Part of this past weekend’s meeting of the Committee on Informing the Public was to evaluate 100+ proposals for “mini-grants” of up to $10,000 for new outreach activities. It wouldn’t be appropriate to go into detail about any of the proposals or what we decided (the PI’s of the proposals we decided to fund will… Continue reading What Counts As Successful Outreach?
Category: Academia
Physics Announcements: New Forum, Undergraduate Research Session
I was at a meeting of the Committee on Informing the Public of the American Physical Society at the tail end of last week, so it seems appropriate to post a couple of APS-related announcements here on my return: 1) The APS has just created a Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public. You may… Continue reading Physics Announcements: New Forum, Undergraduate Research Session
In the Open Lab 2010
It occurs to me that I’m kind of dropping the ball on my shameless self-promotion because I haven’t mentioned that one of my posts made the cut for this year’s fifth edition of the best-of-science-blogging anthology The Open Laboratory. The post included is Science Is More Like Sumo Than Soccer, a discussion of the importance… Continue reading In the Open Lab 2010
Where I’m Going to Be in 2011
Not an exhaustive list, but since I’m noodling around with my calendar, I might as well note some of the stuff I’ll be doing this year: I’ll be on a panel about international science testing at the AAAS Annual Meeting in February. This will be a different experience– not only have I never been to… Continue reading Where I’m Going to Be in 2011
This Day Needs a Reboot
Kate and SteelyKid have colds (well, they’re sharing the same cold), so SteelyKid is waking up a lot during the night. Since Kate needs rest as well, she put earplugs in last night (she’s a much lighter sleeper than I am), and I took baby-soothing duty. So I was up half the night. I come… Continue reading This Day Needs a Reboot
The Four Percent Universe by Richard Panek
Back in the fall, I got an email from my UK publisher asking me if I’d be willing to read and possibly blurb a forthcoming book, The Four Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek. The book isn’t exactly in my field, but there… Continue reading The Four Percent Universe by Richard Panek
First Impressions, In Person and Online
There was a faintly awful essay by Melissa Nicolas at Inside Higher Ed yesterday, giving MLA job candidates advice on how to dress: Let’s start with your shoes. Anyone who has been to MLA knows that it is a big conference, and whether you are on a search committee, attending sessions, or interviewing, you are… Continue reading First Impressions, In Person and Online
Academic Poll: Synchronization
The clock in my classroom for this term appears to be set five minutes slow. Which is an improvement over the one in the hall that’s ten minutes slow, but kind of plays hell with starting and ending class on time. It is, however, a great excuse for a poll: Clocks in academic buildings should… Continue reading Academic Poll: Synchronization
The Status of Simulations
Most of what would ordinarily be blogging time this morning got used up writing a response to a question at the Physics Stack Exchange. But having put all that effort in over there, I might as well put it to use here, too… The question comes from a person who did a poster on terminology… Continue reading The Status of Simulations
Science on the Tree 2010: Pets
Our final science-themed Christmas ornament is this Santa and friend: What does walking a dog have to do with science? If you have to ask that, you’re reading the wrong blog. Dog-walking is essential to science– that’s where we get some of our best ideas! In a broader sense, this one can be said to… Continue reading Science on the Tree 2010: Pets