Thanks to all who sent submissions to the Letter of Reference contest. Here are some more interesting examples, some of them clearly intentionally obnoxious and offensive:*****************Dear Admissions Committee:I am heartily pleased to recommend to...
LorR Results, continued
The following are apparently real Letters of Reference, but I think they are worth including here for their entertainment and/or horror value:REAL LoR 1 (from "seat-of-the-pants scientist"):XX is a student in my lab. She has made progress this year.REAL...
Letter of Reference Contest Results
Below is the unanimous choice of the FSP Editorial Board for our favorite of the Letter of Reference Contest submissions. The letter, written by Wendy Panero, has some of the classic elements of the LoR genre: a strong recommendation that is not backed...
The Ring Nebula - Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory
The Ring Nebula - Calar Alto Astronomical ObservatoryThe diversity of colours, shapes, and sizes of planetary nebulae make them fascinating objects. In this photo release Calar Alto presents a rather unique view combining both optical and near-infrared...
LoR Week
To get everyone in the mood for the theme of this week: Letters of Reference (for graduate school applications), consider first the dreaded Ranking Form that accompanies many such Letters of Reference.Starting tomorrow I will post the results of the...
Planting seeds of science interests in kids of all ages
Let’s say you’re the parent/mentor/teacher/tutor/friend of a kid super-excited about some aspect of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). You want to nurture that interest and keep that child engaged, especially during the dull times of school...
Selected readings 12/25/09
Interesting reading and news items.These items are also bookmarked at my Diigo account.The Psychology of Climate Change DenialEven as the science of global warming gets stronger, fewer Americans believe it’s real. In some ways, it’s nearly as jarring...
Psychic killer qu'est-ce que c'est?
The service described in the upper right of this sign is a bit chilling, ...
Merry Christmas Happy Birthday
According to Google, I remain at the top of the page for the phrase "Christmastime birthday". That's nice, and I am also strangely pleased that the little blurb that appears with the googled phrase is:In fact, I hope there is a special place in hell...
Hubble Image Showcases Star Birth in M83, the Southern Pinwheel
Hubble Image Showcases Star Birth in M83, the Southern PinwheelThe spectacular new camera installed on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 in May has delivered the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of...
Christmas Wish List
Happy Holidays,Today is Winter Soltice, the shortest day of the year. Plus, Christmas is coming. I would normally get all excited heading home to see my family and seeing friends to celebrate New Year's Eve, but I've been pre-occupied. I am really cranking...
Selected readings 12/20/09
Interesting reading and news items.These items are also bookmarked at my Diigo account.Mammogram MathThe panel of scientists advised that routine screening for asymptomatic women in their 40s was not warranted and that mammograms for women 50 or over...
Why Even Care?
When discussing issues about teaching and teaching evaluations, there are always comments along the lines of:- Why would a tenured full professor care about these things?and- Why even read teaching evaluations if they are so flawed?The first part is...
Hubble's Deepest View of Universe Unveils Never-Before-Seen Galaxies
Hubble's Deepest View of Universe Unveils Never-Before-Seen GalaxiesNASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made the deepest image of the universe ever taken in near-infrared light. The faintest and reddest objects in the image are galaxies that formed 600...
Letters of Reference: The Contest
At about this time last year, we here at FSP had a contest to see who could write the best (= worst) Statement of Purpose to accompany an application to graduate school. The winning entry was spectacular in many ways, and other entries were also entertaining...
What To Do?
Doctoral students work hard for a few to >> a few years, focusing intently on research and, at many US universities, on taking classes for the first few years. It is an intense time, and for many it is a very stressful time, in part because there...
Do They Know It When They See It?
This post continues with the theme of Teaching Evaluations.As I've mentioned before, I write not only from the point of view of someone who is evaluated by students for my own classes but also as someone who, in the course of serving on various committees,...
The Strangest Thing
Eventually I will finish a post that contains my thoughts on What Should Be Done to train new professors to teach, but it's not ready to go yet. So, in the meantime, inspired by a comment from Kim, I will ask my readers a question:What's the strangest...
Selected readings 12/13/09
Interesting reading and news items.These items are also bookmarked at my Diigo account.Massively collaborative mathematicsThe 'Polymath Project' proved that many minds can work together to solve difficult mathematical problems. Timothy Gowers and Michael...
Rage Against the System
Last week's discussion of teaching and teaching evaluations made me reflect more on my own experiences as a student and a professor.As a student, I only had a few awful professors. When I ended up in a class with a professor who was a poor teacher, I...
Group Twitter?
There have been various times in past year or so when a current or recent member of my research group had some excellent and/or interesting professional news -- e.g., a job offer, a grant, a paper accepted/published -- and I have thought "Wouldn't it...
He Should Be Fired
'Tis the season for teaching evaluations (yet again, yet again), so in the spirit of this special time, I shall continue my intermittent evaluation of evaluations and teaching.On quite a few occasions in my career, I have been a member of various sorts...
Mentor v. Supervisor
For various reasons related to my serving on an insane number of committees that review an insane number of CVs from faculty in many different academic disciplines, I see a lot of different CVs that vary considerably in their content and style.Fortunately,...
Stimulate your Brain: STEM Scholarships & Internships
Middle school and High School are the preparation grounds for your future. But what happens after you receive your diploma? Graduating from high school signals the end of your childhood and the beginning of your adult life. This means the start of your...
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