Tuesday Report

Maya Geradi

Senior, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven

After a long night of karaoke and horror movies, we all slept in today morning. At 10:30, we made our way downstairs to the lobby, stopping for a quick photo in front of the Westin. Following a short shuttle ride, we arrived at the Hard Rock Café. While admiring the extensive decorations and memorabilia inside, notably one of Elton John’s jackets, we enjoyed a lunch of margarita flatbread and salmon. Post lunch, we walked to the Monongahela incline. As our car climbed up the rail, we were all in awe of the stunning view of Pittsburgh. The observation deck offered a beautiful view of the river, bridges and buildings, prompting a photoshoot.

We returned to the hotel briefly and walked over to the convention center for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Panel, excited by the fact that a previous CSEF ISEF competitor was speaking. We also attended the Excellence in Science and Technology panel, where Srikar was selected to ask a question. At the conclusion of the panels, the feelings of inspiration were ubiquitous.

We got ready for the evening mixer at the hotel and left in search of the Pittsburgh T. After realizing we were lost in the streets of Pittsburgh, we asked several people for directions, walked the wrong way down a street and finally found the Wood St. subway station. We strolled into the mixer fashionably late and proceeded to dance for more than an hour to the music compilation of DJ Sosa. Some of our dance moves would have knocked your socks off. Tired and in an attempt to regain our hearing, Shobhi and I left to explore the outdoor activities, where we made new friends from Colorado!

We regrouped and got dinner at Bill’s Bar and Burgers, where we talked about everything from jalapeños to Indian accents. The day ended with us practicing for judging tomorrow while eating cinnamon raisin bread. Overall, today was a very eventful and exhilarating day.