My stay in RTU was definitely one of those experiences I’d always
treasure and go back to. Although I have been here for only one and a half
months, I have learned so many things that opened my eyes to a broader view and
understanding of Astronomy. To be
honest, when I first contacted RTU about the internship, I didn’t know what to
expect. Yes, I’ll be spending my time in an office, gathering and interpreting
data, but those were the only things I was sure of. But being in an internship
is more than that—it’s about the work, the people, your contribution, and of
course, the things you’ll take with you after the immersion. RTU might have
been a completely different environment for me but the people here superbly
made me feel at home.
Compared to the research I’ve been doing in University of Michigan,
the research we’re doing here is more observational. Specifically, we catalog
the sun’s activities by taking note of its sunspot groups and their types. I
have never seen a more religious group of people when it comes to doing a task:
In the morning or at noon, we’d bring down the telescope and take probably six
or more pictures of the sun. Every chance that we get, we do this routine even
if we get all sweaty and tired (especially for the people carrying the telescope
down to the field and up again to the telescope room). My mentor even taught me
how to set-up a telescope and he really gave me a lot of opportunities to take
a more hands-on approach to Astronomy by doing observations.
They give this much support to me but it doesn’t compare to how
supportive they are of their students and their activities to promote
Astronomy. The teachers and students go to other schools and do stargazing to
spread Astronomy awareness. In fact, we recently went to Camarines Sur Polytechnic
Colleges to do stargazing for the school’s anniversary. I was happily a part of
this and I must say, nothing could make me happier than seeing people who have
no or little background in Astronomy get so interested and ask so many
questions. My teachers even let me conduct a lecture on Solar Observation and
even if it was my first time (I did extremely badly at it), they still gave me
a pat on the back. They were very generous that they let me partake in their
Solar Observation Program even if I was just new. Such is their belief in the
people who say that they want Astronomy to progress in the Philippines. The
faculty lets the students themselves to operate the telescopes and organize
activities—everything for people to know the importance of Astronomy in our
lives.
By the end of my internship, I realized a lot of things that no
other school could have taught me. Rizal Technological University is the only
school in the Philippines that offers Bachelor’s Degree on Astronomy and that
gives me a lot of hope. The Philippines may be a long way from being front
liners in this field but someone or something had to start the race or our
dreams to someday contribute a lot to Astronomy would never happen. The
department may be new but its people had been moving fast, contacting other
organizations, going to seminars even out of the country, to give its students
a better picture of Astronomy today. I really admire how The Department of Earth
and Space Sciences stands tall amidst all the challenges it faces and amidst
its being the first and only department to offer undergraduate studies in
Astronomy. And with all these realizations and wonderful memories, I’ll
definitely be leaving the country on a happy note, maybe even wanting to go
back and do this amazing one and a half months all over again. Thank you so
much, my RTU-DESS family!
- Andreia Jessica Carrillo
