Originally I'd planned on just sleeping in a bit and not going into work, but it turned out now that since I finished my pong game, I needed to set up a laptop computer with the software in order that we could show it off at the RISE symposium this afternoon.

So, we got that working on Suvarcha's computer and then packed up some other things we decided to take to the Symposium...

Mom and Paula picked me up at work and we drove over to my apartment so that we could change for the occasion.  I had to be there by 11:45am, so we ended up leaving my apartment around 11:20.... My RISE team had decided to get stuff for our Faculty advisor and all the students in the lab as a token of our appreciation, so we had to sit around and sign cards for everyone.  Maria's family brought a carnation for each of us on the team - they were really nice people and invited me to come stay with them any time I wanted!  :) 

Anyway, the Symposium went well... it was kinda long, but it was neat to get to see the final results from everyone's varied projects.  After all the presentations (each team had a half our), including a break in the middle for poster displays and such, the RISE program directors had a closing which including presenting each of us with a nice plaque in honor of us completing the RISE program.   

I've included some pictures from the Symposium... there were windows everywhere, so the lighting was all messed up for picture-taking.

Kara and Kelly

Bahara and Reji

Jeff and Colleen

Anita and Allison

This is me rambling on about Transistor Chip Test Procedures

Lindsay and Maria

From Left:  Lindsay, Aimi, Maria, Jean-Marie, Pamela, and Me

Our Poster - It looks quite well if I do say so myself (well, aside from the UMD logo)!

Patti and Geetika

Sarah and Niloo

Me receiving my RISE certificate from Kristin Vogt and Linda Schmidt

After everything was over, I had to say my goodbyes... Pamela also opened her house up to me if I ever wanted to come visit. 

Then, Paula, mom and I came back to my apartment, changed clothes again, and I worked on packing a bit... then we went to dinner at Benningan's.  After dinner I pretty much finished packing most everything that I wasn't planning on using tonight... so I think it'll be a relatively easy process tomorrow.

This has been an AMAZING summer... I might not have been fully engaged in my work (though the pong game was still pretty cool), but everything else I did seems surreal... I've had so many awesome experiences this summer, and I've also developed so many new relationships and strengthened so many more already existing ones... I've gotten to travel a good bit... short distances from where I'm staying like DC, Baltimore with Bryan, Annapolis, Alexandria; and also longer distances:  VA Beach with Charles and Mike, NYC with Jamie, and Oshkosh with the design team.

Anyway, I'll get off my sentimental kick... and close out this the last entry of my RISE experience.  I'll probably still use this journal for the rest of the summer and see how that goes... maybe I'll have to keep on doing something more like this for my normal life... we'll see!  ;)