The news is that I had a conditional pass. I'll have to take another class and then do a second oral exam to have the condition removed.

Tags: grad school, orals
Current Mood: exhausted

I've been pondering issues of women in science again, and I seem to have found a couple situations which seem to be anomalously parallel.

1 - So some of you know that I started watching the Big Bang Theory, and I absolutely love it. It is both very intelligent and hilarious. In fact, I'm extra glad they have a woman physicist on there who is kick-ass smart.

2 - My advisor is very excited about my project. You don't know how much more fun grad school can be when you have an advisor who is really gunning for you. In fact, one of the things he tells people is that I'm going to be the first woman who has ever done this from scratch.

Why are they parallel? They both have a downside that is the result of one thing: women are still anomalies in certain fields of science.

How so?

1 - Have you noticed something about the women on Big Bang Theory? The female scientists are either neurotic or mean. They are the stereotypical bad-ass female scientist. I find this rather frustrating because there is a considerable amount of research to show that women who do well in math and science tend to be androgynous...that is, neither the female stereotype or the masculine stereotype...but somewhere in between. I have seen this played out in real life; the accomplished women scientists I have encountered are not mean and nasty, but neither are they overly passive. They can stand up for themselves but they are less likely to be willing to step all over other people to get where they're going than some of their male counterparts.

And yes, I felt so strongly about this that I wrote to the producers of the show. I would appreciate it if you would, too.

2 - It makes me a bit sad to think I would be the first female to work on a broad topic in science. I remember thinking when I was all of 12 years old how women could do anything if they could become astronauts. Sally Ride was one of my heroes, and wrote a huge report about her for sixth grade. Yet here I sit, twenty some years later, going to be the first woman to do something. It's great to be the first to do something, but it's simultaneously depressing that it's taken this long for a woman to get into it.

Conclusion: still a long way to go...

Tags: feminism, science, sexism, stereotypes, television
Current Mood: disappointed

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

Tags: notification system
Current Location: Under a Rock
Current Mood: grumpy

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

Tags: freeskiers, skiing, snow, travel, winter sports

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

Tags: design, holiday icons, season_icons, userpics

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

Too freakin' funny!

Tags: humor, meme, science
Current Mood: giggly

( .... there is a don't ask don't tell policy )

Current Mood: silly

Tonight at our research group meeting, my advisor asked me if one of the other guys in our group had told me about the simulations he's working on. Nope.

So I got to hear about a chemical phenomenon that's very cool: oscillating reactions. Most of the time when you study chemistry, you learn about reactions that go to equilibrium. This reaction, however, keeps oscillating back and forth. It is an example of non-equilibrium thermodynamics.

Here's what one looks like:



Apparently it is a system of three substances. The first gets oxidized by the second, and then the oxidized version of the first is reduced by the third. And then it starts over again. These are commonly called Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions.

My friend is developing a computer model, and he said it's very cool to watch. Unfortunately, I don't have any graphics to share, but he said the model shows some very cool vortices in a particular configuration of the fluid. I'm excited to see the results.

I do have to admit that I'm not a big fan of chemistry, but this was too cool not to share.

Tags: chemistry, science
Current Mood: impressed

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

Tags: aids vgift red ribbon fundraiser, blurb, livejournal: the first decade, lj_photophile poll