tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10614663467579564372024-02-20T19:32:28.619-08:00Twinkle twinkle YSOHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-72592213672808519202010-12-06T12:29:00.000-08:002010-12-06T12:29:48.218-08:00Shameless self-promotion<a href="http://geeked.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=4427">Check it out</a><br />
<br />
Haven't listened to the <a href="http://365daysofastronomy.org/2010/12/05/december-5th-the-birth-life-and-death-of-alien-planets/">podcast version</a> of it yet, and am a little scared to, but there it is.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-33518096522653045082010-10-12T11:37:00.000-07:002010-10-12T11:37:38.572-07:00John HuchraI found out this morning that <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~huchra/">John Huchra</a> died last Friday. And while <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2010/10/10/john-huchra/">other</a> <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/10/10/john-huchra-1948-2010/">bloggers</a> have paid tribute to his significant contributions to Astronomy, I want pay homage to the man I knew personally. <br />
<br />
John was one of the kindest, friendliest, and cheeriest professors in the Harvard Astronomy Department. I recall taking a class with him, and to use a metaphor he would probably appreciate, it was a lot like taking a drink from a firehose. He would show up to class with a huge stack of transparencies (this was in the pre-Powerpoint era) and start going through them. As the class period went on, he would go through them faster and faster in an effort to finish them all in the time alloted. He would also send emails to the class at 3am or so. He was full of energy and never seemed to sleep, although I understand he slowed down quite a bit after his heart attack a few years ago. <br />
<br />
He was also the one who handed out copies of a book, "A PhD is Not Enough" to all the incoming first years, in an effort to open our eyes to the challenges of a career in astronomy. He genuinely cared that his students succeeded, but also understood the importance of family and balance, since he had his own son whom he treasured and doted on. <br />
<br />
I ran into him once at an AAS meeting during his term as President, and not only did he remember me, but he took the time to chat for a few minutes and catch up with me before he had to hurry on to his next appointment. I was touched that he took the time to talk with me, given that I never worked with him scientifically. The last time I spoke with him was when I visited the CfA to give a talk this past spring. I dropped by his office for a chat, and we spent some time talking about our kids, career prospects, and commiserating about the poor economy. <br />
<br />
John was a first class astronomer, but also a terrific mentor and a wonderfully nice person. I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will miss him a lot.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-71294685368471841022010-08-04T11:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:40:27.368-07:00Anything Can HappenI'm starting to gear up for another season of job searching. This just after a particularly grueling and demoralizing year of sending out job applications. So this post is for my future self, to remind myself that even in the darkest of hours that it's not the end of the world. Because no matter what happens with regard to my job search, I still have<br />
<ol><li>My own health<br />
</li><li>A wonderful, loving husband who has always supported my decisions<br />
</li><li>Two healthy, intelligent and adorable children<br />
</li><li>A roof over our heads<br />
</li><li>Enough wealth to provide us food, power, necessities, and then some<br />
</li><li>Friends who care about me<br />
</li><li>Career options open to me other than academia<br />
</li><li>A life full of endless possibilities<br />
</li></ol><br />
We went to see Mary Poppins the Musical over the past weekend, and as cheesy as it sounds, I found the song "Anything Can Happen If You Let It" to be very uplifting. It's the part where Winifred realizes that she doesn't have to be stuck in the role that her husband and society have set out for her. So I can relate to her as a woman with big dreams. And as an astronomer, I can't help but find the bridge to speak directly to me:<br />
<blockquote>If you reach for the stars all you get are the stars<br />
but we've found a whole new spin <br />
if you reach for the heavens<br />
You get the stars thrown in<br />
</blockquote>I don't have to be defined by the box that others try to put me in. I can choose my own life and my own happiness for myself.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-14012459632529587052010-07-22T10:29:00.000-07:002010-07-22T12:38:37.745-07:00Astronomer H-R diagram<a href="http://www.strudel.org.uk/blog/astro/000943.shtml">This</a> is brilliant. An H-R diagram of astronomers:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.strudel.org.uk/blog/astro/images//20100719_astronomer_HR_diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://www.strudel.org.uk/blog/astro/images//20100719_astronomer_HR_diagram.png" width="320" /></a></div>I think I'm somewhat leftward of the New-media branch, with 11 refereed publications at this moment. I blame all my posting at the <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/">Women in Astronomy Blog.</a><br />
<br />
(hat tip: <a href="http://astrodyke.blogspot.com/2010/07/astronomer-h-r-diagram.html">The Astrodyke</a>. Cross-posted at <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2010/07/astronomer-h-r-diagram.html">the Women in Astronomy Blog</a>)Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-85017322872580704342010-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:002010-05-28T10:44:52.379-07:00Life after Proposal(warning: contains 'Lost' spoilers)<br />
<br />
One of my colleagues likes to talk about being in "Proposal Hell" when he's in the throes of proposal writing. Having just clicked "release to org" and thus exiting my own personal Proposal Hell, I can totally relate. But now I have to wonder, does that mean I'm now in some kind of Proposal Purgatory for the next several months until I finally get word back on whether or not I get funded? And then, I guess, I find out if I'm one of the Chosen Ones who enter Funding Heaven or if I'm one of the Damned. <br />
<br />
Which, of course, makes me think of Lost, so maybe I'm really in some bizarre alternate timeline altogether where I won't find out what's truly going on until I achieve my own personal flash of enlightenment, but at least I get to see all my friends again. But there my powers of metaphor completely fail me. Lost was really wacky.<br />
<br />
And, of course, it's not like you get to stay in Funding Heaven for long. You get to go through the whole thing again when your grant period ends. Sort of like having to re-enter the Numbers every 108 minutes, or something.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlub5vB9z8">Here's the song that's been going through my head.</a> (Sorry, it won't let me embed it.) Because my proposal is for the NASA ROSES program. Get it? <i>Moses proposes to ROSES for YSOses</i>. Only my name isn't Moses, too bad.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-15399610293506994882010-03-25T10:04:00.000-07:002010-03-25T10:04:02.510-07:00Why I Wasn't One of the 275 at the NPA MeetingSo, <a href="http://youngfemalescientist.blogspot.com/">YoungFemaleScientist</a> <a href="http://youngfemalescientist.blogspot.com/2010/03/poor-turnout-for-npa-and-gender-summit.html">remarked on</a> the perceived low turnout at <a href="http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/meetings-and-events/annual-meeting/2010-annual-meeting">the National Postdoctoral Association's 2010 Annual Meeting</a>, and <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/">Isis the Scientist</a> responded with, <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/2010/03/why_postdocs_need_to_stop_thin.php">"well, duh, they need to serve booze!"</a> Okay, so it was actually more nuanced than that, it was more about lack of resources in general, but you should go read her blog yourself. <br />
<br />
Anyway, as a postdoc who knew about the meeting, applied for funding, even won a partial grant, but still didn't go, I felt I should comment on this. <br />
<br />
Firstly, I should note that I did attend the <a href="http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/meetings-and-events/advance-summit">Summit on Gender and the Postdoctorate</a> held just before the NPA meeting, but still didn't stick around for the main meeting. I attended the Summit as a representative of the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA). So there I had sufficient funding and motivation to justify going to the meeting. I'm <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2010/03/summit-on-gender-and-postdoctorate-vol.html">posting</a> <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2010/03/summit-on-gender-and-postdoctorate-vol_22.html">a summary</a> of the meeting over at the <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/">Women in Astronomy Blog,</a> in case you want to read my take on the Summit.<br />
<br />
So why didn't I just stay the few extra nights in Philly for the NPA Meeting? The primary reason was that I didn't see what I would get out of it personally. Right now, I need to be focusing on getting my research done and publishing papers so that I can land my next job. Spending my time at a meeting that is not research related is a net loss to me. Going for the Summit to begin with was already a big drain on my time and energy. I have precious little else to spare. <br />
<br />
What could I have gotten out of the meeting? Possibly some career development skills from workshops. But I've been to some excellent career development workshops in the past, so this was insufficient motivation for me. Possibly some networking. But given that the vast majority of postdocs in this country are bioscientists and not astrophysicists, this was of limited utility to me. It's interesting because the NPA was making a special effort to bring more physical scientists to the meeting, and yet they still failed to grab me. <br />
<br />
My impression of what the NPA is setting out to do is to encourage the establishment of <a href="http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/publications/toolkits/pda-toolkit">PDAs</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/pdo-toolkit">PDOs</a>. From what I've learned about about those types of organizations, it sounds like they can do a lot to help postdocs. But getting these things going takes a lot of work, work that doesn't necessarily look favorably on your CV. Heck, I've already been told repeatedly that I should avoid doing any public outreach work because it would take time away from my research. How less relevant to my research career would community organizing be?<br />
<br />
Lastly, I want to respond directly to Isis's argument about the lack of booze: many funding organizations specifically prohibit the purchase of booze for meetings, like NSF and pretty much all other federal and state government agencies. So that wasn't necessarily the NPA's fault. And personally, I don't drink much to begin with, so lack of booze is not necessarily a fault in my book.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-88679582928519676952010-03-23T15:20:00.000-07:002010-03-23T15:20:14.848-07:00JudgedLast weekend, I judged a science fair. It was my first time being on this side of a science fair, although honestly, the only time I entered in a science fair was in 7th grade with a project on antacids that even at the time I thought was embarassingly dumb. Despite not ever competing in a science fair from 8th through 12th grade, I still managed to eventually get a science PhD. I have no idea what moral to take away from this anecdote. <br />
<br />
Anyway! There I was, assigned as a Physics category judge. There were about 15 of us, and I was the only woman. I didn't have a chance to actually tally the numbers of other judges, but I did get the definite impression that our category had the poorest representation of women among the judges. I was also definitely on the younger side. On the bright side, I didn't see gender playing an obvious role in any of the judging. After all, our category winner was a pair of girls who went on to be selected to go to the International Science and Engineering Fair. I did gently chide one of my fellow judges when he made a comment about "our guys" in reference to our shared alma mater, but he took it with good grace. <br />
<br />
I was a bit nervous going into this, afraid that the projects would be way above my head and I wouldn't be able to fairly judge projects because I didn't understand them. Imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head, that sort of thing. But as it turned out, the projects spanned a huge range, from "we got the equations off the internet" to "this calculation is completely theoretical" and everything in between. It was only the theoretical computation that I wasn't able to understand, but neither could any of the other judges. And I would say that all of us had physics bachelor's degrees, and at least half of us had PhDs in a science-related field. <br />
<br />
All in all, it was an interesting and fun experience. I would definitely go back to do it again if I have the opportunity.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-60468878016883614762010-03-17T12:21:00.001-07:002010-03-17T12:21:59.282-07:00JudgingI'm judging a high school science fair this weekend. You would not believe the amount of Imposter Syndrome symptoms this has triggered in me. Okay, maybe you would. Still, it's stressing me out more than it should.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-65590369829221998312010-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:002010-03-15T09:15:20.295-07:00The Ides of MarchI spent last week in Boston and Philly. Before I left, there were still a few sad piles of snow left from our snowstorms back in February (aka "Snowmaggedon"), enough that finding a clear parking space at the airport was a challenge. By the time I got back, most of the snow was gone. Except for this, which I encountered this morning:<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wvDhP6q06x4nEkkEry5otA?authkey=Gv1sRgCPS7mNOk_u2b8AE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjXp6eBy_ZCDdDMF6jnb_vWcIaBQqTVa-uv8tWOk6CAVhH2RnogeaQF0VO_cWtHuL39m07UDNu1m9bUgwtBWlx1ggP019u4sMgJ2TOWdHK4u_RlAJf4bhOFd2AW9v8r-6bUYdd7G0_GQd/s400/snowbank_2010Mar15.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hannahjc/TwinkleTwinkleYSO?authkey=Gv1sRgCPS7mNOk_u2b8AE&feat=embedwebsite">Twinkle twinkle YSO</a></td></tr></table><br />
Yesterday was <a href="http://www.piday.org/">Pi Day</a>, so I made chicken pot pi(e) for dinner, and pumpkin pi(e) for dessert. <br />
<br />
I now have a backup employment plan for next year, in the event that a faculty job doesn't come through! Not as good as a real job offer, but it certainly takes a load off my mind.<br />
<br />
I'm about out of random updates now.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-84863965580754129182010-02-19T10:39:00.000-08:002010-02-19T10:39:34.421-08:00Rumor mongeringWhat is your opinion of the astrophysics jobs rumor mill?<br />
<br />
a) Nothing good ever comes of reading the rumor mill.<br />
b) The rumor mill is totally addictive and I check it multiple times a day.<br />
c) a & b<br />
<br />
Discuss.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-58138255777935464582010-01-22T09:46:00.000-08:002010-01-22T09:46:56.680-08:00Blogging for ChoiceIt's the 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, so it's <a href="http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2010/01/blog-for-choice-7.html">Blog for Choice Day</a>. <br />
<br />
I wrote the following on <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2009/01/blogging-for-choice.html">the Women in Astronomy blog</a> last year, and I think it's worth repeating today:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Reproductive freedom, up to and including safe and legal abortions, is vital to women in science precisely because it allows us to choose how and when to start our families, or even whether to do so at all. At nearly every forum on women in science or women in astronomy I attend, the subject of having children always comes up: when's the best time? what about childcare? can I get maternity leave? how do you balance work and family? These questions are hard enough to answer. It's made slightly easier by having the freedom to choose.<br />
</blockquote><br />
In light of the ongoging debate on health care reform and amendments to the bills designed to restrict access to abortion, I think it's vital now more than ever to think about what reproductive rights mean for all women. For my own part, I'll be making a donation to Planned Parenthood today.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-58625566511297897342010-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:002010-01-21T11:57:51.545-08:00The truth about the truth*testing* *testing*<br /><br />Boy, this place is dusty with disuse!<br /><br />I've come back here because I keep constructing blog entries in my head, but they aren't really appropriate for the <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com">Women in Astrnomy blog</a>, but I still need an outlet for them, so here I am. <br /><br />*ahem* Here goes.<br /><br />A few years ago, I went to a career development workshop, out of which I got very little useful advice. There was however, one exercise which stuck in my mind, and that was answering the question, "What is your biggest flaw?" Well, now I have an answer.<br /><br />I am too honest. <br /><br />Here's an example: say I'm interviewing for a job. At some point, the conversation will turn to what it's like to live in the area and quality of life issues, that kind of thing. And rather than expressing 100% enthusiasm for the prospect of living there, I will simply blurt out, "well, I'm not sure I'll like that." Which doesn't actually mean that I won't take the job should it be offered to me, it means exactly that: it's not the ideal living situation for me. But then again, the ideal living situation for me would include one, maybe two specific cities in the US, so why on earth would I even say such a thing?<br /><br />I believe I am going to shoot myself in the foot with applying for jobs this year, which is bad because there are few jobs to be had to begin with, and I have no real fallback if I don't get a job. Recruiters are willing enough to lie to me (We'd love it if you'd apply to our position! It's a completely open search! We'll get back to you next week!) why shouldn't I be willing to lie to them? Except I can't seem to break myself of telling the truth.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-26532714093931731552009-01-06T14:49:00.000-08:002009-01-06T14:50:14.718-08:00New DigsThis is to officially announce my new blogging gig:<br /><br />The <a href="http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/">Women in Astronomy blog</a>, part of the CSWA's efforts to bring itself into the 21st century. Come on by!Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-59453232158006859232008-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:002008-12-21T12:27:23.286-08:00Blogoversary Bye ByeOne year ago today, <a href="http://youngstellarobjects.blogspot.com/2007/12/first-post.html">I started this blog.</a> I subsequently <a href="http://youngstellarobjects.net/index.php?/archives/1-First-Post.html">moved it elsewhere,</a> for a number of reasons, but then <a href="http://youngstellarobjects.blogspot.com/2008/10/back-again.html">moved it back here</a> for a number of different reasons. If you managed to follow me this far, congratulations! Are you willing to follow me still further?<br /><br />I've never really been able to find my voice on this blog. Part of it has to do with blogging non-anonymously. I feel like I can't be as candid as I would like about issues in my life, particularly the deep soul searching that I would like to be able to share with people, because I know I personally get a lot out of honest, difficult discussions about juggling science and family and life. But given that I'll be frantically applying for jobs over the next couple of years, I don't think it's wise to post about self-doubt and indecision in a place where search committee members might stumble over it.<br /><br />So, where do I go from here? <br /><br />Well, I think the archived posts will stick around for a little bit, anyway. Some of them may disappear without warning, however.<br /><br />I do plan to keep blogging, but elsewhere. I will continue to update my livejournal blog, which has the convenient feature of locking posts away from prying eyes, and does not have my real name associated with it. I also have plans in the works for blogging about women in astronomy under my full real name elsewhere. If you want more updates, comment here or send me email, and I'll tell you exactly what's up.<br /><br />Anyway, it's been fun, but I'm moving on. Happy Solstice, everyone!Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-79835079925525895122008-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:002008-12-11T10:58:03.994-08:00I should stop taking everything so personally, I knowToday, the universe is telling me I can't print anything. Or maybe the printers just hate me. Okay, to be fair, they seem to hate everyone in the lab today.<div><br /></div><div>Perhaps today's message is one of environmentalism.</div>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-6378162034065969692008-12-10T18:32:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:41:21.895-08:00Soul-searchingEver get the feeling that the universe is trying to tell you something?<br /><br />Lately, it's been telling me the following:<br /><br />You don't have to keeping doing what you've been doing.<br />You don't have to follow the narrow trajectory that's been laid out before you.<br />Follow your desires.<br />Remember what's important in life.<br />The time for change is now.<br />Don't be afraid.<br /><br />I feel like I'm gathering myself now for something big, but I'm not sure yet what it is. <br /><br /><br />Also: <a href="http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/2008/12/on-leaving-academia.html">an apt metaphor for leaving academia</a>, from <a href="http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/">Bitch, PhD</a>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-59029384030569862782008-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:002008-12-07T08:28:55.978-08:00JFOS day 2One of yesterday's talk was talking about cell sheets and their medical uses. One of the slides compared cell sheets to traditional grafts with an illustration of shabu-shabu versus a hunk of steak. Urk. A few minutes later, he showed us a movie of eye surgery that was much too graphic for all of us non-clinical scientists. Double Urk.<br /><br />I've had a number of interesting conversations with people here, ranging from social science to particle physics to general career advice. The message I'm getting from this meeting is that being well-versed in a number of subjects is intrinsically good, and maybe it's okay for me to go for breadth of knowledge rather than depth. Maybe I should be so afraid of making the leap to studying a different topic, and in the end it might well be good for me.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-35025620774960560042008-12-06T06:57:00.000-08:002008-12-06T06:58:39.232-08:00JFOS day 1 addendumMy favorite comment from dinner last night: "This meeting is a lot like reading an issue of <i>Science</i> cover-to-cover, regardless of subject."Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-27207861349549533672008-12-05T20:42:00.000-08:002008-12-05T20:59:00.084-08:00JFOS day 1They keep us pretty busy at this meeting. They bussed us over to the conference center at 8:30 this morning, and bussed us back after dinner at around 8pm. And there's some kind of informal interaction session going on right now, that I'm playing hookey from. Tomorrow, the busses come at 7:30am. Sheesh!<br /><br />I estimate that there are about 80-90 participants at this meeting. Going through the participant roster, I counted 17 women. That sounds about par for the course. Apparently they did consider gender when inviting participants, at any rate.<br /><br />All the literature seems to be going out of their way to emphasize how bright and promising we young scientists here at the meeting are. But instead of making me feel pleased with myself, it's making me feel disgruntled. If I'm so brilliant, why don't I have a faculty job yet? I've sent out a decent number of applications over the years, so what's up? Why won't anybody hire me? I tell people what I work on, and most of them say, ooh, that's a hot topic right now. But when I look at the job listings, I don't seem to fall neatly into any of the categories. It's as if I were a cat herder, and all anyone wants is cat groomers or sheep herders. I just can't win.<br /><br />Bah. This unexpectedly turned into a rant. Sorry about that.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-27981058356172287752008-12-05T07:25:00.000-08:002008-12-05T07:26:26.596-08:00Quack quackThere are ducks swimming in the hotel pool right now.<br /><br />For some reason, this strikes me as really funny.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-48892567062254353202008-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:002008-12-04T21:24:48.327-08:00Still looking for the sunMade it to California just fine.<br /><br />The weather was good about half the flight over, which was cool because I love watching the land change below when I fly cross country. I find the regular grids imposed upon organic terrain to be strangely fascinating. The patchwork quilt of the Midwest is beautiful that way. I love the rugged, untamed beauty of the Rocky Mountains. I changed planes in Phoenix, and observed the difference in vegetation in the Southwest versus the Midwest. There were these odd rectangular patches that stood out from the rest of the terrain because they were bright green, almost teal, in contrast to the brown land around them. Also, they were extremely uniform in texture, but maybe that was just the effect of my vantage point. I had to wonder, what are they growing out there in the desert, and where are the getting the water from?<br /><br />It's cooler than I expected it to be here in SoCal. I had to wear my jacket to the reception+dinner that was held on an outdoor terrace. So much for my sun.<br /><br />I'm putting my game face on and getting ready to pretend to be an extrovert for the next three days. As meh as I'm feeling about having to travel for <a href="http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FRONTIERS_jafos_2008program">this conference,</a> I have high hopes. The VP of the NAS said a few words and dinner tonight, and one of her comments was that previous meeting reminded her why she got into science in the first place: it's so much fun! So here's hoping for some inspiration.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-61327313536978730892008-12-03T18:50:00.000-08:002008-12-03T19:21:58.582-08:005 things memeI'm a little late on this meme, but here goes anyway:<br /><br />5 Things I was doing 10 years ago<br /><br />1. Getting married.<br />2. Not talking to my father because I was living "in sin." Until the day of the wedding. Then he started talking to me again.<br />3. Still taking classes in grad school.<br />4. Singing in a chorus for the first time since grade school.<br />5. Buying my first car.<br /><br />5 Things on my to do list today<br /><br />(well, today is almost over, but anyway...)<br />1. Pack my suitcase.<br />2. Make sure I have everything I need for this conference I'm going to.<br />3. Work on my application to <a href="http://www.aps.org/programs/women/workshops/skills/index.cfm">the APS skills development workshop</a>.<br />4. Give the cat her thyroid medication.<br />5. Go to bed.<br /><br />5 snacks I love<br /><br />1. Dark chocolate.<br />2. Chili lime flavored cashews from Trader Joes.<br />3. Dark chocolate covered nuts.<br />4. Habeñero flavored pistachios from Trader Joes.<br />5. Dark chocolate covered dried fruit.<br /><br />5 things I would do if I were a millionaire <br /><br />1. Pay off the mortgage.<br />2. Save for retirement.<br />3. Save for my kids' college funds.<br />4. Buy a hybrid or electric convertible two-seater. If only they made them. <br />5. Work part-time. (A million dollars doesn't go very far anymore...)<br /><br />5 places I've lived<br /><br />1. In a co-ed fraternity.<br />2. Next door to a Catholic high school. In sin.<br />3. In a flat in England.<br />4. Across the street from a corn field.<br />5. At the end of a dead end street.<br /><br />5 jobs I've had<br /><br />1. Counselor at a summer math program for <strike>geeky</strike> gifted high school students.<br />2. Constructing prototypes for a programmable LEGO brick. (Turns out I can solder really well.)<br />3. Intern at a computer research lab.<br />4. Teaching assistant.<br />5. Postdoc<br /><br />5 people I'd like to share this meme with<br /><br />Anybody who read this blog. I don't think there are more than five of you to begin with.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-78957906879865591442008-12-03T07:33:00.000-08:002008-12-03T07:48:37.292-08:00Here comes the sunI've been awful negative lately in my posts, and it occurred to me that I ought to try to lighten things up a bit.<br /><br />So instead of agonizing over how much I need to get done before my trip tomorrow, I'm going to try to get excited about it instead. It's the <a href="http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FRONTIERS_jafos">Japanese-American Kavli Frontiers of Science</a> (and no, I am not of Japanese descent). Basically, I got an invitation out of the blue to attend this symposium, whose premise sounds a lot like, "let's throw a bunch of smart people in a room together and see what happens." So I said, sure what the heck, as long as they're paying for it. And who doesn't want to go to California in December?<br /><br />It occurred to me last night that this is the first conference I'm going to where I pretty much won't know anyone else there. Who will I hang out with? Will I find people to eat dinner with? What if they all hate me? ...oh, but I was going to be positive. <br /><br />I guess the advantage of going to this type of meeting is that it's a lot easier to get excited about my science when I'm talking to people who aren't experts, because I'm always terrified that the experts will see through all the holes in my models and rip it to shreds before my very eyes. The non-experts tend to ooh and ahh more, which is always gratifying. <br /><br />And I'm looking forward to seeing the sun, too.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-13750994442258779202008-11-30T17:00:00.000-08:002008-12-01T10:54:28.691-08:00Not December ScientiaeI had fully intended to write a post for the December Scientiae, especially since I love reading <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/">Isis the Goddess'</a> <strike>shoe</strike> science blog. This month's topic was <i>"My Science is Way Hotter Than Dr. Isis' Naughty Monkeys Because..."</i> This was a difficult topic for me for two reasons:<br />(1) I'm not really into fancy shoes. My idea of a nice pair of shoes are sensible, comfortable, and boring. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s7.landsend.com/is/image/LandsEnd/53592_A505_M1_BLA?wid=170&hei=255&align=0,-1&op_sharpen=1"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 255px;" src="http://s7.landsend.com/is/image/LandsEnd/53592_A505_M1_BLA?wid=170&hei=255&align=0,-1&op_sharpen=1" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Figure 1. <a href="http://www.landsend.com/pp/AllWeatherMocs~130683_253.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::BLA&CM_MERCH=IDX_00009__0000000917&origin=index">Lands' End All-Weather Mocs</a>, available in wide widths, even.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />And (2) <a href="http://youngstellarobjects.blogspot.com/2008/11/afraid.html">I'm having difficulty summoning any enthusiasm at all for my research these days,</a> despite the fact that I'm preparing a press release in a few months time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/2000/19/images/c/formats/small_web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/2000/19/images/c/formats/small_web.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Figure 2. Stars. Thousands of degrees hotter than Dr. Isis' shoes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I would have like to written a post channeling my inner Goddess, full of self-confidence in my science, in my fashion choices, and in my life choices in general, but it just wasn't working for me. So instead, I wrote this post:</div><div><br />I've spent a lot of time these days doing some major soul searching. I've been thinking about alternative career paths. I've mulled over the idea of doing some adjunct teaching for a while. I've spaced out during group meeting pondering leaving astronomy altogether.<br /><br />I've also done some calculating: I'm the kind of person who functions best on 9-10 hours of sleep each night. I make do on 8 generally. It takes me about an hour to get myself and the kids ready in the morning. Let's say I spend 10 hours a day at work, including the commute each way. That leaves me 5 hours every evening to cook dinner, eat with my family, mother my kids, wife my husband, and do whatever else assorted activities I need to do to get ready for the next day. Whatever extracurricular activites I do in order to maintain my sanity, whether it be singing in a chorus or reading a book or playing stupid video games, eats into this time. And, of course, there are the evenings spent shuttling kids around to various activities of their own. I also prefer not to work on weekends if I can avoid it at all, because weekends involve still more mothering and wifing and shuttling kids to activities and running errands and etc etc.<br /><br />Unfortunately, a 40 hour work week is really only part-time for an academic scientist. So does that that mean I don't really have the dedication it takes to be an academic scientist? And that's why I've been spending so much time in existential angst.<br /><br />Quite honestly, I do enjoy my day-to-day work. I been getting some pretty spiffy results lately, which I go to show to my advisor/mentor looking for a pat on the head, and he says, "ooh, go do these five other things with it" which is his way of giving you a pat on the head, even if it feels more like he's assigning you another week of work instead. But the shadow that's looming over everything is the fact that my postdoc has a fixed end date, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to land another position after this one, especially in these uncertain economic times. <br /><br />It would probably make me happier to focus more on my short term goals rather than the long term ones, except that I am sending out a few job applications right now, which is forcing me to think about the long term, and it's making me depressed, especially since it seems that I'm already out of the running for at least one of the positions I applied for. And another two of the searches have already been cancelled. The <a href="http://cdm.berkeley.edu/doku.php?id=astrophysicsjobs">astrophysics jobs rumo(u)r mill</a> is both a blessing and a curse. </div>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061466346757956437.post-87353442928685473552008-11-14T07:09:00.000-08:002008-11-14T07:24:11.804-08:00InaDWriMo: in my dreamsI am woefully behind on my InaDWriMo goal. To be fair, I've been working hard at this paper. 3298 words of IDL scripts, and a whole pile of pretty pictures. And picture is worth 1K words, right? I've got 8 awesome figures for this paper already, so if I count those, I'm already done!<br /><br />...<br /><br />Okay, maybe not.<br /><br />So let's check on my goals now that November is nearly half done. My goal had been to write 6K each toward a couple of papers in my backlog. I've gotten just over 2K toward one, half of which had already been there. Nothing toward the other one yet, not even spiffy IDL scripts. (Well, there are spiffy IDL scripts, just nothing new since Nov 1.)<br /><br />What else have I been doing this month?<br /><ul><li>Job applications. This has been my main distraction from writing.<br /></li><li>Paper on object A.<br /></li><li>Paper on object B.<br /></li><li>Poster to present at conference in early December.<br /></li><li>Abstracts to submit to other conferences.<br /></li><li>Musical theater. Fun, but doesn't help my CV or publications list.<br /></li></ul><br />That leaves out all the other day-to-day activities that are not any less important for being part of my normal routine. Things like taking care of the kids and getting sleep at night. <br /><br />I'm not on target to meet my stated goal of 12K words of paper writing, but I have managed to get my rear in gear and doing the writing-up that needs to happen on various projects I'm working on. So in that respect, I think InaDWriMo is going along just fine.<br /><br /><img src="http://picometer.writertopia.com/words=2197&target=12000"/>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05155503480263311941noreply@blogger.com1