Here is a better blog post about the real article and the actual science and the full implications. But I do have to say, the New York Times did a pretty good job of summing it up correctly for the public at large.
So none of you think I'm an irresponsible science girl: I do have intention of reading the real article, because fully trusting media snippets of scientific exploration is never a good idea, but I'm swamped with my own science right now, so it went on the TBR (to be read) pile, which to save paper is really a list in Zotero...oh yea, I still haven't blogged about that. Well I'll get to it, maybe after the move...
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
In the news
We all know that I rarely read the news. But I keep it on my google homepage anyways, just in case the urge strikes. (BTW: I'm one of the "test subjects" and I absolutely hate the new left navigation pane. Total waste of space, are you listening google? If so, MAKE IT GO AWAY).
But, tonight this little gem caught my eye. I don't have much to say the article says it all. I'm feeling the need to shout "I told you so" to someone, but there is no one in particular that comes to mind that needs to here it. Girls can do it, yes we can. Now all we have to do is address that stupid No Child Left Behind thing and get more girls to take physics and we're on our way to that good ole' equality.
I like that I can choose to only read good news.
But, tonight this little gem caught my eye. I don't have much to say the article says it all. I'm feeling the need to shout "I told you so" to someone, but there is no one in particular that comes to mind that needs to here it. Girls can do it, yes we can. Now all we have to do is address that stupid No Child Left Behind thing and get more girls to take physics and we're on our way to that good ole' equality.
I like that I can choose to only read good news.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Let's talk about knitting
I haven't been doing much of it lately. That's been a trend for the whole year really. I did have two projects that somehow managed to complete themselves, although at a pitifully slow pace.
So here we go: A Dragon Skin for Dara
I alluded to yarn purchased for a baby project awhile back. You'll notice the date on that post is May 8th. At that time it was known to all that the baby was going to be arriving on May 20th, which she did. I was deluded enough to think that in between my arrival home on May 9th (well really the 10th since a midnight landing doesn't really count as same day) and her arrival into the world on May 20th I would knit, block and seam the sweater. I had visions of visiting Mom and baby at the hospital and whipping out my beautifully executed baby sweater. I had the yarn, I had the pattern, I had the needles, what could go wrong.
10 days. Was I high? We'll just say jetlag was clouding my judgment. It turns out I'm not that fast of a knitter. I did finish the knitting itself in 20 days, pretty respectable for me. Then it took me another month to get off my butt and block it. Than another week or so to get of my butt and seam it, so finally here it is:
Pattern: Dragon Skin Wrap by Angela Hahn from the last Interweave Holiday issue.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Prima purchased from Webs (I'm really going to miss being able to drive to Webs)
Needles: Size 6, Knitpicks Harmony (this was my first full project on these baby's and I was quite happy with them)
Size: 22 inches, 3-6 months, which is exactly how old Dara will be when it starts to cool down around here.
So here we go: A Dragon Skin for Dara
I alluded to yarn purchased for a baby project awhile back. You'll notice the date on that post is May 8th. At that time it was known to all that the baby was going to be arriving on May 20th, which she did. I was deluded enough to think that in between my arrival home on May 9th (well really the 10th since a midnight landing doesn't really count as same day) and her arrival into the world on May 20th I would knit, block and seam the sweater. I had visions of visiting Mom and baby at the hospital and whipping out my beautifully executed baby sweater. I had the yarn, I had the pattern, I had the needles, what could go wrong.
10 days. Was I high? We'll just say jetlag was clouding my judgment. It turns out I'm not that fast of a knitter. I did finish the knitting itself in 20 days, pretty respectable for me. Then it took me another month to get off my butt and block it. Than another week or so to get of my butt and seam it, so finally here it is:
Pattern: Dragon Skin Wrap by Angela Hahn from the last Interweave Holiday issue.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Prima purchased from Webs (I'm really going to miss being able to drive to Webs)
Needles: Size 6, Knitpicks Harmony (this was my first full project on these baby's and I was quite happy with them)
Size: 22 inches, 3-6 months, which is exactly how old Dara will be when it starts to cool down around here.
Notes: The printed magazine pattern chart is incorrect for the size 22" the ML on the Left front side should be a MR. I added the ties before I seamed it all up because I wanted them to block with the rest of the sweater. The SSE that is used is nice for the edging but a pain for the ties, if I were going to do it again I'd go with a regular I-cord. The yarn shed a little color in the blocking process, but a wet blocking did miracles for smoothing out the whole thing. This was a fun, quick knit with an adorable result. I went with the bright purple because it is perfect for the recipient, who is our little rock star.
Ok, I think that's it. I have another, boring-ish project all done as well, but I'm tired of typing so you'll see it some other time.
Ok, I think that's it. I have another, boring-ish project all done as well, but I'm tired of typing so you'll see it some other time.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Progress vs Procrastination...
...it's a fine line.
Despite my love of what I do. Sometimes, it's hard to find the motivation to actually do it. I've found this to be the most difficult part of my post-doctoral experience. Because of my desire to be in a more permanant situation, I spent a large portion of my post-doc time applying for jobs, and subsequently interviewing. Because my major professor retired major, I spent a large portion of my post-doc managing field projects and advising the MS students he was still responsible for. Because of my desire for teaching experience, I spent a large portion of my post doc designing and teaching a class. Because I'm the only one in the department capable of running the equipment, I spent a large portion of my post-doc collecting more field data. Because I wanted to expand my horizons, and increase the chances of obtaining the aforementioned job, I spent a large part of my post-doc writing grants with new colleagues, and attending conferences to make connections.
While all of this has been mostly great. It has left little time for the original intent of the post-doc, which was an in depth analysis of data I had collected near the end of my PhD program, but wasn't in my dissertation. While I've always been excited about it, and it's what I want to be doing, it somehow always takes a backseat to all of the above mentioned responsibilities. Once I got the job, and the move was a reality, I decided that I was going to focus solely on this data, and submit at least one paper by the end of the summer. That resolve, while great in theory, is a bit difficult in reality. It's getting there, albeit slower than I would like. My life has been consumed by the logistics of moving, buying a house, tieing up the loose ends around here, etc. but the paper is still the thing I WANT to be working on, but somedays, my heart just isn't completely in it, which is evident by the fact that I have been derailed quite easily on every attempt to work on the project.
First, I wanted to print out the draft that I already had. That led to an hour to determine that the printer in my office didn't work with a mac. That led to the need to use my older office PC, which was crashed, and two days of working with tech support to get it to a point where data could be retrieved from it. Good to go right? Let's try that printing thing again. Oops, I've lost all of my flash drives so I didn't have a convenient method of transferring the file to the computer, which was now capable of printing it, and a half hour of online shopping later, the perfect flash drive at the perfect price is on it's way to me. It's really cute don't you think:
Let's see: computer fixed, new flash drive, knowledge that I won't purchase this printer for my new office: Progress or Procrastination?
So printing is clearly not getting me anywhere. Let's just tackle it in the computer. That goes well, for a while. It seems my MS Office 2004 doesn't like the equations that my co-author sent. At all. Apparently, I don't have equation editor installed, although I'm sure I used when I was away. I can't find the install disks (since we are in various states of packing/reorganization), and this is the latest in my inner hatred of Microsoft bubbling to the surface. Begin the massive computer reorganization and the search for a new word processing option. OpenOffice (X11 and mac native beta), NeoOffice, Pages, all downloaded and installed, and tried out. Right now I'm most happy with NeoOffice, because it read those equations correctly and was the easiest to get Zotero functioning in, but stay tuned because I tend to be fickle, and after all the paper isn't done yet.
There we go, I'm off and running a new software suite, that is not slowing my computer down, and not slowing the paper down either: Progress or Procrastination?
Enter Zotero. Once I was up an running and equation editing all happy like. I reached a point in the manuscript where I needed to insert a reference....on second thought, reference management software is a topic for another post and this one's pretty long already. I will leave you with the burning desire to learn more about Zotero. (Or you could just google it). I'm going to work on my paper. As soon as I have lunch.
Despite my love of what I do. Sometimes, it's hard to find the motivation to actually do it. I've found this to be the most difficult part of my post-doctoral experience. Because of my desire to be in a more permanant situation, I spent a large portion of my post-doc time applying for jobs, and subsequently interviewing. Because my major professor retired major, I spent a large portion of my post-doc managing field projects and advising the MS students he was still responsible for. Because of my desire for teaching experience, I spent a large portion of my post doc designing and teaching a class. Because I'm the only one in the department capable of running the equipment, I spent a large portion of my post-doc collecting more field data. Because I wanted to expand my horizons, and increase the chances of obtaining the aforementioned job, I spent a large part of my post-doc writing grants with new colleagues, and attending conferences to make connections.
While all of this has been mostly great. It has left little time for the original intent of the post-doc, which was an in depth analysis of data I had collected near the end of my PhD program, but wasn't in my dissertation. While I've always been excited about it, and it's what I want to be doing, it somehow always takes a backseat to all of the above mentioned responsibilities. Once I got the job, and the move was a reality, I decided that I was going to focus solely on this data, and submit at least one paper by the end of the summer. That resolve, while great in theory, is a bit difficult in reality. It's getting there, albeit slower than I would like. My life has been consumed by the logistics of moving, buying a house, tieing up the loose ends around here, etc. but the paper is still the thing I WANT to be working on, but somedays, my heart just isn't completely in it, which is evident by the fact that I have been derailed quite easily on every attempt to work on the project.
First, I wanted to print out the draft that I already had. That led to an hour to determine that the printer in my office didn't work with a mac. That led to the need to use my older office PC, which was crashed, and two days of working with tech support to get it to a point where data could be retrieved from it. Good to go right? Let's try that printing thing again. Oops, I've lost all of my flash drives so I didn't have a convenient method of transferring the file to the computer, which was now capable of printing it, and a half hour of online shopping later, the perfect flash drive at the perfect price is on it's way to me. It's really cute don't you think:
Let's see: computer fixed, new flash drive, knowledge that I won't purchase this printer for my new office: Progress or Procrastination?
So printing is clearly not getting me anywhere. Let's just tackle it in the computer. That goes well, for a while. It seems my MS Office 2004 doesn't like the equations that my co-author sent. At all. Apparently, I don't have equation editor installed, although I'm sure I used when I was away. I can't find the install disks (since we are in various states of packing/reorganization), and this is the latest in my inner hatred of Microsoft bubbling to the surface. Begin the massive computer reorganization and the search for a new word processing option. OpenOffice (X11 and mac native beta), NeoOffice, Pages, all downloaded and installed, and tried out. Right now I'm most happy with NeoOffice, because it read those equations correctly and was the easiest to get Zotero functioning in, but stay tuned because I tend to be fickle, and after all the paper isn't done yet.
There we go, I'm off and running a new software suite, that is not slowing my computer down, and not slowing the paper down either: Progress or Procrastination?
Enter Zotero. Once I was up an running and equation editing all happy like. I reached a point in the manuscript where I needed to insert a reference....on second thought, reference management software is a topic for another post and this one's pretty long already. I will leave you with the burning desire to learn more about Zotero. (Or you could just google it). I'm going to work on my paper. As soon as I have lunch.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
What do I do?
Phew. I'm home, for as long as it's still my home, which is only a few more weeks. It seems however, that the house itself will be mine for awhile longer. Did you all know the economy was in the crapper? Apparently while I've been running all over the place and avoiding the news, the housing bubble burst. Making moving on short notice a rather stressful prospect. Oh well, what will be will be. Two mortgages, One salary, here we come!
Despite that minor issue, the new job thing is very exciting. I haven't figured out if it's my new University, or merely the fact that I'm now a faculty member, but the difference from my current post to the new one is like night and day. I have my own lab, a really nice one and my own office. Both are climate controlled, in a building with elevators, and ladies rooms on every floor. Right now my building has one ladies room for three floors and two temperatures: ice cold or boiling hot. Plus, they just gave me keys, I didn't have to sign away my first child or put down a deposit or anything, they just gave them to me! Being a grownup is pretty cool.
Creature comforts aside, I think the position is going to be great. During my interviews, this was the least favorite place, so I was a bit nervous about the job. I think it is mainly because the guy who dropped me off at the airport afterwards clearly did not like me, so I had a bad vibe after that. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have a job, and I'm only of the luckiest gals around right now, but there were some nerves. Which were completely erased the minute we visited and the Associate Dean gave me a giant hug to welcome me. I think this place is going to be ok.
During the last few weeks, I have run across another public perception that clashes with the academic reality and I thought you would indulge me in musing about it. I have realized I do not know how to answer the question "So what will you be doing?"
Faculty positions are pretty standard across the globe, some of the details are different (how many classes you are expected to teach, number of committees, expectations of research dollars and grad student advising, etc.), but in general, it's a pretty standard gig. You teach, you research, you advise. What you teach, what you research and who you advise are pretty much (not always, but often) your choice. So, technically the answer is "whatever I want". It occurs to me this might be why the jobs are so hard to come by; that's a pretty sweet deal. It also is not a very satisfying answer to my non-academic friends.
It's not quite that simple. It's not whatever I want, it's what I'm qualified to do. Faculties hire people that have similar interests/expertise to what already exists or different ones if they are looking to broaden their impact. That choice is often dictated by ????? A lot of things I suppose, probably the direction the department wants to take. Questions like: Do they want to be the number 1 University in X discipline, Do they want to be a well respected well rounded program? What teaching expertise do they need to fill out the undergraduate curriculum? are discussed to death. Sometimes it's as simples as they cannot agree and just want the least offensive candidate. I think this is mostly the case, but on the heels of a job search I might be biased.
Anyways, here's where we get a little circular. I'm going to do what I'm qualified to do. I'm going to pursue my research interests. They are my interests because they are what I want to learn about. So I will being doing what I want to do. Hmm, that puts me back where we started, answering in a way that doesn't actually convey the life of a Faculty member.
Since I do environmental type research, people seem to assume that my new University must want me there to explore a particular aspect of the environment relative to their location. I get a lot of "do they have what you do there?". This is also not true. Science is a bit more general than that. My particular research expertise is not location specific. In fact, as you are all aware, my research field site is in New Mexico, which is not geographically similar to either my current location in the Northeast, or my new location of the deep south (a whole other topic to be musing on). This is not to say I won't pursue topics relevant to my new location, but it is not going to be required of me. Right now I have grants under consideration to work in two other states. The air is everywhere, where I am is irrelevant to understanding it.
"I'm going to teach" Now there is a promising answer. A simple, straightforward, verb for what I'm going to do. Most people understand that. Until it comes to "teach what?". My classes haven't been assigned yet, and the department is such that I will get to choose what I teach. I haven't decided yet what they will be, so that line of thought becomes a stumper too.
For now, I'm going with "What I do now, but permanent" (I've given up on explaining the tenure process). The lack of response to that answer is good usually a quick nod, or "ok". I guess, it must satisfy somehow, or maybe I should be concerned that there is a bigger problem: No one actually knows what I do, so they don't want to ask....
Despite that minor issue, the new job thing is very exciting. I haven't figured out if it's my new University, or merely the fact that I'm now a faculty member, but the difference from my current post to the new one is like night and day. I have my own lab, a really nice one and my own office. Both are climate controlled, in a building with elevators, and ladies rooms on every floor. Right now my building has one ladies room for three floors and two temperatures: ice cold or boiling hot. Plus, they just gave me keys, I didn't have to sign away my first child or put down a deposit or anything, they just gave them to me! Being a grownup is pretty cool.
Creature comforts aside, I think the position is going to be great. During my interviews, this was the least favorite place, so I was a bit nervous about the job. I think it is mainly because the guy who dropped me off at the airport afterwards clearly did not like me, so I had a bad vibe after that. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have a job, and I'm only of the luckiest gals around right now, but there were some nerves. Which were completely erased the minute we visited and the Associate Dean gave me a giant hug to welcome me. I think this place is going to be ok.
During the last few weeks, I have run across another public perception that clashes with the academic reality and I thought you would indulge me in musing about it. I have realized I do not know how to answer the question "So what will you be doing?"
Faculty positions are pretty standard across the globe, some of the details are different (how many classes you are expected to teach, number of committees, expectations of research dollars and grad student advising, etc.), but in general, it's a pretty standard gig. You teach, you research, you advise. What you teach, what you research and who you advise are pretty much (not always, but often) your choice. So, technically the answer is "whatever I want". It occurs to me this might be why the jobs are so hard to come by; that's a pretty sweet deal. It also is not a very satisfying answer to my non-academic friends.
It's not quite that simple. It's not whatever I want, it's what I'm qualified to do. Faculties hire people that have similar interests/expertise to what already exists or different ones if they are looking to broaden their impact. That choice is often dictated by ????? A lot of things I suppose, probably the direction the department wants to take. Questions like: Do they want to be the number 1 University in X discipline, Do they want to be a well respected well rounded program? What teaching expertise do they need to fill out the undergraduate curriculum? are discussed to death. Sometimes it's as simples as they cannot agree and just want the least offensive candidate. I think this is mostly the case, but on the heels of a job search I might be biased.
Anyways, here's where we get a little circular. I'm going to do what I'm qualified to do. I'm going to pursue my research interests. They are my interests because they are what I want to learn about. So I will being doing what I want to do. Hmm, that puts me back where we started, answering in a way that doesn't actually convey the life of a Faculty member.
Since I do environmental type research, people seem to assume that my new University must want me there to explore a particular aspect of the environment relative to their location. I get a lot of "do they have what you do there?". This is also not true. Science is a bit more general than that. My particular research expertise is not location specific. In fact, as you are all aware, my research field site is in New Mexico, which is not geographically similar to either my current location in the Northeast, or my new location of the deep south (a whole other topic to be musing on). This is not to say I won't pursue topics relevant to my new location, but it is not going to be required of me. Right now I have grants under consideration to work in two other states. The air is everywhere, where I am is irrelevant to understanding it.
"I'm going to teach" Now there is a promising answer. A simple, straightforward, verb for what I'm going to do. Most people understand that. Until it comes to "teach what?". My classes haven't been assigned yet, and the department is such that I will get to choose what I teach. I haven't decided yet what they will be, so that line of thought becomes a stumper too.
For now, I'm going with "What I do now, but permanent" (I've given up on explaining the tenure process). The lack of response to that answer is good usually a quick nod, or "ok". I guess, it must satisfy somehow, or maybe I should be concerned that there is a bigger problem: No one actually knows what I do, so they don't want to ask....
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