BVR SUMMER FELLOWSHIP

Wednesday today was busy, as we started off by walking to the Chan school and attended a unique lecture by Dr. Sappho Gilbert and her research in the Arctic, specifically involving Inuit and indigenous communities and nutrition, as they primarily continue to hunt for food by fishing or whaling. We understood how climate change has affected the Arctic, causing disturbances in fish migration, sickness, extreme weather, and more. After we met up with former House Rep Jeffery Sanchez to explore the Mission Hill area, walking around and learning about the history of buildings in Boston, as well as learning how he has advocated closely for his community. We ended our tour by having lunch in the garden of Boston's Basilica! Afterward, we headed to Harvard Square and had some free time to explore, including going to the Coop, getting more boba, buying a record at a record shop, and more. Around the corner, we got a tour of Harvard's main campus with a sophomore student, learning about the structure and history of the University. Finally, my group had dinner at the Silk Road, a Uyghur restaurant in Cambridge, and took the T back home to Simmons :)

My favorite seahorse during feeding time

Building remote-controlled airplanes in the Applied Physics & Engineering program at the Boston Leadership Institute (BLI) is the ultimate hands-on adventure. I transitioned directly from classroom concepts to the workshop, applying critical principles of aerodynamics, thrust, and lift to design custom aircraft from scratch. The real thrill happened out on the field, where I tested my creation and even navigated unexpected crash landings or mechanical tweaks.

A close up of our broken wing after a crash landing.

Tomorrow is finally the day our class heads to Canobie Lake Park, and the excitement is real! Today in class, we got a sneak peek at the science powering the thrills by diving into the physics behind some of the park's most iconic rides. From the gravity-defying centripetal force that keeps everyone secure to the precise shifts between potential and kinetic energy on the big drops, it turns out every twist and turn is a real-world science lesson. It is going to be incredibly fun to experience these textbook formulas firsthand while flying through the air with friends!

The plane of your dreams.

Brain break!!

Today we got to play a lot of games with all of the campers. Having one group was fun and made it so we could play more complex games!

Today at community servings I bagged soup and scooped hummus.

Started deep diving on Monday and Tuesday at the Chan school, listening to an array of guest speakers, including alumni of the program, professors, directors of sustainability at companies, and even a CEO of a non-profit working with health workers to strengthen health systems in relation to climate change. We then spent time with our action focus groups, learning from our instructors, discussing with our peers, and even joining other groups! Aside from learning, we continued doing fun activities, including blind hot sauce tasting, vision boarding, kayaking on the Charles River, playing volleyball, getting boba, and ultimately ending the night with a chaotic game of Uno.

Feeding Daphne her midday snack of peanuts

On Friday at tenacity we had the kids make teams and play a world cup where they competed as different countries. It was really fun to help lead and organize the teams!

Today at tenacity we did coloring, word searches, games and went to the playground!

We had another story time yesterday!