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sunaleisocial · 29 days

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Science communication competition brings research into the real world

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/science-communication-competition-brings-research-into-the-real-world/

Science communication competition brings research into the real world

Laurence Willemet remembers countless family dinners where curious faces turned to her with shades of the same question: “What is it, exactly, that you do with robots?”

It’s a familiar scenario for MIT students exploring topics outside of their family’s scope of knowledge — distilling complex concepts without slides or jargon, plumbing the depths with nothing but lay terms. “It was during these moments,” Willemet says, “that I realized the importance of clear communication and the power of storytelling.”

Participating in the MIT Research Slam, then, felt like one of her family dinners.

The finalists in the 2024 MIT Research Slam competition met head-to-head on Wednesday, April 17 at a live, in-person showcase event. Four PhD candidates and four postdoc finalists demonstrated their topic mastery and storytelling skills by conveying complex ideas in only 180 seconds to an educated audience unfamiliar with the field or project at hand.

The Research Slam follows the format of the 3-Minute Thesis competition, which takes place annually at over 200 universities around the world. Both an exciting competition and a rigorous professional development training opportunity, the event serves an opportunity to learn for everyone involved.

One of this year’s competitors, Bhavish Dinakar, explains it this way: “Participating in the Research Slam was a fantastic opportunity to bring my research from the lab into the real world. In addition to being a helpful exercise in public speaking and communication, the three-minute time limit forces us to learn the art of distilling years of detailed experiments into a digestible story that non-experts can understand.”

Leading up to the event, participants joined training workshops on pitch content and delivery, and had the opportunity to work one-on-one with educators from the Writing and Communication Center, English Language Studies, Career Advising and Professional Development, and the Engineering Communication Labs, all of which co-sponsored and co-produced the event. This interdepartmental team offered support for the full arc of the competition, from early story development to one-on-one practice sessions.

The showcase was jovially emceed by Eric Grunwald, director of English language learning. He shared his thoughts on the night: “I was thrilled with the enthusiasm and skill shown by all the presenters in sharing their work in this context. I was also delighted by the crowd’s enthusiasm and their many insightful questions. All in all, another very successful slam.”

A panel of accomplished judges with distinct perspectives on research communication gave feedback after each of the talks: Deborah Blum, director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT; Denzil Streete, senior associate dean and director of graduate education; and Emma Yee, scientific editor at the journal Cell.

Deborah Blum aptly summed up her experience: “It was a pleasure as a science journalist to be a judge and to listen to this smart group of MIT grad students and postdocs explain their research with such style, humor, and intelligence. It was a reminder of the importance the university places on the value of scientists who communicate. And this matters. We need more scientists who can explain their work clearly, explain science to the public, and help us build a science-literate world.”

After all the talks, the judges provided constructive and substantive feedback for the contestants. It was a close competition, but in the end, Bhavish Dinakar was the judges’ choice for first place, and the audience agreed, awarding him the Audience Choice award. Omar Rutledge’s strong performance earned him the runner-up position. Among the postdoc competitors, Laurence Willemet won first place and Audience Choice, with Most Kaniz Moriam earning the runner-up award.

Postdoc Kaniz Mariam noted that she felt privileged to participate in the showcase. “This experience has enhanced my ability to communicate research effectively and boosted my confidence in sharing my work with a broader audience. I am eager to apply the lessons learned from this enriching experience to future endeavors and continue contributing to MIT’s dynamic research community. The MIT Research Slam Showcase wasn’t just about winning; it was about the thrill of sharing knowledge and inspiring others. Special thanks to Chris Featherman and Elena Kallestinova from the MIT Communication Lab for their guidance in practical communication skills. ”

Double winner Laurence Willemet related the competition to experiences in her daily life. Her interest in the Research Slam was rooted in countless family dinners filled with curiosity. “‘What is it exactly that you do with robots?’ they would ask, prompting me to unravel the complexities of my research in layman’s terms. Each time, I found myself grappling with the task of distilling intricate concepts into digestible nuggets of information, relying solely on words to convey the depth of my work. It was during these moments, stripped of slides and scientific jargon, that I realized the importance of clear communication and the power of storytelling. And so, when the opportunity arose to participate in the Research Slam, it felt akin to one of those family dinners for me.”

The first place finishers received a $600 cash prize, while the runners-up and audience choice winners each received $300.

Last year’s winner in the PhD category, Neha Bokil, candidate in biology working on her dissertation in the lab of David Page, is set to represent MIT at the Three Minute Thesis Northeast Regional Competition later this month, which is organized by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.

A full list of slam finalists and the titles of their talks is below.

PhD Contestants:

Pradeep Natarajan, Chemical Engineering (ChemE), “What can coffee-brewing teach us about brain disease?”

Omar Rutledge, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, “Investigating the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on social anxiety disorder”

Bhavish Dinakar, ChemE, “A boost from batteries: making chemical reactions faster”

Sydney Dolan, Aeronautics and Astronautics, “Creating traffic signals for space”

Postdocs:

Augusto Gandia, Architecture and Planning, “Cyber modeling — computational morphogenesis via ‘smart’ models”

Laurence Willemet, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, “Remote touch for teleoperation”

Most Kaniz Moriam, Mechanical Engineering, “Improving recyclability of cellulose-based textile wastes”

Mohammed Aatif Shahab, ChemE, “Eye-based human engineering for enhanced industrial safety”

Research Slam organizers included Diana Chien, director of MIT School of Engineering Communication Lab; Elena Kallestinova, director of MIT Writing and Communication Center; Alexis Boyer, assistant director, Graduate Career Services, Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD); Amanda Cornwall, associate director, Graduate Student Professional Development, CAPD; and Eric Grunwald, director of English Language Studies. This event was sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education, the Office of Postdoctoral Services, the Writing and Communication Center, MIT Career Advising and Professional Development, English Language Studies, and the MIT School of Engineering Communication Labs.

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jcmarchi · 29 days

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Science communication competition brings research into the real world

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/science-communication-competition-brings-research-into-the-real-world/

Science communication competition brings research into the real world

Laurence Willemet remembers countless family dinners where curious faces turned to her with shades of the same question: “What is it, exactly, that you do with robots?”

Participating in the MIT Research Slam, then, felt like one of her family dinners.

The first place finishers received a $600 cash prize, while the runners-up and audience choice winners each received $300.

A full list of slam finalists and the titles of their talks is below.

PhD Contestants:

Pradeep Natarajan, Chemical Engineering (ChemE), “What can coffee-brewing teach us about brain disease?”

Omar Rutledge, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, “Investigating the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on social anxiety disorder”

Bhavish Dinakar, ChemE, “A boost from batteries: making chemical reactions faster”

Sydney Dolan, Aeronautics and Astronautics, “Creating traffic signals for space”

Postdocs:

Augusto Gandia, Architecture and Planning, “Cyber modeling — computational morphogenesis via ‘smart’ models”

Laurence Willemet, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, “Remote touch for teleoperation”

Most Kaniz Moriam, Mechanical Engineering, “Improving recyclability of cellulose-based textile wastes”

Mohammed Aatif Shahab, ChemE, “Eye-based human engineering for enhanced industrial safety”

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musiclovingmoth · 2 years

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i had the most jarring day today. systematic entomology lab was fine as always. we have weekly identification quizzes and my postdoc friend is the ta for the lab so for the insects that i know the korean common names for i write them next to the answer for fun. after we handed our quizzes in they told me they were going to start learning korean (they like learning languages)!! it made me really happy, i remember a couple years ago i told them i had like the biggest finals week of my life coming up and they texted me “good luck with your exams” in korean :’0 it’s just really nice to share my culture with my loved ones!

now. tw for harassment maybe

ok so me and my roommate who’s also in my class go to take the bus home. we decide to sit in the back on a whim, the back half is empty and there’s maybe 10 or so people in the front. about 1/3rd the way to our house a guy maybe a few years older than us without a mask gets on the bus, pauses in front of the back section, and plops down directly next to us. i give him the benefit of the doubt because i also lose my spatial awareness when i’m anxious (nod to chris fleming) but i’m already very suspicious. my suspicious are proved right when he starts trying to initiate conversation with me, and i try answering very curtly and turning away so that the back of my head is LITERALLY facing him. at this point i’m manspreading and have my arm over the other empty seat to present more masculinely to try and turn him off of whatever his intentions may be. we’re about two stops away from our stop which is also 20 feet from our house and he asks me for my number twice when i say no. thankfully he gets off and my roommate and i instantly give each other 😬 like holy FUCK i was really trying to judge whether or not he had a weapon on him, if he would try to attack me, if he would follow us to our stop, how do i casually pull my pepper spray from my bag, will that escalate things, IS THIS BECAUSE I’M ASIAN. i’m just very grateful we got home safe and that he didn’t follow us.

i’ll also admit that i made SOME small talk with him. i wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was just bored or lonely. we talked about the college i go to and i told him why fungi are important when he asked. but that should not have been a sign i was “interested” in him or whatever because i gave very short responses and turned away from him completely each time. also the fact that he stayed on the bus with us nearly the whole time and kept asking me for my number..... hrgh. i’m definitely lucky this didn’t escalate.

and it really got me thinking to my presentation as an asian woman. i’ve very very recently come to terms with the fact that i’m not a woman, likely genderfluid (pending). but people will largely perceive me that way, and a lot of people probably have assumptions about me based solely on that, maybe even some immediately dangerous ones. it’s at least a little distressing that i can willingly share parts of my culture with the people i love like i did maybe one hour before this incident, and sometimes people take what they think about my culture based on my appearance and oppress me using that. and maybe i wasn’t a target because i was asian (although he didn’t speak a single word to my roommate who isn’t asian), maybe it was because he thought i was generally attractive or something but i can’t help thinking about it with all the hate crimes against asian americans recently.

#thinks happy thoughts about my postdoc friend #i can't wait to teach them fun bug names :3 #lab notebook

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streamacademe · 4 years

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Bonus post: Thesis writing.

This post will be a combination of tips and tricks I have received from numerous sources, with the majority coming from Shinton Consulting and STREAM IDC staff.

The big T

If you’re anything like me, just the word ‘thesis’ can instill a sense of dread in me. However, the best way to deal with a phobia is to face it head on, so let’s do just that, both in a literal and metaphorical sense.

What a thesis is and what to expect...

Writing a thesis could take anywhere between four weeks to a whole year, and sometimes even longer! The worst thing you can do is compare your progress to that of others; setting a benchmark is one thing, but beating yourself into a panicked pulp because you haven’t written as many chapters as a fellow PhD/EngD won’t do you any good. The best thing you can do is have regular discussions with your supervisors on how long your thesis will take and plan accordingly. 🕖

Your thesis has to be fit for purpose (that is to pass), which means that it has to:

Satisfy the expectations of your institution and industry sponsor (if applicable).

How did you solve the problem that was proposed to you?

Contain material which presents a unified body of work that could reasonably be achieved on the basis of three years’ postgraduate study and research.

Show you have done the work and impress your examiners.

Allow your examiners to confirm that the thesis is an original work, which makes a significant contribution to the field, including material worthy of publication.

Research your examiners and quote them where possible, especially if they’re relevant to your field.

Show adequate knowledge of the field of study and relevant literature.

Make sure you read all of the key papers in your field.

What were the gaps in knowledge?

The ‘references’ section is very important as this sets the scene and examiners will read this. BUT, don’t have too many references.

Demonstrate critical judgement with regard to both the candidate’s work and that of other scholars in the same general field.

Compare approaches and conclusions of others.

Note potential conflicts of interest.

Why did you use this method/approach?

Is your interpretation the only possible explanation?

Be presented in a clear, consistent, concise, and accessible format.

Make your examiners lives easier.

Make your viva as pleasant as can be!

Basically, you need to know why your project was important, be able to explain the key work that has already been done in the area and how it relates to your research aim. You should then be able to explain what you have done during your research and how this contributes to your field.

Note: Keep checking university regulations! Each university should have their own code of practice for supervisors and research students, which will look something like this.

Picture: A short summary of the above. Source: Tumblr.

Planning and writing

I’m not going to lie to you, it is not going to be easy. I have only just embarked on the journey myself and am already overwhelmed. However, with the right preparation, coping mechanisms in place, and a tremendous amount of self-discipline, we will get through. ☕

Getting started

You need to practice writing. That’s as simple as advice gets.

You need to practice reading other PhD/EngD theses, mainly to understand what to expect, and to experience what being the audience for a thesis is like.

Create a thesis plan...

To start the mammoth task that is thesis writing, it needs to be fully understood and broken down into manageable chunks.

Make a plan (perhaps based on the table of contents of another thesis) of all the sections and chapters in the thesis.

Then break these into sections and keep breaking it down until you are almost at the paragraph level.

Now you can start writing!

Where to start the actual writing?

Start with the most comfortable chapter, such as a previously published paper, a set of results that are straightforward and can be easily explained, methodology/methods, etc.

Create a storyboard for your thesis and write as if you are telling that story.

If you’re not sure what comes next, refer to previous theses and back to your plan and storyboard.

Be ready to amend the plan for future chapters as each is completed and you become more aware of what the thesis must contain.

Remember: THINKING IS HARD, WRITING IS EASIER. 💭

Organisation

Develop and maintain a logical filing system.

Improve your back up technique; if it’s not saved in 3+ locations, it is not safely backed up.

Back up every day.

Never overwrite previous documents, just make many versions. It’s not worth the risk of losing a valuable piece of work from a copy and paste error.

Copy any key parts from your lab/note/field books as these can get lost/damaged.

Keep a file/folder of thoughts, references, etc. that you are not including in your thesis; these may be useful to refer back to for ideas and information.

Effective writing

Establish a routine, don’t be distracted, take breaks.

Set clear and realistic goals for each week/day.

A GANTT chart is very good for this; use it to keep on track and measure progress.

You just gotta start. The hardest part is the beginning.

Don’t stall on details, walk away for a short break to clear your mind.

Get formatting correct from the start (check your code of practice/regulations).

Be consistent with references.

Seek help from the experts - supervisors, postdocs, online sources/training programmes etc.

Create SMART objectives for your writing process:

Specific - e.g. “I will complete chapter 3/collate all diagrams” rather than “I will make good progress”.

Measurable - e.g. “I will write 4 pages today” not “I will try to write as much as I can”.

Achievable - e.g. “I will complete the first draft for my supervisor” not “I will get it perfect before he/she sees it”.

Realistic - e.g. “I will complete the introduction today” not “I will complete a chapter a week”.

Time - it can be useful to set yourself deadlines e.g. tell your supervisor you will hand in a draft on a certain day - that way you are sure to have it done.

Finally, find a balance between being tough with yourself whilst protecting your well-being the best you can. I wrote a post a little while ago that covers managing your mental health during a PhD. Read it here.

GIF: Anna Kendrick dishing out some top advice. Source: Tumblr.

A few more tips

Supervisor management

Establish what you want to cover in each meeting.

Keep a record of the outcomes and actions from those meetings.

Make your supervisors lives easy; they’re very busy humans.

They are unlikely to judge work unless it is presented completely (i.e. fully written with tables, figures, etc.).

Give them a neat, complete version of a chapter at a time (proof-read thoroughly and spell-checked).

It is in your supervisors interest for you to complete in good time; they are experts and will offer a lot of support.

To summarise, a good thesis:

Has an appreciation of what came before.

Focuses on the interesting and important.

Is well reasoned.

Will change the way people think.

Will teach your supervisors something.

Has publishable results.

Is logical in presentation, analysis, and arguments.

Is well illustrated with tables, figures, graphs, summary flow charts etc.

It is worth spending a lot of time on these.

Is written without grammatical and spelling errors.

Has an appreciation of what comes next.

I hope that the above was helpful! There are many resources out there, so get exploring if you need more advice!

I’ll soon be writing a post on how to survive your viva! So, watch this space. ✨

Photo: Make this your phone/desktop/laptop/everything background when you’re writing, I know I will! Source: Tumblr.

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clefairytea · 4 years

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bro i love your headcanons and would ask them about literally every character and concept ever if i could <3 they're always so unique and refreshing and well thought out! any headcanons for the Sinnoh kids or the Kalos kids? and/or any headcanons for any of the Pokémon professors?

Thank you! I don’t really have any for either the Sinnoh or Kalos kids (I wasn’t particularly into the cast of either game), but I do for the professors!

Oak: - Was one of the first wave of trainers to train multiple Pokemon! Before, apricots hadn’t really been figured out, so most people had one life-long partner or maybe two Pokemon. It was only when apricots came into common use that people trained teams of six. - His research informed a lot of the rules on league battles. He was one of the people who put the six-maximum rule in place, based on the argument that was about the maximum a trainer could provide an acceptable standard of care for six different Pokemon with completely different needs. - Was an absolute pain in the ass when he was younger. Really taking the piss when he’s hard on Blue because he was ABSOLUTELY worse, in every way. - Can and WILL make his students cry. He will absolutely get you the best postdoc and your research WILL be an incredibly high standard, but at what cost.

Elm: - Not much of a trainer! He trained up as a breeder, so he’s not very good at Pokemon battling. - Probably the nicest professor. Extremely sweet to his students, but a bit of a doormat. - He’s kind of all over the place, prone to forgetfulness. Will just straight up forget to attend his own lectures. He’s nice enough it’s genuinely hard to hold it against him, though. - Focuses more on teaching than research, but he’s good at cultivating young research talent. So he’s mostly a second-author on papers, lol. Possibly won’t be harsh enough on you if you need more fire under your ass to get things done.

Birch: - Was a hiker when he was younger! He’s very active and deceptively physically strong. He is, however, prone to panic. - A pretty good trainer, but nothing particularly special! He likes raising big hardy outdoorsy Pokemon. Would prefer to avoid a battle if he can - he trains Pokemon to last for long hikes and journeys, not short, intense battles. - Loves fieldwork, but not very good at writing up his findings. Can be frustrating to work with for that - very enthusiastic about gathering the data but then the data just sits there. - The guy to work with if you want lots and lots of hands-on work opportunities, but prepare to have to do a lot of the boring desk work yourself. If you send him a manuscript to read, don’t hold your breath.

Rowan: - Only the hardiest PhD students will survive him. He will demolish you. He does not mince words. He will pick fights at conferences and there will not be many survivors. - That said, Sycamore was his PhD student. Rowan regrets this to this day - A pretty fierce battler, but has never really did league battles. They were a bit after his time, and he’s not much interested. He’s always been science-focused. - His papers and books are incredibly densely written. His work is brilliant, but he’s awful at making it accessible to people outside the field. - Loves a whiskey

Juniper: - That rare breed of someone who did a BA and then somehow diagonally came into scientific research. Uses a lot of mixed methods, with a focus on qualitative research and does lots of weird stuff. - Bit of a hippie, and prone to jumping on whatever the latest research bandwagon is. - Is one of the few who isn’t intimidated by either Oak or Rowan and will go toe-to-toe with them, despite her age and the fact neither think particularly highly of her work.

Sycamore: - This man is either an idiot or a genius and it’s impossible to tell which. - Does a lot of public engagement work - he’s good at standing in front of an audience of laypersons and making his work fun and engaging. - Well-liked by his undergrads, but he's so scatter-brained and unreliable that his postgrads find him very frustrating. His postdocs have to pick up a lot of the slack.

Kukui: - Surprisingly brilliant! Tends to get underestimated until people read his papers and find he’s actually extremely sharp. - Ended up in research by accident - he was originally planning to be a professional trainer, but sort of got side-tracked working on Pokemon move stuff. Burnet was the one who encouraged him to pursue a doctorate despite his lack of other qualifications, and somehow he cracked it. - A softy with kids. Really good at playing with them and making them laugh.

Burnet: - Not really a trainer! She has a few Pokemon as companions and to help with her research, but she’s never been into battling. Can hold her own if you force her, but she’s not super interested. - Has always been really high-flying - straight-A student, over-achiever in college. Learned to chill a little bit more as she got older. - Completely unintimidated by the scarier professors and unimpressed by the politics of research. That rare combination of a no-bullshit straight-talker who is also very compassionate.

Magnolia: - Had a thing with Professor Oak when they were younger. Now thinks he’s a dickhead. Regularly slags him off with Agatha. - Keeps coming in and out of retirement. She’ll retire but then she will inevitably hear about an interesting project and start coming in for a couple of hours a week, and then next thing you know she’s full time and heading the whole project up again. Ma’am please. Please leave. - Competitive streak a mile wide. Was a pretty fierce battler when she was younger. Likes to act like she’s too old for it now and she’s beyond it, but will get riled back up easily.

#clefairy squeaks #pokemon #Hello this is just academia headcanons.#Anonymous #long post

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i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend · 4 years

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Stardust and Starfish ~ Chris Beck x Reader

A/N: Hi my lovelies! I hope you’re all doing well in these crazy times. I hope you are staying safe and healthy.I apologize for the radio silence. I’ve had a lot going on, and I haven’t been able to really write anything. But I’m trying to chug along, and I’m focusing on finishing out my WIPs, so hopefully I’ll have more to share with you soon.

Without any further ado, this is a fic for my Whippersnapper Daughter @captainscanadian ‘s CBC 1K Writing Challenge, which I was supposed to complete a million years ago, but I didn’t quite manage it. So here you are love, I hope you enjoy. This is my first time writing Chris Beck. I’ve never seen the Martian. I literally only know that he’s a fluffy space nerd (at least based on fics), so hopefully this is okay.

Enjoy!

Prompt: “Hey we kissed once in kindergarten but I haven’t seen you since and I couldn’t remember why you were so familiar.”

Rating: T

Warnings: Language, I think that’s it.

Word Count: 3251

Ahh graduation. A time of endings. A time of beginnings. A time for throwing caution out the window and kissing boy you’ve had a crush on all year.

You were clutching your diploma as you dodged around the other graduates looking for one classmate in particular. You finally spotted him munching on a handful of goldfish by the refreshment table.

“Hi, Rocket!”

“Hi, Bubbles!”

“Oh there you kids are. Come on. Get close. We need a picture.”

“Smile, Chris!” his dad coaxed before shuffling the two of you together.

“Big smiles!”

You each threw an arm around the other grinning wildly.

“Say, I’m ready for first grade.”

“I’m ready for first grade!” you both chorused.

“Well, we should get going. We’ll go get your stuff. Say goodbye to Chris, sweetie.”

“Okay, Mom!”

You hugged him tight.

“I just wanted to say that I really like you and I really like your book of stars.”

“Thanks! I really like your book about the ocean!” He grinned, blue eyes lighting up.

Before you could chicken out you leaned forward and pecked him on the lips like you’d seen your mom do with your dad whenever she said goodbye.

Chris squeaked in surprise and went rigid and red as a tomato. Before either of you could say anything your mom returned with your backpack.

“Y/n, honey, time to go.”

“Okay. Bye, Chris! Have fun at camp! See you next year.”

“See you,” he waved absent-mindedly, still wide-eyed.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late,” your best friend whined as she waited for you to finish feeding your starfish.

“We’ll be fine. The talk doesn’t start until five.”

“It’s four-fifty.”

“Seriously? Shit okay. This is the last tank.”

You tossed in the mix of their food, scrubbed your hands before following AJ out of the lab.

You raced to the auditorium halfway across the campus, grateful for the reserved seats Casey had promised you. You looked around for the postdoc in question once you’d settled in, and you spotted her at the edge of the stage chatting with the distinguished speaker, Dr. Chris Beck.

“You’re staring,” AJ whispered. “Are you crushing on the guest speaker too?”

”He just seems really familiar,” you muttered back, squinting.

“I mean he has been all over the news for the past few years.”

“No, it’s like I’ve met him before.”

“Maybe you saw him during your sting at Yale?”

“Maybe,” you shrugged.

You weren’t totally convinced but it made the most sense, even though you were pretty sure that your times didn’t overlap.

Before you could think too much more about it, the dean of the medical school started introducing him. Not that he needed it.

You, and nearly everyone else, were completely captivated by Dr. Beck. When it was announced at the end of the talk that Dr. Beck would be taking the equivalent of a sabbatical at the university and teaching a short seminar series starting in the Spring the excitement was palpable.

“I can’t believe astro-hottie is joining the faculty,” AJ giggled.

“I know right. That’s going to be fun.”

The crowd was slow to exit the auditorium, and you were surrounded by excited chatter.

“So do you want food first or should we try to score an intro?”

“Food. I’m sure he’ll be swarmed for a while. Besides, Casey is his host, I’m sure she’ll get us a chance to talk to him.”

“Perks of being friends with astrophysics postdocs.”

“True.”

After the formal dinner with the grad students and postdocs, Chris was enjoying himself so much that some of them continued the evening at a pub just down the road from the campus. He had been happily listening his company discuss some of his more interesting results when he happened to notice you walk in. You had changed into a short black dressed and donned a deep blue leather jacket against the cold.

Casey noticed his distraction and silently cheered. Clearly the newest faculty member was interested in her friend, and judging by your reaction to him at the reception you were interested as well, so she excused herself to join you at the bar.

“Hey, Case. How’s it going?” You greeted her.

“Good. Didn’t expect to see you two here tonight.”

“We were supposed to go to the new restaurant down the street, but they lost our reservation,” AJ explained.

“So, we decided to keep it low key,” you continued.

“Gotcha. Well, do you want to join us?”

“Who’s us?”

“A few of the ones who went to dinner and Chris.”

She glanced over her shoulder and you and AJ followed her line of attention.

“Oh, so it’s Chris now?” you smirked, though it faltered when he caught your eye and smiled.

“He told us to. He’s really chill actually. You should come hang out,” she pressed.

“We’d love to,” AJ answered for you.

“Great. Grab your drinks and come over.”

She happily flounced back to the table, rejoining the conversation.

“AJ,” you hissed.

“What? Are you gonna tell me you don’t want to hang out with hunky space doctor you made goo goo eyes at all afternoon?”

“I did not make goo goo eyes at him.”

Your best friend rolled her eyes.

“Yes you did. Y/n, come on. Live a little. It’s just a few beers with a bunch of grad students.”

You looked at them, listening intently as he spoke. It looked more like a study group than anything which put you at ease.

“They’ve been talking for like five hours. I’m sure it will break up soon and then we can just hang out with Casey.”

“Okay. That sounds good.”

“Good,” she grinned before leaning on the bar to order your drinks.

You discretely checked out your hair in the mirror behind the bar and swiped on a bit of lip gloss.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that,” AJ smirked as she handed you your gin and tonic.

“Shush.”

You bumped your hip against hers as you made your way to the table.

There was a pause in the conversation as you approached.

“There you are. Come sit.”

AJ had already taken the one open seat next to James, the med student she had been crushing on, which left you to join Dr. Beck on the bench seat. He scooted over to give you more room when you sat down.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he smiled shyly.

You momentarily got lost in his eyes.

“Did you three meet earlier?” Casey asked, breaking you out of the moment.

Heat clawed up your neck in embarrassment. Though you were relieved to see Dr. Beck seemed equally flustered. He cleared his throat twice as he bobbed his head in the affirmative.

“Yes, Y/n and AJ right?”

“Yes. So, Dr. Beck, what were you all discussing?”

“First of all, please call me Chris. And second, we were discussing my research on the effect of zero gravity on muscle development.”

“Fascinating.”

You were easily caught up in the conversation as he explained his results and discussed data sets. His passion for research seemed to pour out of him. The discussion was lively, although you found yourself dominating the conversation. It contrasted nicely with your own research on technology for deep sea research. You were so invested that you didn’t notice the others leaving. At least not until they rang the bell for final call and you actually paid attention to your surroundings.

“Umm, when did everyone leave?”

Chris looked as confused as you were.

“I have no idea. I guess I am boring. I hope they don’t do that when I start lecturing next semester,” he chuckled.

“I’m sure they won’t. You’re an excellent presenter. Probably they got tired of me monopolizing you. Sorry about that,” you sighed as you played with a straw wrapper.

“Please don’t apologize. I was actually hoping to get a chance to talk to you.”

“Really?”

You wanted to smack yourself for the hopeful tone.

“Yes. I was disappointed when you left the reception early.”

“Oh, well, one of the octopuses next door escaped and that’s no good for anyone in the department.”

“I can imagine.” He smiled crookedly as the few patrons remaining started to pay their tabs.

“I guess we should go,” you pointed out reluctantly.

“Yeah. We should,” he agreed.

You both closed out and exited the bar.

“So, do you want to split an Uber?” he offered.

“I don’t live far. I was actually going to walk it.”

Chris looked appalled.

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I’ve done it before,” you argued.

He appraised you closely, trying to determine how stubborn you were. The conclusion… very.

“Can I at least walk you back then?”

“You don’t have to,” you assured him.

“I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight if I don’t know you made it home safely. Please?”

He pouted at you. Who could resist those blue eyes?

“You really don’t…”

“I want to,” he admitted. “I uhh I’m not quite ready for the night to be over.”

Your answering smile was wide.

“In that case, I could use the company.”

“Excellent. Lead the way,” he offers you his elbow.

You looped your arm through his and started walking back towards your apartment.

You made the five minute walk in companionable silence. The feeling of familiarity had deepened over the course of the evening and you felt like you were walking with an old friend.

“Well, this is me,” you sighed, not ready to say good night.

“It was really nice getting to spend time with you, Y/n.”

“You too.”

“I know it’s late, and I’m sure that you want to get to bed, but would you mind terribly if I waited inside for my uber. I’m not sure how long it will be to get someone willing to go all the way to Hartford.”

“They have you staying in Hartford while you’re here?”

“They offered me a hotel room in New Haven, but I opted to stay with my folks. Wasn’t planning on closing down a bar after my talk,” he smirked.

You debated for a moment.

“I have a guest room. You are welcome to stay if you like. I have to go to Hartford tomorrow, so I could drive you back if you want.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not. I promise. You’re never going to get an uber that far this late.”

“If you really don’t mind. That would be great.”

“Come on in.”

You unlocked the door and flipped on the lights, leaning on the edge of the couch to take off your boots.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?”

Before he could respond, your stomach growled for an embarrassingly long time. He bit back laughter.

“Well apparently I am.”

You looked at your stomach as if it were a traitor.

“I could eat.”

“Alright, let’s see what I have. It’s been a while since I went food shopping.”

Chris smiled as he took in the warm surroundings, and he found himself drawn to the art on the walls next to your desk. He could hear you rummaging around in your refrigerator while he tried to figure out why he recognized the image.

“So I threw in a frozen pizza and I’ve got Oreos.”

You shook the pack at him as you planted yourself on the couch.

“Excellent.” He grinned, joining you on the couch and taking a cookie. “That print is amazing. Where did you get it?”

“It’s figure 3A in my Nature paper. I had it blown up when it made the cover.”

“That’s why I recognize it. That was an excellent paper.”

“Thank you. It certainly has been a highlight of my career so far.”

“So what drew you to marine biology?”

“I was obsessed with the ocean as a kid. And adventure books. I wanted so desperately to explore the part of our world that’s so vast and unknown. I wanted to work on a submarine or at least at sea.”

“So how did you end up in a lab on land?”

“I did a semester at sea which was amazing but permanent spots on research ships and subs are few and far between. But I am also working with the engineering department on deep sea equipment.”

“Hence your expertise in muscle mass in high pressure.”

“Precisely.”

You chewed on an Oreo thoughtfully as you regarded him.

“So, why did you become a space doctor? It’s not the most traditional job in the world,” you mused.

“I suppose it isn’t. Well I wanted to be astronaut first. Like you, I was obsessed with space from really early on. But as I got older I grew to love physiology and anatomy over engineering for example. For a little while, I thought I’d have to give up my dream. And then I realized they had flight surgeons.” He smiled at the memory. “So I worked my butt off and ended up actually going into space.”

Chris shifted leaning his head back and looking up as if he could see the stars through your ceiling. You propped your head in your hand as you leaned on the back of the couch.

“Is it surreal being back on earth?”

“That’s a good word for it.” He let his head loll to the side to look at you. “I’m glad to be home, but it’s so strange. Sometimes I spend all day in my room because I forget I can leave. And noises of the city – that’s trippy after months in space.”

“I bet.”

Your conversation flowed easily as you scarfed down the pizza. The sun came up and you were still talking.

You’re not sure how or when, but you must have fallen asleep talking, because you woke up tucked under a blanket on your couch to the smell of pancakes.

“Good morning,” Chris called, when he saw your head pop up.

“Morning. What time is it?” you asked, rubbing at your eyes.

“A little after eleven.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Since around eight.”

You stopped mid-stretch to stare at him.

“We didn’t fall asleep until like 5.”

“I’m still used to really short sleeping shifts. I hope you don’t mind. I made breakfast.”

“I do not mind at all.”

After washing up and changing into some fresh clothes, you enjoyed breakfast together.

“So what do you have to do in Hartford?” he asked, taking the clean plate from your hands to dry it.

“Going to visit my sister and my favorite baby nephew.”

“Aww. How old is he?”

“Four. So not actually a baby, but…”

“I get it. What time do you need to leave?”

“Around one.” You shrugged. “We’ve got time.”

“Thank you for letting me stay. Last night was wonderful,” he added, quietly.

“Yes, it was.”

“This might sound strange, but I feel like I’ve met you before.”

You froze, water spilling off the plate.

“Sorry, that was weird,” he mumbled quickly avoiding eye contact.

“No. No, it’s not that.” You dropped the plate into the sink and turned off the water. “I thought the same thing when I saw you.”

“Oh thank god.”

“AJ was convinced it was just because I’d seen you on the news. But if you feel it too…”

“But where we would have crossed paths?”

He crossed his arms as he considered it.

You spent the next twenty minutes trying and failing to find a single place you might have run into each other.

“Junior Leadership Conference?”

“In D.C. in 2014?”

“Yeah.”

You racked your brain.

“It must be that, right?”

“I can’t think of anywhere else.”

“Huh.”

You both watched each other, not quite believing it, but also unable to come up with a better answer. You let it stand as you got ready to drive to Hartford.

“Do you mind grabbing the books off the front table?” You grabbed your keys and your bag. “I don’t want to forget them.”

“Sure thing.”

He shuffled through the pile of children’s books, smiling when he came across the National Geographic First Big Book of the Ocean as you walked to your car.

“Oh these books were awesome.”

“Which one?”

“Big book of the ocean.” He held it up for you to see. ”I had all of them, but the space one was my favorite when I was a kid.”

“I’m shocked,” you deadpanned as you started the car.

He mock glared at you.

“No but seriously, I took the space one with me everywhere. I was obsessed. In kindergarten, the other kids started calling me-“

“Rocket,” you murmured.

“Good guess.”

“Not a guess. I know how we know each other,” You announced, desperate to look at him, but keeping your eyes straight ahead. “You went to Aldrin Elementary for Kindergarten didn’t you.”

“Yeah. Wait,” He looked at the book in his hands before opening to the back cover.

“Rocket and Bubbles,” he hummed, running his fingers over the crayon scrawl. “I can’t believe it. It’s you.”

You glanced at him at a stoplight. He had a fond look in his eyes.

“I knew you were familiar. But I don’t remember your name being Chris. Even before we started calling you Rocket.”

He bit his lip rocking slightly in embarrassment.

“I convinced my mom to let me go by my middle name Richard, which I made into Ricky, because there were four other Chris’ in our class.”

“Oh my god. That’s right. You were Ricky the Rocket. We thought we were so funny.”

Neither of you could contain your smiles.

“What happened? Why did you leave?”

“My dad had to move to Boston for his job. We didn’t find out until like a week before school.”

“I thought about you for the longest time. I was so bummed when you didn’t come back.”

“I was too. I cried all the way to Boston.”

“And now, all these years later.”

“Together again.”

You reached over and took his hand, and he twined your fingers.

You were both quiet for the rest of the ride, lost in thought. You only spoke to ask directions to his parent’s place, which you remembered quite well.

“Can I take you to dinner sometime?”

“I would love that. Tomorrow night?”

“I’ll be there with bells on.”

You bit your lip as you both hesitated, before you leaned across the armrest and kissed him. His eyes went wide and his cheeks turned pink, and you suddenly didn’t know how you ever failed to recognize him.

“You looked the same way the first time I kissed you,” you giggled.

“Not my fault you keep surprising me.”

“You’re cute when you’re mmf.”

You were cut off by his lips on yours. The kiss was passionate and you felt yourself melting into it as his hand cradled the back of your head.

“You were saying…” he smirked at you when you both pulled back panting.

You started to respond when you looked over his shoulder.

“That your mom totally just saw us making out in my car.”

He glanced over his shoulder before letting his head drop in embarrassment when his shocked mother turned on her heel and hurried into the house with her groceries.

“On that note. Six o’clock tomorrow?”

“You’re on, Rocket.”

“See you, Bubbles.”

He pecked you once more on the lips before getting out of the car, whistling his way up the walk.

You smiled to yourself as he waved from the porch and you drove off.

This was going to be an adventure. Your biggest yet.

A/N: Yeah, so this ended up very differenlty from how I planned, but I hope you all enjoyed! I had fun writing Chris Beck. Congrats again on the milestone that was like 3 milestones ago lol. Love you @captainscanadian

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chronicallypainful · 5 years

Text

It turns out my advisor lets out her inner ableism when stressed

I'm going to write about some events that happened between my advisor and I about a month ago. Thinking about some of this is still pretty stressful for me, but I do think that writing will help the process some of what happened. Also, if the following makes absolutely no sense, you now know why. I feel extremely betrayed. I had trusted my advisor. I had thought that she understood and respected my limitations and my boundaries. Apparently I was wrong.

Though I could sense a growing tension in our relationship for months beforehand, the first issue came directly after my thesis proposal defense. This is a step of the PhD process where you write a document outlining the research steps you intend to take in the questions you intend to answer. You then present this plan to a committee and have to answer their questions.

I passed my defense. I was able to answer all of the technical questions from committee members, and my written proposal was also approved.

I'd been working hard on my proposal for nearly a year. I was technically "late" in defending my proposal, but I was officially granted an extension due to my disability and other health circumstances. Just to lay some of those out for you: -I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in February of my first year in the program. This means that I literally slept through most of my first year courses. I then had to take comprehensive exams over the material, which meant that I spent my first summer studying frantically. I did pass the exams, but I did not have time in that first year to begin a research project. -I can't type without excruciating pain! I do use other tools like speech to text and eye gaze, but these are much slower than typing. -I have a limited capacity to write by hand before I develop excruciating pain. -I'm extremely sensitive to uncomfortable furniture and generally need ergonomic tools in order to even sit at a computer monitor or read a textbook.

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

Therefore, completing my proposal, even a few months later than officially required, was a big accomplishment!

Additionally, I had worked through a lot of pain to achieve this. Some of that pain was caused by the necessary work. I thought I deserved some credit and some space to rest.

When I met with my advisor two days after my proposal defense, her feedback for me was "I really wish you had gotten this done six months ago."

She told me that, basically, she thought I had just been procrastinating for the past six months. Nevermind that it took me about two months to tackle the task of literally writing the proposal, at least a month to make the 2 figures that were included, and many months to read all of the necessary background literature. Also, nevermind the fact that I had actually asked her to read a draft of my proposal the previous summer, which she never found the time to do. Oh, and I suppose we should also conveniently forget about the multiple of the research projects I was involved with, the fact that I was helping a postdoc get up to speed with the technology we used in the group, and the administrative work I was doing documenting the various software tools we used in the group.

Her read on the situation was that I was anxious (true), didn't want to do the proposal (actually false), and had therefore chosen to simply procrastinate (clearly false).

This probably should've been a big red flag.

But I carried on working with her. And then we had a series of meetings in May. I'm not going to attempt to cover everything that happened in those meetings, but I am going to pull some highlights.

The first of these meetings occurred on a day when I was already in a bad mental health place. In the report that I write before each meeting, I included a note stating that I was in a bad mental health place and would prefer to have a very brief meeting. The way I wrote this note, I intended to imply that I would prefer that she just signed the paper I needed her to sign and then let me go home and take care of myself. Though I did not say that explicitly.

My advisor did not respect my wishes for a short meeting. Instead, she dove face first into discussion of a project that was currently stressing her out. In retrospect, I wish I had enforced my boundary more strongly and informed her that I needed to leave. But I didn't do that.

We discussed the grant that was funding my RAship. We had never discussed this before, and I actually didn't even know which granted was that was funding me. But I learned that I had not been contributing much to the specific projects funded by that grant, and my advisor was upset about it. She treated this as if it was my fault, even though I did not have the necessary information.

She really wanted me to finish this one particular project that had been started by a previous student. Working on this project would require a lot of time at the computer, and I wanted to prioritize working on a current paper I'm writing in my limited computer time. When I told her this, and shared that I did not think the deadlines she had posed were realistic given my limited capacity to use a computer, she got very angry. She told me how my limitations were very frustrating to her. Her exact words: "There is always a reason why you can't do what I ask you to do."

I thought she understood that I had limitations and was okay with that. Apparently not. Apparently my limitations were simply not okay with her and she was taking it out on me.

Later in our conversation, she said something else to me that set off alarm bells: "You really need to have a more can-do attitude."

She was referring to the many tasks that I do struggle to complete and tell her should probably be delegated to somebody else. The implication is that I should find some new assistive technology or assistance. I do believe that she legitimately does not know how difficult this can be. And I know she does not understand the degree to which resources simply do not exist.

But, in the face of this, I don't need to work on having a can-do attitude. I already have a can-do attitude. I had to invent my own system to make it possible to write math using speech to text software. I've found hundreds of little modifications or hacks to help me with household tasks. I navigated the world of assistive technology with no professional help. I figured out mobility aids with no professional help. I was told by many well-meaning authority figures that I should pick an easier major than mathematics, given the limitations of my disability. I ignored them, earned a bachelors degree in mathematics, and went to grad school.

Saying that I need a can-do attitude reveals how little my advisor understands about the real struggles of disability, and it's also frankly offensive.

She accused me of not contributing to group projects (which is just false). She implied that I was lazy. She expressed resentment over the fact that her grant had been funding me. She again brought up my proposal and how she wished I had completed it sooner. Regarding my anxiety, she told me that I needed to "grow up."

The stress and anxiety from these meetings was making me physically sick. At times, I was unable to eat because I was nauseous. I was holding a lot of tension in my muscles, leading to increased pain. I was struggling to sleep.

I've had enough experience with my health to know that I couldn't let this go on. I went to a couple of other professors in my department to let them know what was going on. As a "crisis management" solution, they were able to find another funding source for me for the summer, and I have been working on a collaboration with a different professor.

These interactions marked a clear downturn in my mental health. Since then, I've primarily been focusing on trying to rebuild my mental health. I'm seeing a therapist who I really like, and I saw a psychiatrist for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It's hard, but I'm taking it one day at a time.

It's not yet official, but, in the weeks since these incidents, I realized that I needed a new advisor. The unreasonable expectations of my advisor had crept into my brain and are still contributing significantly to my anxiety. I won't be able to completely avoid interacting with her, but I am convinced that I will not allow her to continue to have official authority over me.

I do need to figure out who I would like to advise me instead. There are a couple of logical candidates, one of which I like (but I'm not sure if he's currently taking students), and another one who makes me a little uncomfortable (but I know she has an opening for a new student). I will be talking with people over the next few weeks and working out my next steps academically.

But my main focus will stay on my mental health. It is better than it was, but still feels precarious. The psychiatrist I saw did increase the dose of my antidepressant (which I was already taking for pain). I'm hoping it will help, but it's too soon to say. In the meantime, I'm focusing on one day at a time.

#spoonie student #grad school #chronic pain #chronic illness #disability #school #personal #long post

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rgr-pop · 5 years

Text

the institutional pressure for a commodified dissertation is obnoxious anyway. the book-ready diss is a product of the market (they tell you it will make you hireable!) (see also: postdoc industrial complex) but at the same time it’s almost wholly a fantasy produced at only the highest tier--programs that have become “good” at placing grads because they are already princeton, but then because those grads have a manuscript almost-in-hand. i imagine this is true in many disciplines, but it is very much happening to history, probably in part because of the tighter relationship the discipline has to academic presses (history books are by and large the books that people read and buy from academic presses).

i see this happen, and i used to think it was a good thing, but i no longer think it is a good thing (although i think it is what you should do, given the chance, it is definitely the wiser thing to do). i generally see historians accept this idea. it is probably fine either way. but i also see scholars (maybe more outside of history, but also historians) in the diss stage or immediately after, very disenchanted about the function of the dissertation. wondering why they wrote it, feeling resentful that it felt like a test, bored by its form. sometimes saying “the dissertation shouldn’t be a way to show off everything you know” or sometimes asking “what can we do with the dissertation to make it worthwhile?” most often saying “what literally is a dissertation?” i don’t know anything about anything and i have no answers, but even though it seems counter-intuitive, i think maybe “your dissertation should be a good book that will sell” is part of the problem. (failing institution and 0 support is main problem lol.)

i sort of want to go back and finish, and do the thing, and one reason is because i have started to understand what i have been doing as a dissertation project, that would be best suited as a dissertation, something exploratory, experimental and heavily tested, and, crucially, more-public, not necessarily just-a-book. unsurprisingly perhaps, this is more exciting and motivating than alternatives!

#writing #undisciplining

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aghiadghazal · 5 years

Text

Cosmic Rays

It was 1:39 am, I woke up for no apparent reason, usually, the night is exclusive to my daughter waking us up, however not this time. I look to my left, Sheila was sleeping soundly, I get up and sit on the edge of the bed looking outside our bedroom window. I suddenly realise how clear the skies are, not a single cloud in sight, which is not common in Denmark. The further away from the summer we are, the rarer these cloudless days/nights are, until you hit November (the darkest month of the year) where it’s not uncommon to have only few hours of sun during the entire month. (yes, you read correctly, few hours for the entire month).

It got me thinking that maybe Northern Europeans never excelled in astronomy back in the days simply because they had very little access to the night-sky. With clouds obstructing their view most of the year, it would be difficult to establish a field of science based on peering into the night sky and analysing the movement of the stars. Surely there were some famous astronomers such as Tycho Brahe from Denmark during the renaissance period but even Tycho Braha travelled abroad frequently and founded observatories in different places across Europe (probably less cloudy places than Denmark). However, it never amounted to an advanced field of science as was the case for the ancient Egyptians or the Greeks or the Arabs.

Anyways, back to my personal cloudless night, I notice a bright object in the sky. What is that object? The first thing I do, I align the bright object with my window frame, hold my breath like a sniper who is about to shoot a deer, and try to see how fast is the object moving away from the edge of the window. Somehow, we all have this tendency to want to know what is that bright object in the nightsky? There are three possibilities, it is either a plane, in which case it moves fast, or a satellite which moves slower, or a star which wouldn’t move at all. Unless you can hold your breath for few hours to see the star move. The fourth possibility is an alien spaceship, but let’s not go there. It turned out it was a star.

But then that reminded me of a podcast I heard only few days before. The podcast was called ‘bit flip’ on Radiolab, a podcast hosted by super cool guys called Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich from NYC. Very nice podcast recommended by a dear friend. Bit Flip revolves around the fact that cosmic rays, caused by a supernova (explosion of a star) from deep space, can cause ‘bit flips’ in our electronics turning some 0’s to 1’s and vice versa.

This may seem like a mundane thing, but it can have dire implications such as changing the outcome of digital elections (such as the case of a national election in Belgium in 2003), numerous car accidents in the States, and an airplane nosediving in the sky. When a star explodes in space, it emits huge amounts of energy in the form of gamma rays which is emitted in every direction. We are constantly bombarded by those gamma rays from deep space which passes through us with no prior warning or permission.

Due to the constant miniaturisation of our electronics, transistors (which is the smallest building block of any piece of electronics and is responsible for switching the electrical signals) have become so small (down to 10 nm) that a cosmic ray has enough energy to change its state (0 to 1 or 1 to 0). This was not seen as a big problem back in the days when most of our machines were purely mechanical like cars and planes, and our transistors were massive.

My first encounter with cosmic rays was during an internship I was doing few years back. It was in 2011, I was fresh out of my masters degree, not knowing what to do with my life and whether to pursue a PhD or search for a job, whether to stay in Denmark or move to another country. Then I was offered a 4 month internship at the Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy Lab at EPFL in Switzerland under the supervision of Prof. Majed Chergui. Ultrafast Spectroscopy is a technique that uses ultrashort pulse lasers for the study of dynamics on extremely short time scales, down to attoseconds, which is a billionth of a billionth of a second (10ˆ-18 of a second).

To detect such pulses, a CCD (charge-coupled device) is used, which is basically a pulse detector, connected to a screen. I was assigned to assist a bright young postdoc at the time and in the process learn about the experimental work of ultrafast spectroscopy. I remember him showing me the signals on the screen as the experiment went on, and all of a sudden, I see a speck on the screen, not connected to the main signal, and few bright spots followed in the screen few seconds later, just random bright pixels, so I ask the postdoc what are these bright pixels? He moves his hand dismissively and says “ahh it’s nothing, it’s just cosmic rays” … I remember saying “excuse me? did you just say cosmic rays?“ .. he said, yes, we constantly receive cosmic rays from deep space and we always get them on our detectors, however, we remove them once we process our data afterwards. I was completely dumbfounded … cosmic rays??!! a stream of rays constantly travelling from deep space passing through us and everything around us? How come we are not taught that in school? Can we harness these rays? I went on and on about these rays, until I discovered other cool things in that amazing green/ red/ ultraviolet laser-induced lab.

But the idea of cosmic rays was always somewhere in the back of my mind, just the idea that something happening literally astronomically far away affects our daily lives, makes me realise how we are one with the universe, how we are so far yet so connected to other galaxies and stars. There are 118 known elements on earth, and when I was a child, I used to think that different planets would have more (or less) elements, but some are surely completely different, and I would sit and come up and draft what these elements would be like, and what characteristics they would have. I would dream about further space explorations just to discover these new elements. It turned out, or at least as far as our knowledge goes, there are no other elements than the ones we know out there, simply because they all came from the same source, from the big bang, so whatever nickel, gold, silver, aluminium or whatever we have, is nothing but the result of an astronomical cosmic sneeze.

After hearing the podcast, it brought back all these memories of cosmic rays, and somehow reminded me to be more tolerant of our electronics, and accept that there are things that are much larger than us at play, so next time your Facebook app abruptly crashes on your smartphone, consider that you may have just been blessed with a message from a galaxy far far away.

End.

Oct. 7th 2019

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 5 years

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Do volcanoes or an asteroid deserve blame for dinosaur extinction? Asteroid/comet likely reignited Indian volcanoes 66 million years ago, but their role in extinction unclear. Based on new data published today in the journal Science, it seems increasingly likely that an asteroid or comet impact 66 million years ago reignited massive volcanic eruptions in India, half a world away from the impact site in the Caribbean Sea. But it leaves unclear to what degree the two catastrophes contributed to the near-simultaneous mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and many other forms of life. The research sheds light on huge lava flows that have erupted periodically over Earth's history, and how they have affected the atmosphere and altered the course of life on the planet. In the study, University of California, Berkeley, scientists report the most precise and accurate dates yet for the intense volcanic eruptions in India that coincided with the worldwide extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period, the so-called K-Pg boundary. The million-year sequence of eruptions spewed lava flows for distances of at least 500 kilometers across the Indian continent, creating the so-called Deccan Traps flood basalts that in some places are nearly 2 kilometers thick. "Now that we have dated Deccan Traps lava flows in more and different locations, we see that the transition seems to be the same everywhere. I would say, with pretty high confidence, that the eruptions occurred within 50,000 years, and maybe 30,000 years, of the impact, which means they were synchronous within the margin of error," said Paul Renne, a professor-in-residence of earth and planetary science at UC Berkeley, director of the Berkeley Geochronology Center and senior author of the study, which will appear online Feb. 21. "That is an important validation of the hypothesis that the impact renewed lava flows." The new dates also confirm earlier estimates that the lava flows continued for about a million years, but contain a surprise: three-quarters of the lava erupted after the impact. Previous studies suggested that about 80 percent of the lava erupted before the impact. If most of the Deccan Traps lava had erupted before the impact, then gases emitted during the eruptions could have been the cause of global warming within the last 400,000 years of the Cretaceous Period, during which temperatures increased, on average, about 8 degrees Celsius (14.4 degrees Fahrenheit). During this period of warming, species would have evolved suited to hothouse conditions, only to be confronted by global cooling from the dust or by climate cooling gases caused by either the impact or the volcanos. The cold would have been a shock from which most creatures would never have recovered, disappearing entirely from the fossil record: literally, a mass extinction. But if most of the Deccan Traps lava emerged after the impact, this scenario needs rethinking. "This changes our perspective on the role of the Deccan Traps in the K-Pg extinction," said first author Courtney Sprain, a former UC Berkeley doctoral student who is now a postdoc at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. "Either the Deccan eruptions did not play a role - which we think unlikely - or a lot of climate-modifying gases were erupted during the lowest volume pulse of the eruptions." The hypothesis that climate-altering volcanic gases leak out of underground magma chambers frequently, and not just during eruptions, is supported by evidence from present-day volcanos, such as those of the gas-spewing Mt. Etna in Italy and Popocatepetl in Mexico, the researchers said. Magma stewing below the surface is known to transmit gases to the atmosphere, even without eruptions. "We are suggesting that it is very likely that a lot of the gases that come from magma systems precede eruptions; they don't necessarily correlate with eruptions," Renne said. In the case of the K-Pg extinction, the symptoms of significant climate change occurred before the peak in volcanic eruptions. Flood basalts Renne, Sprain and their colleagues are using a precise dating method, argon-argon dating, to determine when the impact occurred and when the Deccan Traps erupted to clarify the sequence of catastrophes at the end of the Cretaceous Period and beginning of the Tertiary Period - the K-Pg boundary, formerly referred to as the K-T boundary. In 2013, using rocks from Montana, they obtained the most precise date yet for the impact, and in 2018, they updated that to 66,052,000 years ago, give or take 8,000 years. Then, in 2015, they determined from a handful of samples in India that, in at least one spot, the peak of the Deccan Traps eruptions occurred within about 50,000 years of that date, which means, in geologic time, that the incidents were basically simultaneous. Now, with three times more rock samples from areas covering more of the Deccan Traps, the researchers have established that the time of peak eruptions was the same across much of the Indian continent. This supports the group's hypothesis that the asteroid impact triggered super-earthquakes that caused a strong burst of volcanism in India, which is almost directly opposite the impact site, the Chicxulub crater in the Caribbean Sea. Sprain and Renne argue that the coincident catastrophes likely delivered a one-two punch to life on Earth, but the details are unclear. Volcanic eruptions produce lots of gases, but some, like carbon dioxide and methane, warm the planet, while others, like sulfur aerosols, are cooling. The impact itself would have sent dust into the atmosphere that blocked sunlight and cooled the Earth, though no one knows for how long. "Both the impact and Deccan volcanism can produce similar environmental effects, but these are occurring on vastly differing timescales," Sprain said. "Therefore, to understand how each agent contributed to the extinction event, assessing timing is key." Which gases in the Deccan Traps are emitted when is a question that's hard to answer, because there are no flood basalt eruptions going on today, despite numerous ones in Earth's history. The most recent, near the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, dwindled 15 million years ago after 400,000 years of eruptions. The paucity of information about flood basalts is one reason Renne and Sprain are interested in the Deccan Traps, which are still young enough to contain information about the sequence, effects and scale of the eruptions, and perhaps the cause. "It makes we wonder whether we may see some external forcing mechanism, like the impact for the Deccan Traps, for other flood basalts that lead up to major peaks in eruptions, like the Columbia River basalts or the Siberian Traps," Renne said. "Could a major earthquake in nearby subduction zones or the accumulation of pressure due to rising magma unleash these major episodes in flood basalts?" Sprain noted that, in the same issue of Science, a research group at Princeton University also will publish new dates related to the Deccan Traps, some of which differ from those of the Berkeley group. Whereas the Berkeley group dated the mineral plagioclase from the actual lava flows, the Princeton group dated zircons in the sediment deposited between flows. Because it's unclear where the zircons came from, however, those dates provide only a maximum age for the lava, she said. TOP IMAGE....Layered lava flows within the Wai Subgroup from near Ambenali Ghat, Western Ghats. CREDIT Courtney Sprain LOWER IMAGE....Map outlining exposed areas of the Deccan Traps in modern day India. CREDIT Courtney Sprain

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #geology #planetary science #dinosaurs

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fractallogic · 4 years

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the prof I’m working on some postdoc applications with has adopted me into her lab 100% and it makes me want to cry

on one hand, it’s AMAZING and I’m being MENTED and it’s a PRODUCTIVE lab and a HAPPY lab and I can share my expertise with others!! it is amazing, my heart is full, and I love that she and I are both certified yoga instructors who are hypermobile and have bullet journals?!

on the other hand (and one that I’m trying not to think about because nothing can be done about it, but it’s still very much there), it makes me wonder what could have been if I’d had this experience in grad school. like undergrad, whatever, it was fine, but my god where would I be if my grad school advisor had actually submitted abstracts to special issues of journals, or if he had applied for and gotten grants, or if he had been like. any degree of a team player in his research. like I was there for SIX YEARS and I have a publication through a lab that wasn’t my advisor (although he would have been if he hadn’t retired, sob) and a single author publication, but literally none with the lab that I was part of for YEARS (and I am not alone in this)?!

I get having different priorities and whatever but man. I wish his priority were Being a Good Mentor and Conscientious Academic instead of Being a Slack-Off White Man Professor (who happens to be one of the few semi-specialists in the subfield that I like and who does research on a great fucking language in the language family that I want to do research on too)

like fuck, if only I was interested in speech perception and phonetics instead of Semitic languages and morphology, because then I would have had this experience in grad school. (incidentally, there’s another paper with ANOTHER lab I was only quasi-associated with, but that’s still in its embryonic stages right now in terms of paper development. there’s a lot of bullet points and question marks in the doc that I think is most up to date.)

I mean I’m delighted to have this experience (and the speech perception/phonetics one in spring 2019) at this specific moment, when I’m unemployed and disenchanted about academia and there’s a fucking pandemic going on—if I was associated with a shitty lab, I absolutely wouldn’t make it through another job cycle. I would do it, but I don’t think I would come out the other side. but with these two, I have—dare I say—hope? fulfillment?? excitement??? and certainly VALIDATION. like my god, a prof with tenure and active grants telling me all my ideas are really cool and interesting and valuable and NECESSARY? WOW

idk, maybe it’s something with speech perception and phonetics, because that’s the thing in common with these labs. it’s surely NOT the fact that they’re also run by two female PIs. no. couldn’t be that. definitely not. it is NOT a gender thing. (yes it is)

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unknown-de-mordor-blog · 6 years

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Plot Bunny: Alpine AU SNS

Summary: Naruto is a fresh-faced botanist who just recently moved to a (sizeable) mountain town to join a research team on ecology in alpine climate. He’s there because they want to build a tree nursery for the rare alpine plant species and study the effect of climate change on smaller shrubs and flowers, and Naruto is renown in the field for being able to grow and culture anything no matter how picky the plant is. Sasuke just finished his vet training and is setting up his practice. His family doesn’t really understand why he was hell-bent on specializing in wild and exotic animals and moved to a mountain town where, frankly, there’s just nothing much going on and not much money to make. But honestly, his massive childhood tantrum to get a pet snake should have told them everything they need to know. Then one fateful day Sasuke gets a call. They just catch a strange looking wolf not seen before in the area and they need a vet to check it out. The ground they found the creature on is the University's open-aired tree nursery. Detail:

- Naruto and Sasuke are in their thirties because, you know, it takes time to have the careers they have.

- This is Naruto first long-term job after jumping between postdoc positions, so he had been a bit of a nomad previously. That's part of why he lives in a small apartment and drives a third-handed pick-up truck. His most precious possession is an orchid he helped cultivated and was given by the professor as a gift.

- His ability to grow anything is nicknamed 'The Uzumaki effect.' However, he's terrible with animals. Even a chihuahua would bite him.

- Sasuke, on the other hand, was called a Disney Princess by his brother Itachi because he has the uncanny ability to deal with animals. Some of his vet friends called him 'the Messiah' since he tends to be the only one who is able to deal with their tricky and aggressive patients.

- That was also why he got called to the University to deal with the wolf. They tried to sedated it after they captured it, but the thing just won't go to sleep and tries to bite everyone. Kiba, who's an animal rescuer told them to call Sasuke since they couldn't safely give the wolf anymore sedative without the risk of overdosing and killing it.

- Kiba is married to Hinata, who runs an animal sanctuary. They take in mostly wild and exotic animals and sometimes animals that people should have known better to not keep as pet, like, Kiba's wolf-dog Akamaru who's just a tad too much on the wolf side to be in a family home. Both of them know Sasuke because he's their favourite vet for the animals.

- And so, Naruto and Sasuke meet for the first time on their mission to get the wolf out of the University ground and to Hinata's place so it can recuperate. They instantly click as a team, and Naruto gets pretty excited since this is the first time he deals with animal and doesn't get bitten.

- And Naruto might have developed a crush on Sasuke because he's calm and patient and just super cool in Naruto's eyes.

- Sasuke, on the other hand, has a bit of a headache with Naruto since he gets a little too excited and makes the animal anxious.

- Naruto calls the wolf Kurama and likes to visit him at Hinata's place. They find out later that he's weird looking with strange-colored furs because he's a wolf-dog from an unintentional cross breeding. So they are reluctant to set him free, although he's very aggressive due to never having contact with human before and is at risk of being put down.

- Naruto is so upset by that. He phones up Sasuke to ask if there is anything he can do to help Kurama. Sasuke honestly don't think there's an option because Kurama is too aggressive to be adopted. Even Akamaru is not that bad and pretty much only Kiba or Hinata can handle him.

- But Naruto isn't going to take no for an answer, so he asks Sasuke to teach him how to bond with animals so he can, hopefully, be friends with Kurama and adopt him. Sasuke thinks this is a terrible plan, but he lets Naruto come in to help in his clinic anyway.

- Naruto gets super down when he meets Karin, Sasuke's head nurse and business partner, because he thinks she's Sasuke's girlfriend. Karin laughs like a hyena when she finds out because, no, Sasuke is so gay there isn't a chance in hell that would have happened.

-With Naruto, though...

- Naruto is probably the worst volunteer in the clinic, even with domestic pets and animals. Sasuke and Karin have to spend quite a lot of time to train him to handle animals and to be calm with them so the animals don't freak out.

- After a while, Sasuke thinks Naruto should try fostering, and that is when he discovers that Naruto's apartment is so small it can't handle a chihuahua, let alone a wolfdog. And he tells the blond to buy a house with a yard if he's really serious about keeping Kurama. Worst case scenario, he would need to build a cage out there because Kurama might never be tamed enough to live in a house.

- But student loan? Naruto's really uncomfortable with the idea of getting into a new batch of debt when he's still paying off the old one.

- Karin suggests that Sasuke should rent his basement to Naruto since he just got himself straddled with a mortgage and could use another stream of income to help with that anyway. Also, Sasuke's house has a nice yard.

- Sasuke hopes Naruto would figure out after dealing with a variety of animals that an aggressive wolf-dog is not a good pet to keep and let Kurama go. But nope, Naruto isn't having it. He agrees to moving in to Sasuke's basement so he can start fostering animals, which he thinks is the path to caring for Kurama permanently. He also doesn't quite think of Kurama as pet. He still visits him a lot and helps Hinata with feeding the wolf-dog so they can bond, but he feels like Kurama really is his own person. So a friend?

- Kurama also gets more comfortable with Naruto as the time goes by, but he still doesn't like human.

- As it turns out, Sasuke doesn't really have a basement suite. It's really another floor of the house. So they ended up more like housemates. Naruto needs the kitchen upstairs and Sasuke needs the laundry room downstairs.

- Thank goodness they have separate bathrooms because if Sasuke walks in on Naruto wet and wearing only a towel one more time, he might literally have a heart attack.

- Naruto also helps Sasuke with taking care of animals that sometimes Sasuke brings back from the clinic because they need overnight care.

- Most of the times, the animal is okay and just needs to sleep and be fed. But one time a young kitten dies on Sasuke from an intestinal infection although Sasuke stays with the kitten all night to try and save it. Naruto got to see Sasuke cry then. Naruto would do anything to not have him cry again.

- But, you know, vet's life. Some animals just can't be saved, including a horse Sasuke has to put down because it breaks its legs in a crevasse and there's no way of saving it and letting it have a good life.

- Neither of them is any good when it comes to talking about emotions, so Naruto opts to cooking for Sasuke on those days.

- Naruto's plant collection sprawls out of the basement because the plants need light and the main floor got better sunlight. So now the orchid has a prided place on the sill of Sasuke's large dining room window. Sasuke never tells Naruto this, but he loves that orchid.

- Naruto also grows catnip and likes to sneak it into the clinic for the cat patients. Of course, Sasuke catches him anyway because the cats got high as a kite. ("It's like medical marijuana, Sasuke!")

- Naruto gets along better with animals over time, but he still can't get along with Sasuke's pet snake Orochi. Naruto swears the snake hates him. Mostly he's just jealous that Orochi gets to slither all over Sasuke when the raven is relaxing.

- Karin tells him to just make a move on Sasuke already.

I run out of ideas here because something has to happen to Kurama that helps move the plot forward and bring Naruto and Sasuke closer together, but I can't think of what. Please feel free to add your ideas to the list!

#naruto #plot bunny #narusasu #sasunaru #kibahina #modern au #where they live in a mountain town #botanist naruto #vet sasuke #my post

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qqueenofhades · 6 years

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Mmmkay so it’s been A Week (From Hell) for various real life reasons and I keep trying to ignore it and do other things and surprisingly, this is... less than working. Anyway so, venting on the big blue hellsite is probably better than keeping it all in my head, because the anxiety + stress + general unfunness is pretty much tanking me right now. You are 0% obligated either to read this post or to do anything about it if you do, but yeah. There you have it?

(Rant about aforesaid shit below.)

Anyway so. I’ve mentioned the fact that I’m really close to submitting the first draft of my PhD dissertation, which is really cool and something that I’m definitely proud of. However, the finishing stress is basically The Worst and I am so exhausted because I’ve worked on this thing for literally three years now and I can barely summon up any desire to look at the damn thing, much less go through and do the final edits/etc before I send it off to my supervisors. I’m almost done and it’s close and there are like a few finicky things but... god I just can’t do it anymore? I just... am so done with it (as most PhD students are by this point) and can’t focus and don’t wantttt.

Plus, it will be submitted at the end of May, and because you have to allow two months for it to be read in the first instance, let alone any corrections etc after that, I will be graduating in December rather than July. This is... well, it is what it is and I can’t control that, and I want to do things properly and not half-ass it at the end, but it royally shits over my ability to apply for this year’s round of postdocs/early career fellowships/all the other bullshit roulette of applications that you have to do as an academic, because they basically want you to have the PhD in hand by September (when most of the deadlines are) and yeah, I won’t until December. So that basically fucks me out of a year of applications (I’ll see what I can do, but yeah), and pushes me back to where I can start looking for the next solid step. I’m essentially completely in limbo at the moment with zero certainty and no money and a shit ton of anxiety and nothing either secured or that I can really secure, and...

Yeah. The no money part. It’s been up and down for a while, because that’s just Da PhD student life, and my parents have helped out a lot over the last year, but for various reasons, including medical bills for my mom etc, they’re not really in a position to do that any more. I’m trying to be sensible about this but I’m basically also freaking out because I have enough money to pay like... one more month of rent (and maybe one bill after that) and then... zippo. I am working really hard trying to line up a summer job, but because I have work restrictions on my visa/am not a UK citizen, that is probably going to play havoc with who is willing to hire me (because Brexit! Take a shot). I have worked as much as I have been able over the last three years (teaching at the university + in the education outreach office + private tutoring), so it’s not like I have no UK work experience, but also even getting hired somewhere part-time may be a challenge. I can’t teach again until October, and even if I get two classes, that still leaves me with three months of... essentially zero income.

I am going to go to the university advice centre on Monday and basically explain my situation and see if they can point me in a useful direction, and make all other reasonable efforts to support myself. But I’m also just finishing a PhD dissertation and am ragged and exhausted and shot mentally, and this is just taking a lot of spoons to deal with (plus the imminent panic of probably being homeless...) so yeah. My parents are giving all this well-meant “just do your best!/things will work out!” advice and I am... well, I’ve had a complicated relationship with them, and it’s gotten a lot better, and as I said, they’ve done a lot for me already. But also I’m frustrated with them because WHAT I REALLY NEED IS MAYBE NOT TO BE FUCKING HOMELESS?? AND THAT WOULD BE NICE?? MAYBE??? ESPECIALLY TRYING TO FINISH A PHD AND REGRETTING ALL MY LIFE CHOICES TO GET INTO ACADEMIA BECAUSE IT’S TOTAL SHIT AND I WON’T GET AN APPOINTMENT ANYWHERE AND AM CLEARLY AN IDIOT AND...

(whoof okay. I just had to get that off my chest, apparently.)

I absolutely HATE having to ask people for anything, especially with things like money. I’ve had to do it a few times before, and the “you’re a burden”/”you’re greedy”/”you’re not working enough”/”you don’t deserve to be helped this much” voices are real, and it sucks. Because I’ve been working as much as I possibly can, and it never feels like enough, and I’ve had ten years of bad or at least very iffy mental health that is a struggle to live with, and it’s... anyway. I’ve spent this entire week basically crashing and trying to distract myself and do fannish stuff to keep my mind off it, and I’ve done a few things like look into options and apply for jobs and etc. There’s MAYBE the possibility of yet another student loan (I mean what the hell, I’ll be in debt until I die, what does it matter?) but that also involves having to ask people to be involved in it, and feeling like I’ve already asked enough, and...I honestly don’t know. It would be tricky as a PhD non-citizen student. I’ll try it if I have to, but... again, it’s so much extra stress and it’s just feeling incredibly, incredibly overwhelming and like I can see no path to the end of the year with my sanity and general basic everyday life intact. I’ve also applied for some other things that have not worked out, and some things that I was hoping would come through didn’t, and....

... Anyway. Well. I have a kofi account if you wanna toss some pennies at me, a patreon, and I also have a paypal. I don’t want to give that out publicly since it’s linked to my institutional email, but I can give it privately. Again, I hate, hate that being the fact, but...also, I have to try everything that I can think of, and I like to think I’m someone whose stuff is generally enjoyed, so there’s that.

If you read to the end of this, bless you. Have a cookie.

#hilary for ts #personal #school stuff #real life shit

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