#mphys

[honestlyjustanidiot]

Coursework got me regretting the degree

[astroaspirations]

Update at last!

So I’m two weeks in and things are going pretty well! at least for now lol. So much of my work is independent this year (I only have 7 - 9 contact hours a week!!!) and I know that later in the semester it’s going to get pretty overwhelming so I’m just enjoying the leisurely working pace for now.

I’ve got my masters project topic sorted out now and I’m going to be looking at the acceleration of relativistic supermassive black hole jets. We’ve only been taught the very basics of general relativity so far and I’ve never tried to apply it to plasma physics so I feel like this project is going to be extremely challenging! but my supervisor is also my personal tutor and he’s really nice and knows me a bit better than the other lecturers so hopefully that side of things should be okay

We also have a communications module this semester which is exciting because it’s something I’m really interested in and want more experience doing. It turns out that 60% of it is us writing a popular science style article on a recent paper of our choosing and then giving a presentation of the same paper at a level appropriate for people with physics backgrounds. The other 40% come from a 5 day residential workshop in feburary on research grant proposals and stuff. It’s not really what I’d ideally want from such a module but it’s something and I’m still excited about it!

In non-academic news, my flatmates and I are all getting on really well so far which is great! I’m going to be running a game of Honey Heist next friday for most of them which will hopefully be good. Also, I’m treasurer of the knitting society again this year and we’ve organised our first trip which is exciting! and then I’m also making an effort to actually get to some of the Pride society’s socials this year (but so far not made any) because I went to the meet-and-greet and everyone was really cool so hopefully I can make a few! And as you can see in the picture above I haven’t quite got round to decorating properly but my room is much the same as last year so I’ve been reasonably comfortable so far which is nice :)

Anyway I think this is long enough so I’ll leave it at that! I’ll try to keep things a bit more updated now but no promises b/c my life is going to get very very busy!

[brokeshibe]

The kicker of my quantum class only having two lectures a week is that on the syllabus breakdown, more than 50% of the material is listed as “self study”

Like...ok. I mean, I’m not paying 9 grand a year to be here, but most everyone else is so...???

Plus this isn’t like a 3rd/4th year optional module...it’s a second year core module for all physics programmes...like it’s part of the IOP accreditation they could at least like, put some time into it, since it underpins at least 3 more modules (5 if they’re MPhys???)

[chasing-cabs]

Just moved in to my new room at Birmingham University.. so excited!! Walls looking a bit bare but planning to change that soon!

[lostastrophysicist]

Goshdarnit Advanced Topics.

So... Most science presentations have a paragraph that basically says 

I am on an awesome study and I teach the world so many new things

Generally called the "impact" or "benefits of study", my AT project title is

What are the benefits of studies of moons and planetary bodies such as Titan, Mars, Comet Hartley 2, to our understanding of the primordial Earth, the resulting Earth as we know it today, and possibly even 'Life as we know it' today

What is the impact of a project discussing the impact of other studies?

I'm so freaking confused...

[lostastrophysicist]

Should have studied drama.

My deadlines between now and the end of term

8th Dec: quantum assignment given to us last thursday 9th Dec:

3000 words on solar impact on earth 15-20 pages on modeling early earth 13th Dec: presentation on solar impact on earth 16th Dec: presentation on modeling early earth coding project given to uslast thursday essay on hertzian dipoles

Bets on when I go crazy?

[lostastrophysicist]

The life of a scientist.

So I'm writing code that models drunken walks, and my boyfriend is running current through his body to check the equipment works, whilst Rosie is off playing with airzookas and slinkys.

It's a glamorous and high tech job, being a Mphys student kids.

I feel I should note that Rosie is the male flatmate of Hoverfox and myself, he is taking an Mphys with the aim of becoming a teacher.