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Hey, folks! Well, the semester is drawing to a close (a fact that I'm quite excited about) and I haven't written anything in a while, so here I am.

First of all, I have had the honor of being chosen as the winner of the Laura B. Eisenstein Award for the outstanding undergraduate female physics major. Very exciting! I mean, I know that I'm keeping my head above water, but I didn't realize that I was actually being "outstanding" or anything. These things are decided by committee, and I didn't even know that people in the department even knew who I was! But anyway, I get to go to a little lunch with other award winners, so that's cool. Also, it will look great on my CV and grad school applications!

I got an REU at Montana State University this summer, where I will be studying solar physics. It's in Bozeman, which I guess is not that far from like, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park, so I'm expecting to have fun and learn a lot! I'll be there from late May to mid-August. And they're paying me, so I can't complain.

I was informed by the physics department that they chose me as their nominee for the UIUC Women in Engineering Kirkwood Scholarship, a fact by which I felt very honored. I don't know what my competition is for it, but considering that you have to be nominated by your department to be considered for it, it's probably not too bad. I'm not getting my hopes up for actually winning, but I was happy just to be nominated. I guess it makes me feel like people are noticing what I'm doing, so... that's cool.

Well, I think that's it for now. Finals are in about three weeks, and once those are finished, my sister and Nathan and Mom and Dad and Aunt Barbara will all be in town for graduation weekend. Jennifer is coming back to get hooded for her Ph.D., even though she was really done last August, so it will be full of fun and celebration! Then a couple of weeks before I head out to Montana. I'm driving, and it's doable in two days, but I'm thinking I'm going to take three so I can detour through the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Anyway, so... that's all folks!