Just wrapped up an incredible summer at the Naval Research Lab, and wow—what an experience! I had the chance to work with some truly talented people, while also getting exposure to how the Navy works and all kinds of research.
My project was a fun and challenging mix of planning and large language models (LLMs), where I designed a pipeline for converting JavaScript code for the game of Minecraft into valid PDDL actions (or a full PDDL model for those who prefer it). Super cool stuff, and seeing how I had zero prior experience with LLMs, diving into that world really opened my eyes to their capabilities and limitations.
Beyond research, I really made the most of my time in Washington D.C. and many of the surrounding areas. As a history buff, I explored all the obvious sites, while also mixing in a lot of lesser known gems. A few of my personal favorites included:
- Assateague Island National Seashore (I HIGHLY recommend this…imagine beaches + wild horses)
- Annapolis + the US Naval Academy
- Gettysburg Battlefield
- National Portrait Gallery
- Shenadoah National Park
- Capitol Hill in general (great place for a run)
- Udvar-Hazy Center (the space shuttle Discovery is here! And my favorite plane…the SR-71A Blackbird)
In short, fourteen weeks has flown by, but I’ve tried to soak in as much as I could. And though I’m excited to head back to Colorado and see everyone/dive back into PhD work, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity.