22nd August 2009, 01:57 pm
By Kathryn Lindsey
A recent comic on phdcomics.com contains the following fictitious dialogue between Tajel, a grad student, and her advisor (see the comic here):
Advisor: Tajel, it is perfectly ok for you to go on vacation. I mean, you did take work with you, right?
Tajel: Excuse me?
Advisor: You spent the whole time thinking and obsessing about your research project, I assume?
Advisor: In academia, ‘vacations’ just mean you are doing your work somewhere else.
Tajel: I don’t think we’re using the same dictionary.
(phdcomics.com 7/24/09)
More than perhaps any field, math research is portable – probably all you really need is a pencil and paper. While most of the time this is a good thing, it also means that you can never truly leave your work behind.
I know some mathematicians for whom “going on vacation” means spending mornings doing math at the desk in their hotel room, and then going out in the afternoons. But mathematicians at the opposite end of the spectrum – those who are able to leave work behind entirely – seem to be few and far between. Is it possible to be a successful mathematician without defining vacation to “just mean you are doing your work somewhere else?”
Most math grad students I know who have taken a “vacation” this summer have expressed feelings of guilt for not having gotten more math done during that time (myself included), yet all have also agreed that they deserve to take a “vacation” of some duration. Is there a contradiction here?
If you have any comments or interesting/funny stories pertaining to vacations and math, please feel free to share them in the comments section!
16th August 2009, 02:00 pm
Nescio in Brief, September 2009
By Kareem Carr
Professor Nomen Nescio is a sort of ‘Dear Abby’ of the Notices of the AMS, dispensing useful advice to people either in or close to the graduate student stage of their career. I have decided that it might be helpful to summarize some of the advice here for the convenience of readers of the blog. The questions and the answers have been shortened or paraphrased from the originals. There will typically be more information in the original article.
Continue reading ‘Nescio in Brief: September 2009’ »
11th August 2009, 12:02 am
By Kareem Carr
There are already a multitude of mathematics and statistics blogs and more are being started all the time. With such an embarrassment of riches, where ought the intrepid mathematical reader to start? A recent article at What’s New mentions a very large list of mathematics and statistics blogs. Continue reading ‘An Extensive List of Mathematics and Statistics Blogs’ »
22nd July 2009, 02:13 am
By Kareem Carr
I think for most people who have made it to graduate school, working hard is not a problem. The two main problems are maintaining motivation and figuring out what to do next. I have summarized some advice that Fields Medalist Terry Tao has written on the importance of working hard and how to do it right:
1. Intelligence isn’t enough.
Continue reading ‘Work Hard’ »
18th June 2009, 06:19 pm
By Kareem Carr
I was chasing down a reference for a particular formula when I found an interesting and free digital archive of books, including mathematics books. Continue reading ‘The Internet Archive’ »
11th May 2009, 02:49 pm
By Asher Auel
I’ve noticed recently that students are increasingly using the internet as a key resource when working on homework assignments. In the wake of recent “cut-and-paste” and “contract” plagiarism scandals and an increasingly sophisticated industry devoted to plagiarism commercialization and detection, should we worry about this problem in math courses?
Continue reading ‘Google your homework’ »
10th May 2009, 12:56 pm
By Kareem Carr
There is a new project called the Tricki which is a tricks Wiki. It is a version of Wikipedia but specifically for mathematical strategies, tactics and techniques. The goal is to have a central place where effective ways of doing mathematics can be shared. I remember the first general discussion when it was just an idea. I am excited to see that it is now a reality. It is something that we graduate students can both contribute to and learn from. It is definitely a work in progress but there are already some very interesting articles. I encourage you all to check it out.
3rd May 2009, 12:53 pm
By Kareem Carr
I write best when I have some inspiration. Therefore, I often prefer to write when I am in the mood and stop when I am not. When I have a deadline, or some other external reason, however, my normal process of writing isn’t fast enough. At those times, I need to force myself along. This is how I do it.
Continue reading ‘Writing Tips’ »
