Marie Lu
Heritage Intern: Summer 2004
There are some differences between Los Angeles,
where I am a sophomore at the University of Southern
California, and here in Baltimore, where the STScI
is stationed. The sky actually drops rain here,
and you cannot physically see the air. The roads
are narrower, and the drivers friendlier. There
are no palm trees. There are definitely bugs. And
although Los Angeles may have more celebrities,
Baltimore has something that treats me better: the
merry folk at the STScI who have given me an entirely
new and utterly fascinating view of astronomy in
action.
While I am a double major in Biological Sciences
and Political Science (a bizarre and invigorating
combination), my first and current hobbies tend
to revolve around illustration/art and astronomy.
As a child, I would tape over my mother's Food Channel
episodes with NOVA reruns and check out those "How
to Draw 50 Horses" books at the library. Now,
as an older child, I am captivated by space/time
theories and Pixar Animation. The opportunity to
work at STScI allowed me a chance to combine all
of my diverging interests--pooling an eclectic mix
of digital art skills with the research of images
taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It also allowed
me to see how the Institute communicates and connects
with the general public, a valuable experience that
will help with my future career interests in policy
and administration.
Although I was born near Shanghai, China, I moved
to the States at the age of 5 and have happily accepted
Sugar Land, Texas as my home turf. When I'm not
working in Baltimore or educating myself in Los
Angeles, I like to play (and usually lose) the occasional
tennis match, write, exercise, eat gourmet cheesecake
(I'm working my way through the Cheesecake Factory's
menu), and spend hours lost among the bookshelves
of Barnes & Noble. I also played the piano for
10 years, and still enjoy hitting the keys whenever
I have a chance. My hobby for life will probably
always be art, though; I am a staunch digital art
supporter, and loved learning new techniques with
Photoshop during my internship that I intend to
apply later on in my future artwork..
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