Summer Camp

Like everyone in 2020, I had to come up with new, socially-distanced vacation plans. This week I'm visiting my parents in Ohio. Since we don't want to leave the house and property very often, I proposed that we hold a summer camp. It's very much in the ethos of my family to plan a bunch of productive work rather than watching movies or lounging around.

I had no problem coming up with crafts, because we all had stuff we wanted to make. But I had to stretch a bit with the "nature" category - since my dad wouldn't be interested in the hikes, I had to include motorcycle and car rides, where we will... um... see nature? 

It's very peaceful here. I'm sure it would be easy to take for granted if you live here, but living on 40 acres, surrounded by cicadas and killdeer and the occasional coyote means that you are surrounded by quiet and green. I've always said that I wouldn't want to live here, where you have to depend on a car and the culture is definitely too conservative to be comfortable for me, but it's a great place to visit when the world is what it is right now.

Success

I'm attending a virtual physics education conference, and a series of talks on graduate education got me thinking. There's a lot of research and attention on improving graduate education in physics right now. That's because there's a lot wrong with it: somewhere around half of the students who enter leave without their PhD, it can destroy your mental health, and it is rarely a diverse or inclusive place.

Looking back at my graduate student experience now, I realize that I was one of the students who should have failed out. Not because I deserved it, let me add. I got good grades in my undergraduate degree and had several terrific research experiences. But when I got to graduate school, I struggled mightily, and failing several classes and repeated failing my qualifying exam. The reasons are myriad. My undergraduate school was very small, and hadn't offered lots of the classes my graduate school friends had taken. I probably hadn't learned the right way to learn, focusing more on getting the right answer than understanding the reasoning and the concepts leading to it. And I'm sure there was some imposter syndrome. 

But in the end I made it, in large part because of a supportive research group and department. A friend tutored me through one of my classes in exchange for weekly ice cream cones. My advisor met with me to discuss problem solving and how to think about physics. (Looking back, I'm amazed he took this much time for a first-year graduate student when he had grants to write and far more successful students to supervise.) Twice, when I had to take the multi-day qualifying exam, my mother drove eight hours from Ohio to cook and clean so I could focus on studying all day long. When I showed up for office hours every single week, the TAs helped and didn't roll their eyes. Most (but not all) faculty members implied that they knew I could succeed. The remainder was due to me - I decided the only way I was leaving school was if they threw me out; I would not quit. 

And it worked. I learned physics, which is the coolest science in the universe; I got to do fun research with interesting people, and now I get to work in a job that helps more people study physics. What a great way for the story to end.

The Cat Who Protested a Great Deal

One of the innocent victims of the COVID stay at home situation is Wesley the cat. Over the past twelve months he has transitioned from the Cat Who Hates Me to the Cat Who Tolerates Me and, finally, the Cat Who Grudgingly Likes Me. He's not a cat who accepts change easily, and moving to my house was clearly not his idea.

He was supposed to live with me from June 2019 to about June 2020, while my brother and his family were traveling. Since there is no safe way for me to get to California or for my brother's family to visit here, it looks like he'll be living in Maryland for a while longer. I am delighted that he has ceased his regular 5am yowls, and has even grown to like sitting outside in the Maryland humidity. I'm happy to have him as my COVID companion.