So NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (the NASA facility where I worked this past Fall) released it's 2012 version of the Blue Marble which is of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Basically, it went viral. Check it out here.
It's interesting to note that the Blue Marble from 2002 is the most used on the iPhone. Food for thought.
Showing posts with label physics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physics. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA on Reddit
I know this isn't exactly advice, but Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of my ALL TIME favorite physicists and scientists that I look up to. He had an "ask me anything" thread on Reddit a while ago and he has a second one today! I think it's over now, but it's still pretty awesome to read his insight on all the questions asked.
Click here to go to the thread
I'll post something more on topic later :)
Click here to go to the thread
I'll post something more on topic later :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Hi!
Hi everyone!
I'm Nicole and even though I may not be an engineer (actually a Mathematical Physics major from a school in New Hampshire probably nobody has heard of), I have some similar experiences.
I've wanted to work for NASA doing research since I was in the 5th grade. My teacher (Hi Mr. Lemoine!) restored the observatory behind my elementary school and every week the astronomy club would go out there and look at all the awesome objects out in the universe. Also, he signed up my entire class to have our names put on two dvds. One would go on Spirit, and the other would go on Opportunity. MY NAME IS IN SPACE? HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT?!?! But let's get back to Earth and talk about my research :)
Just like Serena, I am working as an undergraduate intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. My project is The Balloon Experiment Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) project. Basically it's a telescope attached to a giant high-altitude balloon that will test wide-field double Fourier interferometry (which has been demonstrated in a laboratory testbed, but never in a flight-like environment).
If you don't understand a word that I just said, don't worry! I didn't understand most of it when I first got to NASA. I've actually worked here last fall semester so I was familiar with some Infrared Interferometry, but didn't really know the details of it. But that's the greatest thing about science, in particular research. You can take something that you may not understand or comprehend at the beginning, and by the end you're an expert at your project! It's something I love, the feeling of slow discovery... it's kind of addicting to a nerd like me.
Just felt the need to introduce myself before I started posting things. Nice to meet everyone!
Nicole
I'm Nicole and even though I may not be an engineer (actually a Mathematical Physics major from a school in New Hampshire probably nobody has heard of), I have some similar experiences.
I've wanted to work for NASA doing research since I was in the 5th grade. My teacher (Hi Mr. Lemoine!) restored the observatory behind my elementary school and every week the astronomy club would go out there and look at all the awesome objects out in the universe. Also, he signed up my entire class to have our names put on two dvds. One would go on Spirit, and the other would go on Opportunity. MY NAME IS IN SPACE? HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT?!?! But let's get back to Earth and talk about my research :)
Just like Serena, I am working as an undergraduate intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. My project is The Balloon Experiment Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) project. Basically it's a telescope attached to a giant high-altitude balloon that will test wide-field double Fourier interferometry (which has been demonstrated in a laboratory testbed, but never in a flight-like environment).
If you don't understand a word that I just said, don't worry! I didn't understand most of it when I first got to NASA. I've actually worked here last fall semester so I was familiar with some Infrared Interferometry, but didn't really know the details of it. But that's the greatest thing about science, in particular research. You can take something that you may not understand or comprehend at the beginning, and by the end you're an expert at your project! It's something I love, the feeling of slow discovery... it's kind of addicting to a nerd like me.
Just felt the need to introduce myself before I started posting things. Nice to meet everyone!
Nicole
Monday, November 14, 2011
The best job is one that didn't exist before- Undergraduate Research
My previous post talked about how awesome undergraduate research is. Now, here are a few ways to obtain a research position. It's tough work, but if you are motivated and excited, you'll definitely learn a ton!
1. Figure out what you like, or at least, what you think you like. If you like materials, go with materials. If you think you like systems, go with systems. Pick a general area.
2. Study your department's website. There will be a listing of faculty and their research interests. Their interests are likely to be very broad (or specific). If you are unsure about what it means, look it up! There's a reason Google was invented.
3. Identify which professor's research interests sound cool/interesting to you. Do this by looking at faculty members' websites. Look at their papers/ publications (many of them are out there on the web!). Usually, you should be able to get a gist from the abstract. If it's super interesting, go ahead-read the paper!
4. Read the Bio of the professor. Sure, it sounds kinda creepy, but that's why it's posted! It's just like when someone posts something on Facebook; they expect you to read it! Get to know their Alma Maters, potential graduation dates (give an estimate to their age when they graduated with their Phd- it'll give you an idea if to ask "Did you work before graduate school?"). Some professors are very impressed. Like I read about a professor being a Student Adviser during his undergraduate and related it to a summer job of mine. He knew I did my research and was not taking research lightly.
5. Email 2 or 3 professors. Dr. Louie at UC Davis has written up a blog post about it. Make sure you take a look at her helpful hints. Serena's Helpful Tip #1: Don't email all professors on the same day; they may want you to meet at conflicting times. And you may find you like one lab more than another. Serena's Helpful Tip #2: Say, "Below is my availability for an appointment." Then, list all available times for the next week. Be flexible. I usually post times between 8am-5pm. I know you're a college student, but a successful college student doesn't sleep in until 11 or noon.
6. Wait for response, but check your email often. Sometimes won't get back to you on purpose; they want to see how motivated you are. Usually I give them about a week. One week later, shoot an email (with the original message below), and say "Dear Professor ___, I sent you an email about 1 week ago regarding your research and my potential involvement. Would you be able to set up an appointment with me? Below are my available times." And list your available times.
Sometimes, they will send you an email back immediately! Don't dilly dally! If you said you were available at 10, you better be available at 10. Stick to your said commitment. This is your first chance to impress them, and you don't want to mess it up by changing your mind.
7. Meet with the professor. Say, "I read your stuff about ____. Although I don't know much about ___, I would love to learn more and get involved." Ask them about their current research projects. Would you be working under a graduate student or directly with the professor? Both are good! What kind of qualifications do you need to work in their lab? Some professors want some upper division coursework, but if you show you are motivated and excited (and have done your research), they are often willing to make exceptions.
Serena's Helpful Tip #3: It's okay to get rejected. Some want upper division coursework. Some just don't have room or the time! Usually, the reason you get rejected is not because they dislike you. This is why you have multiple professors in mind.
8. Be ready to start almost immediately. Again, this depends on the professor. They may never contact you again. It's up to you to maintain the relationship. They may also set you up with a graduate student almost immediately. Be ready for an increased work load. It might be a lot of stress quickly, but don't worry, you're smart!
Serena's Helpful Tip #4: Be willing to devote about 10 hours per week for at least 2 quarters. If you don't have this much time to devote, don't even start your search. You know your coursework. You know your graduation plan. Don't waste your time or the professor's by dropping out because you were "too busy." This excuse does not make for very good letters of recommendation.
9. Work Hard. At first, you won't know anything!!! It's okay; just be willing to learn and do research on the side (look at papers, publications, wikipedia pages- often a good resource for general information). After you get the gist of it, don't be lazy and sleep in until 11. After I got my initial training, I would often show up before ALL of the graduate students in the lab. Some told me that I worked too hard. If you are surpassing the expectations of the graduate students, THIS IS A GOOD THING and keep doing it!
10. Have the goal of publishing or presenting your work. Ask your adviser (he/she is no longer your professor to you- however you should still address them as so) about doing this. It shows your motivation to have an individual project and willingness to take on new challenges.
Serena's Helpful Tip #5: Don't expect to get paid until you've put in enough "time". It's okay to ask, but the professor doesn't know anything about you; would you pay someone you didn't know? After a few months, you can ask. But again, don't expect anything.
I hope this list is extensive enough. Again, research is tough work. But don't let other people dissuade you if you really want to get involved. If I didn't answer all of your questions, feel free to comment.
1. Figure out what you like, or at least, what you think you like. If you like materials, go with materials. If you think you like systems, go with systems. Pick a general area.
2. Study your department's website. There will be a listing of faculty and their research interests. Their interests are likely to be very broad (or specific). If you are unsure about what it means, look it up! There's a reason Google was invented.
3. Identify which professor's research interests sound cool/interesting to you. Do this by looking at faculty members' websites. Look at their papers/ publications (many of them are out there on the web!). Usually, you should be able to get a gist from the abstract. If it's super interesting, go ahead-read the paper!
4. Read the Bio of the professor. Sure, it sounds kinda creepy, but that's why it's posted! It's just like when someone posts something on Facebook; they expect you to read it! Get to know their Alma Maters, potential graduation dates (give an estimate to their age when they graduated with their Phd- it'll give you an idea if to ask "Did you work before graduate school?"). Some professors are very impressed. Like I read about a professor being a Student Adviser during his undergraduate and related it to a summer job of mine. He knew I did my research and was not taking research lightly.
5. Email 2 or 3 professors. Dr. Louie at UC Davis has written up a blog post about it. Make sure you take a look at her helpful hints. Serena's Helpful Tip #1: Don't email all professors on the same day; they may want you to meet at conflicting times. And you may find you like one lab more than another. Serena's Helpful Tip #2: Say, "Below is my availability for an appointment." Then, list all available times for the next week. Be flexible. I usually post times between 8am-5pm. I know you're a college student, but a successful college student doesn't sleep in until 11 or noon.
6. Wait for response, but check your email often. Sometimes won't get back to you on purpose; they want to see how motivated you are. Usually I give them about a week. One week later, shoot an email (with the original message below), and say "Dear Professor ___, I sent you an email about 1 week ago regarding your research and my potential involvement. Would you be able to set up an appointment with me? Below are my available times." And list your available times.
Sometimes, they will send you an email back immediately! Don't dilly dally! If you said you were available at 10, you better be available at 10. Stick to your said commitment. This is your first chance to impress them, and you don't want to mess it up by changing your mind.
7. Meet with the professor. Say, "I read your stuff about ____. Although I don't know much about ___, I would love to learn more and get involved." Ask them about their current research projects. Would you be working under a graduate student or directly with the professor? Both are good! What kind of qualifications do you need to work in their lab? Some professors want some upper division coursework, but if you show you are motivated and excited (and have done your research), they are often willing to make exceptions.
Serena's Helpful Tip #3: It's okay to get rejected. Some want upper division coursework. Some just don't have room or the time! Usually, the reason you get rejected is not because they dislike you. This is why you have multiple professors in mind.
8. Be ready to start almost immediately. Again, this depends on the professor. They may never contact you again. It's up to you to maintain the relationship. They may also set you up with a graduate student almost immediately. Be ready for an increased work load. It might be a lot of stress quickly, but don't worry, you're smart!
Serena's Helpful Tip #4: Be willing to devote about 10 hours per week for at least 2 quarters. If you don't have this much time to devote, don't even start your search. You know your coursework. You know your graduation plan. Don't waste your time or the professor's by dropping out because you were "too busy." This excuse does not make for very good letters of recommendation.
9. Work Hard. At first, you won't know anything!!! It's okay; just be willing to learn and do research on the side (look at papers, publications, wikipedia pages- often a good resource for general information). After you get the gist of it, don't be lazy and sleep in until 11. After I got my initial training, I would often show up before ALL of the graduate students in the lab. Some told me that I worked too hard. If you are surpassing the expectations of the graduate students, THIS IS A GOOD THING and keep doing it!
10. Have the goal of publishing or presenting your work. Ask your adviser (he/she is no longer your professor to you- however you should still address them as so) about doing this. It shows your motivation to have an individual project and willingness to take on new challenges.
Serena's Helpful Tip #5: Don't expect to get paid until you've put in enough "time". It's okay to ask, but the professor doesn't know anything about you; would you pay someone you didn't know? After a few months, you can ask. But again, don't expect anything.
I hope this list is extensive enough. Again, research is tough work. But don't let other people dissuade you if you really want to get involved. If I didn't answer all of your questions, feel free to comment.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Inspirations- Marie Curie
From what I've read, Marie and her husband (Pierre) received a set of bicycles as a wedding present. They conducted their science experiments together, and when things got tough in the lab, they would de-stress by riding through the streets of Paris for hours on end. How romantic!
However, I would argue that Pierre helped to create this female revolution. When he and Henri Becquerel were offered the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, Pierre refused the reward unless the committee included his wife, who stood next to him conducting the experiments. I want a husband like him. She became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize.
A few years later, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon (what a way to die!), and Marie took his place as a Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences at Sorbonne in Paris. Again, she was the first woman to hold this position. Her hard work really stood out.
In 1911, she received the Nobel Prize again, but this time in Chemistry. She become the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes. Afterward, she went on to promote science within federal governments and use radium for therapeutic purposes.
In 1934, Marie died of aplastic anemia due to her radiation exposure from experiments. She is definitely a woman to devote herself to her work.
Today, many of us women are criticized for being put into positions for simply "being a woman." However, Madame is an example that we, too, can be exemplary in our work to show that women are equal, if not better, in STEM.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Introduction
Hi Everyone!
I decided to start the blog by introducing myself. I'm a Senior at UC Davis studying Mechanical Engineering, and currently, I am taking a quarter off to intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. I'm working with the International X-Ray Observatory group working on Mirror Technology Development.
Inspiration: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. One of the female engineers talked about her work on the Mars Land Rovers (2006) and her PhD work through Stanford (She was only 25). I basically said, "I want to be her." I would say I'm well on my way.
My start in research: I had always wanted to get involved in undergraduate research (after realizing it would be both interesting and a resume boost). One day, I asked one my professors, "What are you doing this summer? I'm bored." It was very frank, but it got my point across. I ended up working at the Material Performance Laboratory at UC Davis for a year. I was able to learn about a lot of different machinery, break stuff, and I even got interviewed for the news! Link Below:
Internships: I got the opportunity to move to Dallas, Texas to intern for an air separation company. I worked across the street from Texas Instruments' headquarters. (no, I didn't get a free calculator) :-( I got involved with many efficiency projects by increasing the efficiencies of turbines and analyzing the potential crack propagation in some of the tanks. It built on the existing knowledge from my research at the university. I was also able to run around in coveralls, a hard hat, and steel toed boots! Take that boys! :-)
What I do at NASA: I've applied for the past couple of years for internship positions at NASA, and I never, ever thought that I would get to work there! I realized, you don't need straight A's (but a high GPA definitely helps), and you don't need to be a genius. Enthusiasm and a drive to work hard will get you through most of life. :-)
I am still an intern, but my group has given me some very interesting projects. I currently figuring out ways to mount x-ray telescope mirrors without distorting them. We've learned that if you stand across the room from one of these mirrors, your body heat will distort them! Right now, I'm working on some experiments regarding friction and the material strength of different adhesives.
After NASA: I go back to school for the Winter quarter, and I will complete my studies in about a year. However, I am researching PhD programs to apply to. I am looking into a project involving biological research with my engineering background. Some ideas have been the thermodynamics of drug transfer in the blood stream or way cells move throughout the body. But we'll see!!! :-)
Thanks for reading!
Serena C.
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