matlab
Problem MATLAB *.fig files won't open. Key Symptoms * when double-clicking on a *.fig file in a folder, no figure is shown in MATLAB; e.g. on a Mac, after double-clicking the file, you see the opening animation, but no signs in MATLAB that the file actually opened * no
Back in November In Our Time did an episode on crystallography. I just listened to it this week, and it is lovely. I haven't done any work in that field since I started grad school, but I still love it. Despite the huge impact crystallography has had on
education
It occurred to me that these are really quite similar, parallel constructions, with the major difference that GTD focuses on what you will do, while learning objectives are about what your students will do. In both cases, you consider first what you want to achieve, and then you carefully think
Archaic terminology aside, old (pre-1950) scientific texts are surprisingly readable. Perhaps this is partly due to translation, since many early works come to English by way of Latin, French and German, but I suspect that it has just as much to do with the broad audience of the writings. An
history
"…the British chemist John Dalton (1766-1844) provided the basic theory: all matter–whether element, compound or mixture–is composed of small particles called atoms." – Ebbing and Gammon. General Chemistry, 8th ed. (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008), 42. If the quoted text above were on Wikipedia, rather than in
Why don't chemistry textbooks cite their sources? High schoolers are taught to use references for specific details, but my college-level textbooks state many such details without an ounce of support. How do we entrust our students' learning to books that make unsupported claims?! It's unscientific.
education
I think the scientific disciplines are not so much territories in the landscape of science as viewpoints from which one can look out over that landscape. The boundaries we erect between physics and chemistry, chemistry and biology, and so on, are less like fences separating fields and more like well-worn
presentations
Key points for presenters from Lehr's "Let there be stoning!" Ground Water (1985). Emphasis mine. [1] The problem * "Let there be an end to incredibly boring speakers! They are not sophisticated, erudite scientists speaking above our intellectual capability; they are arrogant, thoughtless individuals who insult
Vicens & Bourne, PLoS Comp Biol 2009 My summary of their 10 rules: 1. Learn to manage your time 2. Set specific goals 3. Don't try to do everything 4. See #3 5. See #3 6. See #3 7. See #3 8. See #1 9. Start early, practice
Rarely do we have all the facts. We work based on the evidence available at the time, and even then some things may be overlooked. Consider Alice and Bob. Alice asks Bob for assistance. Bob snaps at her to do her own work and quit bothering him. If Alice does
Considering Chad Orzel's Notes Toward a User's Guide to Synthetic Chemistry Talks, I made a list of questions you can (almost) always ask at a chemistry seminar (not just synthetic): * What is the impact of pH on ‹thing you're studying›? * What is the impact
My advice for those just beginning * Many, many things may be the way they are because of department/campus/regional politics. (And that's not always bad.) * Your advisor is probably making it up as he/she goes along, just like you are. * Your students (particularly freshmen) think you