Week+of+Oct+12-16




I was sick with a high fever both today and yesterday. I went to school on today, but did not go yesterday. The reason I attended school today was because I had to take the PSAT. Because I wasn't feeling well I did not go into the lab. I emailed Becky ahead of time to inform her that I would not make it into the lab. I also had multiple tests the next day because I had to make up the tests that I missed on Tuesday.

16th of October
Today in the lab I went in to the lab for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I switched out my gold sample and put it into the scope. I started to scan and the scope was drifty, but I was unable to find a good area to scan so I searched around and found nothing. I opened up the scope box in order to actually move the gold sample so that the tip would be hitting another portion of the gold. I realligned the laser and closed the box. I again began scanning and was unable to find any good areas to scan and I had a bad tip so I opened the box again and I changed the tip and moved the sample again. This continued for most of the time, but I was unable to get one image that was quited fuzzy. The last time I actually took the tip out and clipped a new one the new tip was possibly the worst tip I have ever seen. The forward scan window and reverse scan window had images in the two of them that looked absolutely nothing alike. So I did more work today changing tips and searching for an area, but I didn't get any good results. Because I was not getting any good images I was unable to shoot the laser again to see before and after images, but I shot the laser anyway just to see if it was still changing the needle as drastically as it had two weeks ago. I did not align the laser the same way though, by shooting the sampe first and then realligning. The laser didn't really move the needle because the feedback was drifting and the laser was going against this drift, but it was holding the needle steady. I looked at the sample holder and I may need to put a new sheet of the microtherm thin-sheet insulator on the sample holder.

About the Intel Talent Search I looked on the website and read over alot of the information and even though I worked throughout the summer I do not see my self being able to put together a project on my research thus far. During the summer I attained the skills necessary for me to do my project and worked on my project, but I have yet to really see any results of the gold changing so far. I have shot the laser and seen temperatures change and the gold expand, but I have been able to see changes to the gold that are not just physical. I also right now am very busy and I would not be able to put together a project to enter by November 18th. I would be interested in doing this next once I have gathered more research I have the summer to work on creating a project.

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