We cleared a bunch of space in our deep storage area over the summer, and one of the things we found was a box full of old student theses from the 1950’s and 1960’s. The library already had copies of them, but I thought it was sort of cool to have a look into the… Continue reading (Not-so-)Ancient History of Physics: Monte Carlo Simulation in 1960
Author: Chad Orzel
On Public Speaking Across Disciplines
We had a faculty meeting yesterday, at which one colleague suggested that in addition to our “Writing Across the Curriculum” requirement, we should have a “Speaking Across the Curriculum” requirement to teach students oral presentation skills. This provoked a bit of tittering about the possible acronym, but it’s not an obviously awful idea. The basic… Continue reading On Public Speaking Across Disciplines
Sheldon Cooper and Alfred Nobel
Last week, before we headed out for the weekend, I had a brief exchange with Ben Lillie on Twitter, prompted by the following set of tweets: OK, here's a thing. I'll often hear people complain that Hollywood gets science wrong because there's *1* scientist who does everything 1/3 — Ben Lillie (@BenLillie) September 27, 2013… Continue reading Sheldon Cooper and Alfred Nobel
Louis de Broglie is Mildly Amused by Your Ideas
After a nice, relaxing weekend in Ithaca without the kids, I’ve returned to a crazy hectic Monday, with no free time to blog, despite a couple of things that I vaguely need to post. Lacking time, though, I’ll just give you this image of Condescending Louis de Broglie, an idea that sprang to mind when… Continue reading Louis de Broglie is Mildly Amused by Your Ideas
Nobel Prize Betting Pool 2013
Another year, another fall, another disbursement of dynamite money from our friends in Scandawegia. The 2013 Nobel Prize announcements are almost upon us. Which means it’s time for the game everyone loves to tolerate: the Uncertain Principles Nobel Prize Betting Pool. As always, the core rules are simple: Leave a comment to this post predicting… Continue reading Nobel Prize Betting Pool 2013
TED@NYC: Impostor Syndrome, Activate!
As I alluded to a while back, I’ve been accepted to speak at TED@NYC, which serves as a “talent search” for TED– the top talks from the event a week from Monday in The City will get a spot talking at the 2014 TED conference in Vancouver. I’ve got six minutes to wow them with… Continue reading TED@NYC: Impostor Syndrome, Activate!
Things I’ve Never Quite Understood: Microscopic Picture of Blackbody Radiation
I’m putting together slides for a TED audition talk in a couple of weeks, about how the history of quantum mechanics is like a crossword puzzle. This involves talking about black-body radiation, which is the problem that kicked off QM– to explain the spectrum of light emitted by hot objects, Max Planck had to resort… Continue reading Things I’ve Never Quite Understood: Microscopic Picture of Blackbody Radiation
On Class and Skills and Education
In a comment to yesterday’s post about the liberal arts, Eric Lund makes a good point: The best argument I have ever heard for doing scholarship in literature and other such fields is that some people find it fun. I single this out as a good point not because I want to sneer at the… Continue reading On Class and Skills and Education
Delbanco on College, and the Frustrations of the Genre
Sunday evening, as a part of the kick-off to the new academic year, we had a talk by Andrew Delbanco, a professor at Columbia and the author of College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be. This was intended as a sort of affirmation of the importance of the sort of educational experience Union offers,… Continue reading Delbanco on College, and the Frustrations of the Genre
The 15 Most Interesting Force-Carrying Bosons
It’s gradually becoming clear to me that this blogging thing is old hat. It’s a Web 4.0 world now, and we’re all just Tmblng through it. So, I need to get with modernity, and start posting the listicles that are the bread and butter of the new social media order. Thus, I give you a… Continue reading The 15 Most Interesting Force-Carrying Bosons