Get to Know Returning SPS Intern Maia Chandler

Each summer, the Society of Physics Students welcomes a new cohort of talented interns with a shared interest in physics and astronomy. SPS internships offer students the opportunity to make meaningful contributions within their industry while building lasting professional relationships across the physical sciences community. Through SPS, AIP is proud to foster growth and empower the next generation of physical scientists.

I got the chance to talk to Maia Chandler, who was an SPS intern in 2024 and 2025. From networking with incredible physicists to learning how to become an effective science communicator for any audience, they share how these opportunities have been incredibly impactful on their life and career.

Jessica: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Maia: I grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the United States for college. I went to Swarthmore College where I majored in biophysics and minored in educational studies.

In 2020, I was working in a lab where I was looking at the biomechanics of Hydra, which are these little cnidarian guys. They’re just basically a tube of skin with a ring of tentacles, and what’s weird about them is that they don’t have a permanent mouth. So, every time they wanted to eat or excrete, they had to rip their entire face open.

One of the best things I’ve ever applied for was the REU internship with the American Museum of Natural History. I conducted biogeography research in bioinformatics at a lab there. That is where I learned about dragonflies, and I had always had a minor interest in bugs, but this made it a major interest in bugs (especially dragonflies). When I got back to school in the fall, my then TA helped me get a job at the Natural History collection at Swarthmore. I worked there for most of my junior through senior years, and I was in charge of reorganizing a National History collection.

Then last year, I applied for the SPS SOCK internship through the recommendation of the SPS advisor of my school. And this year, I was the Physics Today (PT) intern.

J: Can you tell us what your day-to-day looked like as the SOCK intern in 2024?
M: I did so many arts and crafts.

In the beginning, I did a lot of brainstorming and testing things. I always had multiple prototypes of different things on my desk at once. As the SOCK intern, I had a very wide audience range. SOCK is for SPS chapters to use for public outreach to visit K-12 schools. So, when you write up the demonstrations, you have different levels of explanations—kindergarten and elementary, middle school and the general public, and then high school. So, you get more detailed as you go up.

Some of the best feedback I received came from teachers at the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Summer Conference and then later from my little cousins.

J: What did your day-to-day look like this summer as the Physics Today intern?
M: Some of my days consisted of writing, communicating with scientists to review and fact-check my writing, making edits, and then asking scientists if they would be willing to share a poem with us at Physics Today.

On other days, I’d be doing a lot of reading and researching, especially in the first few weeks. I was reading a lot of PT articles to analyze the structure and language being used. I read a lot of pieces from The Open Notebook, took notes on them, and gave myself things to look out for while I was writing and editing on my own. Sometimes, while creating questions based on a paper I was reading, I’d chat with one of the other interns who specialized in that specific type of work.

J: Can you tell us a little about why you wanted to come back for a second summer?
M: Part of my decision to come back was because I knew a lot of people in the organization and I realized that science communication was the way for me to go after finishing my SOCK internship.

When thinking of places to get my foot in the door, SPS immediately came to mind because of the great experience I had as an intern in 2024. I already knew that I really liked D.C., so applying to the SPS internship again was an easy decision.

J: What would you say are some of the most valuable experiences you’ve gained as a two-time intern with SPS?
M: Getting to know so many people. Being around people who have a career or interest in physics that aren’t in academia was something that I wasn’t really exposed to at school.

Being a two-time intern gave me the space to write or be creative, and to get feedback on so many different kinds of work. The processes behind all of the work, and receiving that feedback, have been the most valuable for me building my skills.

J: Were there any networking or educational events you attended as an SPS intern that you found especially helpful/impactful?
M: The AAPT summer and winter conferences were incredibly helpful.

The dinner cruise at the beginning of the internship is awesome because you get to meet so many people. It was even better this year because I had already met some of the people last year and chatted with them more this time around. This year I spoke to Liz Caron, the AIP Chief of Staff, and Trevor Owens, AIP’s Chief Research Officer, the entire time, and they are great.

I enjoyed going to the Trimble lectures, and I think those are very impactful.

J: Can you share some of the most meaningful or memorable experiences you’ve had outside of work while living in D.C. with your fellow summer interns?
M: I like going to the museums with the other interns! Last year, my roommate Kai had his car, so the two of us would go on adventures like picking peaches in Virginia and hiking all around the area.

J: What advice do you have for future SPS interns?
M: Talk to people. That is one of the most important things that this internship gives you—the chance to interact with so many people at your parent organization and at AIP. Ask people about their paths and how they got to where they are today. Being able to have those conversations with people and them introducing me to more people has been valuable.

J: After this summer, what’s next for you?
M: I’m going home to Hong Kong to spend time with my mom, sister, and our dog. The next step is looking for jobs in D.C. or Philadelphia!

This interview was conducted in summer 2025. At the time of publication, Maia is serving as a Fall 2025 Science Writing intern at AIP.