Perhaps I am high off the world right now - (No. 71)
I'm going to Nebraska, please.
I am fluctuating between being utterly exhausted and incredibly giddy. That is probably not a good sign. I feel like I can't focus either way. I think I woke too early. I woke early at 5:35, due to my garbage circadian rhythm not functioning right. I had planned to go swimming at 6:45, but that depended completely on me being at least moderately well-rested. Anyhow, I went, at 6:30 (after browsing news on my laptop in the dark for a while, unfortunately. I think sleepy brain causes unthinkingness). And then I went swimming. It felt ridiculous; I was just there, at the pool, in the middle of the night. Well, morning. To me, it felt like night. I am still exhausted and thoroughly wrung out.
This morning, this past half hour, had been spent on Handshake. Somehow, I found this incredible program. I bet most normal people wouldn't find it fun, but... Any normal person. My roommate would diss this idea so hard.
Yeah, so it's a REU at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska. First that caught my eye: $7000 stipend. And that includes housing as well. And the research projects, okay, I think I genuinely have a very nice shot. I am also interested. They had a ton of topics, most of them medical and bio-science-y, and I was about to click off when I spotted a Sustainability and Resilience in Rural Areas program. I actually fit that bill, very tightly. I think it might just happen. There are a few incredible projects. One, a classic machine learning project that involved hydrology. I'm like, yeah sure I'd do that. Whaaat. I already somehow have this strange, sneaking interest in agriculture, which I'd attest to being from Iowa, but even my Iowan peers don't know how many inches of topsoil we have. And how crop cover works and then till or no till. I dunno. I'm interested in actually using my Iowa-ness.
And then, there were more. There was remote sensing data collection... which I thought was cool until I found out they would be using drones *and* ML techniques, and data collection and geospatial data. I love it. That one, I am so thrilled about. I can imagine myself learning so much. It matches with a lot of my random interests, and I've been following drone development for a while, especially for what's going on Ukraine. If I could fly one of those drones, or even see them in-person, that'd be wonderful.
There's another one, with a Vietnamese co-mentor, that would train me on Multi-Sensor Fusion, and train me to "learn three well-known simulation software, VISSIM (microscopic traffic simulation software), TruckSim (heavy truck dynamics simulation software), and CARLA (autonomous driving simulator)".
The main thing is that I'm thinking: who else is applying for these random positions. And even then, I'm interested because I can feel like I fit there. I *do* have that rural background, and maybe this would be one of the rare cases being from Iowa gives me a boost. I got that Iowa credentials. And Grinnell is definitely rural, or at least borderline. I could see this being a very pleasant experience.
The thing is, I have to do it quick. I don't have much time. There are a ton of competing interests and programs. I haven't even finished my MidAmerican pitch. Well. I sure hope I can secure a job this summer. In the long run, though, there are these applications, and there are another set for my college applications. Again. Sometimes, it sucks if you think you have to repeat the college application process, all over again, but if you can frame it as another chance or self-reflection, I think it won't be too bad. Applications, applications.
I'm not sure why I'm so excited about this particular opportunity, though. It’s not like it’s the only one. But I’m enamored with its idea. I think because maybe it seems so real and in reach. It might actually happen, for real. And honestly, I wouldn't mind spending some time in Nebraska. Well1.
To me, I think it represents the next step forward. I have a lot I could talk about. I was directly affected by that one derecho2 in 2020, and it feels like full circle. The programs also don't require any pre-requisite knowledge. I have some, right, but not too much to make it seem like I'm overqualified. I even have that externship in Washington, on Sustainability and Rural Farming in Remote Areas (well that was a rephrasing... the essence is the same).
So this whole post, which was written in bullet points in my ObsidianMD notebook, was just about me gushing over this one random opportunity I found. A stray opportunity to go over to Nebraska, of all places, get paid, and do some crazy research. I am moving more and more towards the academia side of things, the doing research instead of crazy portfolio projects, and I just feel like industry doesn't offer that same feeling. They offer more money, for sure. Well. We'll see how things play out.
Mmm…. I dunno…..
Still not really sure what those are, but it was windy, it was borderline tornado-y, and half the trees in my neighborhood were downed, including my neighbor’s one right over his house.