Week as a Physics Ph.D. Student (Phlog)
TLDRThe transcript offers an insightful glimpse into the life of a physics PhD student, detailing their daily routine, academic responsibilities, and research endeavors. It highlights the student's passion for electromagnetism, the challenges of proctoring exams, and the intricacies of translating Fortran code into Python for nuclear physics research. The narrative also touches on the student's involvement in the Physics Grad Student Organization and their efforts to modernize outdated code, all while balancing the demands of teaching and studying.
Takeaways
- 📚 The PhD student in physics enjoys the flexibility of their schedule, allowing them to own their mornings and start their day with coffee.
- 🏫 The student's day involves teaching responsibilities such as Proctoring exams and preparing for classes like Electromagnetism part two.
- 🌟 The student is passionate about their research in nuclear physics, particularly the unanswered questions like where the proton gets its spin.
- 💻 The student is tasked with modernizing old Fortran code into Python to better visualize and understand the calculations related to cross-sections in physics.
- 📈 The student is working on two research projects that connect to the larger, long-range plan in nuclear physics.
- 📚 The student is involved in supplemental instruction for modern physics, helping undergraduates with concepts like relativity and quantum mechanics.
- 🤝 The student engages with the physics community through the Physics Grad Student Organization (PGSO), attending meetings and presentations.
- 😔 The student experiences a moment of grief for a lost Yeti mug, showing their human side amidst the academic rigor.
- 🏢 The student's work extends beyond campus, with plans to apply for a summer school program at Jefferson Lab, indicating a proactive approach to career development.
- 📊 The student's research involves understanding and extracting parton distribution functions from data, which are crucial in nuclear physics calculations.
- 🎥 The student is open to involving other people in their vlogs, suggesting a collaborative and community-oriented approach to sharing their graduate experience.
Q & A
What is one of the advantages of doing a PhD in physics mentioned in the transcript?
-One of the advantages is the flexibility and autonomy it offers, allowing the individual to manage their own morning routine and schedule.
What was the narrator's emotional reaction to losing their Yeti mug?
-The narrator expressed a strong emotional attachment to the mug, describing it as being like a father or son to them, and they were upset about having to start using a backup mug.
What is the narrator's role in the modern physics exam proctoring?
-The narrator is a TA (Teaching Assistant) who is proctoring the exam because their professor is away at Jefferson Lab.
What is the narrator working on in their research related to the proton's spin?
-The narrator is working on two research projects that connect to the unanswered question of where the proton gets its spin, which is not fully accounted for by the three quarks that make up the proton.
What is the significance of the long-range plan mentioned in the transcript?
-The long-range plan is a publication that provides recommendations by nuclear physicists on where government funding should be directed and identifies pressing unanswered questions in the field of nuclear physics.
What coding task is the narrator given by their adviser?
-The narrator's adviser gave them a few thousand lines of Fortran code related to calculating certain cross-sections, and they are tasked with understanding the code and potentially modernizing it by translating it into Python.
What is the narrator's role as a supplemental instructor for modern physics?
-As a supplemental instructor, the narrator provides extra practice and assistance for students taking the modern physics course, which covers concepts like relativity and quantum mechanics.
How does the narrator plan to improve their understanding of the Fortran code?
-The narrator plans to print out the code and add comments on paper to better understand its functionality, rather than trying to internalize everything at once.
What does the narrator discover about the data file they were working with?
-The narrator discovers that the data file contains a large list of space-separated values, not columns as they initially assumed, which corresponds to parton distribution functions for different quark flavors.
What is the purpose of the PGS O meeting mentioned in the transcript?
-The PGS O (Physics Grad Student Organization) meeting allows faculty members to present their research to grad students, helping them stay informed about the department's research activities and potentially find research collaborators.
How does the narrator plan to involve others in future videos?
-The narrator plans to include other people in future videos, such as fellow grad students and faculty, to provide a broader perspective and more varied content.
Outlines
🌞 Morning Routine and Electromagnetism
The narrator starts their day as a physics PhD student, enjoying the freedom of their morning routine. They discuss their academic responsibilities, including teaching electromagnetism and proctoring an exam for modern physics. The day's agenda is packed, but the narrator also finds time to grieve the loss of a beloved Yeti mug. They share their excitement about working on research projects related to the spin of protons, a topic from the long-range plan in nuclear physics. The paragraph ends with the narrator's intention to continue their research and improve their understanding of their work.
📚 Busy Academic Life and Code Modernization
The narrator's day is filled with academic duties, including attending computational physics class and grading homeworks and exams as a TA. They discuss the opportunity to modernize a Fortran code into Python, which is part of their research. The paragraph highlights the narrator's intention to extract parton distribution functions from the code, a task they are eager to tackle. Despite the challenges, the narrator finds joy in being able to work from home and the flexibility it offers for their research.
🎓 Teaching, Research, and Outreach
The narrator's responsibilities as a teaching assistant include giving a supplemental instruction lecture for modern physics and tutoring. They also have a busy Thursday, with a colloquium and an outreach program to attend. The paragraph details the narrator's progress in understanding a data file for their research and the realization that the data was not as initially assumed. The narrator expresses their excitement about translating the code into Python and attending a Physics Grad Student Organization (PGSO) meeting where their advisor presents research.
🎥 Vlogging and Future Collaboration
The narrator reflects on their vlogging experience, sharing their intention to include more people in future videos for a richer narrative. They express hope that viewers enjoyed the video and invite feedback in the comments section. The paragraph concludes with the narrator's anticipation of future collaborations and the expansion of their vlog content to include a broader range of perspectives and experiences from the physics community.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡PhD in Physics
💡Electromagnetism
💡Proctoring Exams
💡Jefferson Lab
💡Personal Statement
💡Nuclear Physics
💡Quarks
💡Cross-Sections
💡Fortran to Python
💡Supplemental Instruction
💡Physics Grad Student Organization (PGSO)
Highlights
The PhD student in physics enjoys the flexibility of their schedule, allowing them to own their mornings.
They have a class for electromagnetism part two and also proctor an exam for modern physics.
The student mentions a personal connection to Jefferson Lab, indicating a preference for being there over their current location.
There is a moment of silence for a lost Yeti mug, which the student cherished.
The student's daily routine includes printing out homework and managing a workload that isn't too overwhelming.
Mondays are the best day of the week for the student, despite having a full schedule.
The student is working on an application for a summer school program at Jefferson Lab focused on nuclear physics.
The student discusses the abstract nature of their research and the challenges in explaining it.
Government funding for fundamental research in physics is often guided by a long-range plan published every five years.
A key unanswered question in physics relates to the source of a proton's spin.
The student's research projects are connected to this central question in physics.
The student's advisor provided them with thousands of lines of code to understand and potentially modernize.
The student plans to translate Fortran code into Python for better visualization and understanding.
The student's research involves calculating cross-sections, a key concept in nuclear physics experiments and theoretical calculations.
The student is working on extracting parton distribution functions (PDFs) from the code.
The student's theoretical work allows for remote research, not requiring physical presence in a lab.
The student has a busy Thursday schedule with classes, tutoring, and a colloquium.
The student is a supplemental instructor for modern physics, helping students with concepts like relativity and quantum mechanics.
The student's research leads to a breakthrough in understanding the data file and parton distribution function.
The student participates in the Physics Grad Student Organization (PGSO), which offers a supportive community for graduate students.
The student's advisor presents their research at a PGSO meeting, providing insight into the department's work.
The student plans to involve more people in future videos, offering a broader perspective on the graduate physics experience.
Transcripts
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A week as a PhD student
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