The Intern Diaries: Suzanne Patton

Suzanne Patt is a senior computer science major from Manitowoc, WI studying Wireless Sensor Networks this summer at Texas State University. She is one of four Ripon College students sharing their stories of research internships and jobs over the course of this summer.

Getting here and Getting Settled
June 3rd, 2013
7:54pm

Well, I made it to San Marcos, Texas. Dad and I took off from Manitowoc Thursday morning. By the end of the first day we were in Arkansas. We found a drive-through liquor store; I cannot tell you how much this amused me. The second day consisted of twelve hours of driving – but we made it! Saturday was spent exploring Austin. As someone who is used to driving in Wisconsin, where the worst traffic is Milwaukee rush hour, driving in Austin is rather scary. Five lanes going 80 mph and a lot of people do not use their turn signals when they merge. I’m glad San Marcos isn’t as crazy! Also a note from the drive down: the further south we went, road kill seemed to be replaced with blown out tires. Random yes, something I still found worth noting.

Dad’s plane took off Sunday morning from Austin, and I was lucky enough that my GPS was able to find me less traffic-heavy roads then I-35 to get me back to San Marcos. I spent the morning moving in and making my room feel like home. I was happy that I decided to bring my posters and my fun lamp. My room in Texas now feels somewhat like my room in Mapes. I’ve gotten a lot of positive comments on my decorating. I just really do not like blank white walls.

Sunday night was my first chance to meet most of the other students in my program. Everyone seems pretty cool so far, and just about everyone comes from somewhere different. It feels neat to be the only person from the upper Midwest. There are a couple of students from the northeast, one from the northwest, a couple of locals, and about a half dozen from outside the United States. I really enjoy being around so many different accents! In addition, the pizza was pretty good as well. Afterward we persuaded the local students to give us a quick tour of campus. A good rule of thumb is figure out where you are in relation to the library. It is one of the biggest buildings on campus. Seven stories tall, it is very imposing but helpful because it gives you a distinct landmark to find your way around.

Today began my orientation. I received the key to an office I will share with my lab partner and got to meet my mentor. My lab partner and I began talking with our mentor about what to expect from this summer, and we received a link to a video that we are supposed to watch for tomorrow so we can familiarize ourselves with our research topic. I’ll give an overview of my research topic in my next blog post.

All in all, I think I’m really going to enjoy being here and learning new topics. San Marcos is such a beautiful campus, and I look forward to exploring new aspects of Computer Science and exploring more of the city that will be my home from the next ten weeks!

Until next time,
Suz

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To read more from Suzanne and our other summer bloggers, click HERE.

To learn more about Computer Science at Ripon College, click HERE.

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Posted June 7, 2013 in Student.

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