Introduction
Hello! My name is Adam, and for the past year I have been completing my masters in Physics and Astronomy at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics. This will be my take on what it was like living in America, and what kind of opportunities were available on this program!
Somerville
We were located in a small vibrant city called Somerville, just east of Cambridge and about a 30 minute journey into Boston. Immediately you notice how friendly everyone is, how wide the roads are, how big the houses are, and how everyone is seemingly boasting the American flag on their front porch. A trip into Boston is always worth doing, however once you’ve seen it, there is not much to do.
The downside of living here was undoubtedly how expensive everything was. Eggs were around $6/dozen, and if you wanted bread that wasn’t filled to the brim with chemicals, you are likely splashing out $5 on a small loaf. This area of New England also experiences strong weather across all seasons. It was common to endure temperatures above 30°C and extreme humidity in the summer, and then have to walk into work at -12°C surrounded by snow during the winter!
Centre for Astrophysics
The Centre for Astrophysics (CfA) is a building slightly off Harvard campus that is operated by both the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University. It is a world-leading hub for astrophysics research, with internal and external academic talks being hosted daily, and plenty of opportunities to connect with other students or research fellows.
I always attended the Astro-AI talks on Mondays, and took advantage of the free sandwiches available during the Thursday seminars. If you played it right, you could get a free lunch everyday by going to the right talks!
Social hours were also common, with a ‘cookie hour’ every Tuesday and gatherings at the end of each working week to celebrate the arrival of the weekend. We quickly befriended the first year Harvard graduate students (G1s) who were very outgoing, and introduced us to many clubs and restaurants in the area.
AAS
One of the main networking opportunities available to us was the trip to the 245th AAS (American Astronomical Society) meeting held in National Harbour, Maryland. This trip was fully funded, and lasted around 5 days in January of 2025.
The resort was impressive to say the least, and was directly attached to the convention centre where hundreds of presentations and talks would occur everyday. Many more booths were set up from leading organisations to advertise their current research and projects, attracting over 3,500 astronomers from across the country to this single meeting.
Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed the amenities, such as the pool, gym and extensive dining options in the resort. The location also meant that we could quickly hop into Washington DC and see various monuments such as the White House and the Capitol Building.
Travel
Without a doubt, the part that I enjoyed most was the travelling (including the AAS meeting!). The USA is such a huge country filled with impressive landmarks and terrains, that it would be a shame not to explore at least some of it.
In December of 2024, I decided to go on a 5 day trip around the country and see as much as possible (sleep was optional). We stopped in Las Vegas for 3 days, then headed to San Francisco for a day, and finally arrived in Buffalo NY before heading home. I was able to knock out 3 famous landmarks, notably the grand canyon, golden gate bridge, and Niagara falls all in under a week!
And that’s not the end of it. In April of 2025, I also travelled to the state of Utah and went on a 4 day road trip across many of the national parks located there! This included the Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Arches National Park.
Results & Discussion
Overall this was an incredible experience. Being able to meet and work with so many leading astronomers definitely helped me with my research and advanced my interest in the topic. Living in America, while expensive, was refreshing and enjoyable. The streets were clean, the cities had true character, and while most areas of America are not walkable, this place certainly was.
My advice is to truly take advantage of the opportunities provided, and to invest in travel experiences that genuinely offer an insight on what the country has to offer.
Conclusion
I cant wait to return back to the US in the future, thanks for reading!
References
Me innit