someone who’s interested in becoming a professor.