tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post8785798530870900002..comments2024-01-13T18:57:18.243-05:00Comments on Information Processing: Advice to a new graduate studentSteve Hsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428333897272913660noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-35941191767023913352011-09-21T10:28:39.963-04:002011-09-21T10:28:39.963-04:00I've been told to watch out so I don't end...I've been told to watch out so I don't end up like this guy:<br /><br />http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/822298/Odoacernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-90732120698230380562011-09-11T23:50:24.251-04:002011-09-11T23:50:24.251-04:00Further, as the college and university administrat...Further, as the college and university administrators continue the decimate the ranks of adjunct professor at every opportunity through mass layoffs, the unavoidable reality is that the remaining adjunct faculty has to teach the overflow of students, thus further reducing the actual income from college teaching. It is possible, however, for an adjunct academic to gain control over the situation christainhttp://researchnetwork.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-46671323052530943232011-09-09T16:50:19.789-04:002011-09-09T16:50:19.789-04:00do something no one has done before or better than...do something no one has done before or better than anyone else has done it previously or likely to do in your lifetime. if lazy or unintelligent collect more data about any chosen object that has ever been collected before, find a pattern or lack of pattern and label it with your name. Robert Rotahttp://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Rota/590870887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-35680381460086657922011-09-08T07:45:42.925-04:002011-09-08T07:45:42.925-04:00Yes. Take it from someone who has worked in inform...Yes. Take it from someone who has worked in information security.steve hsuhttp://duende.uoregon.edu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-7197362864381736252011-09-07T23:57:34.730-04:002011-09-07T23:57:34.730-04:001) The problem-selection problem is where I see ma...1) The problem-selection problem is where I see many otherwise brilliant people trip up. Only work on interesting problems*. Where necessary, maneuver around your supervisor, your grant funding, any other constraints. Whatever people say in the short term, ultimately you will be thanked for doing interesting work.<br /><br />2) Have fun.<br /><br />*: Personally I would say "problems that Markhttp://mark25.myopenid.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-31830345940145750292011-09-07T18:39:18.430-04:002011-09-07T18:39:18.430-04:00What if such a person is interested in cryptograph...What if such a person is interested in cryptography and computer security? Needed courses only, no degree?Ricky Smithhttp://www.facebook.com/people/Ricky-Smith/795597258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-15348858505909974442011-09-07T17:51:00.092-04:002011-09-07T17:51:00.092-04:00I don't think you need the extra degree as a c...I don't think you need the extra degree as a credential. Probably enough just to take whatever CS courses you think you need or are interested in.steve hsuhttp://duende.uoregon.edu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-1922129424832278872011-09-07T16:49:57.097-04:002011-09-07T16:49:57.097-04:00That's like the hen asking a fox what she shou...That's like the hen asking a fox what she should do with the remainder of her eggs.MtMorunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-81755343883499433852011-09-07T13:00:24.284-04:002011-09-07T13:00:24.284-04:00Steve, what would you say to someone who, after ge...Steve, what would you say to someone who, after getting a physics PhD in a non-computer-related area of his/her field, is considering going back to school to get a BS in computer science?Ricky Smithhttp://www.facebook.com/people/Ricky-Smith/795597258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-12708039654399421652011-09-06T17:01:18.950-04:002011-09-06T17:01:18.950-04:00I was in software before going to grad school, too...I was in software before going to grad school, too and I'm glad I did. I didn't make a career in academic physics, but what I'm doing now is more interesting (at least to me) than an software job I might have had. Albert Magnushttp://twitter.com/albert_magnusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-75886559349528413292011-09-06T16:57:08.155-04:002011-09-06T16:57:08.155-04:00I was the first student of my advisor, but he came...I was the first student of my advisor, but he came from a "pedigree" research group and he made sure I got introduce to all the right people and got a good post-doc. <br /><br />Also, I worked at an accelerator and took lots of shifts which is a great way to network and get experience. You don't really know anyone till you've sat with them for 8 hours on a graveyard shift.<br />Albert Magnushttp://twitter.com/albert_magnusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-71054712016011573492011-09-06T16:24:41.880-04:002011-09-06T16:24:41.880-04:00It's a game that shouldn't be, so unless y...It's a game that shouldn't be, so unless you're sure of victory don't play.<br /><br />Steve's yet to post his own ideas about how science should be done. Maybe he doesn't have any. <br /><br />My own:<br /><br />1. Scrap academic science, that is, science as part of the education non-industrious complex, and science as the usually useless curiosity of scientists.<br />2. MtMorunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-29394512055478389002011-09-06T14:52:41.927-04:002011-09-06T14:52:41.927-04:00I like point #6 because it is framed as zero-sum a...I like point #6 because it is framed as <a href="http://andrewgelman.com/2010/09/advice_that_mig/" rel="nofollow">zero-sum advice</a> but is actually positive-sum: If all these students work extra hard, they'll contribute more in total.Andrew Gelmanhttp://profiles.google.com/andrew.e.gelmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-71308726320552040342011-09-06T13:02:03.863-04:002011-09-06T13:02:03.863-04:00This is all good advice, though in my field (psych...This is all good advice, though in my field (psychology) I'd amend #1. Letters matter, but publication record matters a lot more - number of pubs and prestige of the journals yes, but also the innovativeness of the research. Many of my colleagues whose work I most respect worked with junior faculty as grad students, or with faculty of any level who supported them develop their own line of Sanjayhttp://hardsci.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-51589201412436764662011-09-06T11:49:43.083-04:002011-09-06T11:49:43.083-04:00Advice from a C.S. PhD dropout: Assume that your a...Advice from a C.S. PhD dropout: Assume that your advisor isn't all that interested in research and doesn't care much about what you are doing or whether or not you succeed. Assume he's got enough of other grad students to choose from and is interested in getting funding grants, not science. Assume that nobody else in your environment is going to understand what you're trying to dosilkophttp://cleeray.myopenid.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-65995932886758933482011-09-06T00:13:14.729-04:002011-09-06T00:13:14.729-04:00I often say the same thing: Quit now unless you ar...I often say the same thing: Quit now unless you are very sure you can't be happy doing something else.<br /><br />Note the person who originally asked for advice has already had a career in software and is going back in (to biology, not physics) with his eyes open.steve hsuhttp://duende.uoregon.edu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-21992437271639756822011-09-06T00:09:48.797-04:002011-09-06T00:09:48.797-04:00Steve's points are all very good. Go work for ...Steve's points are all very good. Go work for big shot professor that has good track of caring about his mentees careers. And schmoozing is very important. Strive for your name and face recognition. Ultimately though, an advice that I give to every new graduate student is this: Quit now. The odds are against you and chances are high that you will regret not quitting now.Dima Klenchinhttp://profiles.google.com/klenchin2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-76098361770951556262011-09-05T16:36:20.453-04:002011-09-05T16:36:20.453-04:00Hmm, well I'll say this. Markets are mainly c...Hmm, well I'll say this. Markets are mainly creations of govts - no regulations and contracts, then no modern mkt - so I don't really know how to pick apart govt failures from market failures. However "Les Etats-Unis Merdeux" sure seems to produce a lot of science per capita relative to the world as a whole!LondonYoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-37251970725222883242011-09-05T14:39:48.448-04:002011-09-05T14:39:48.448-04:00On 1., the influential prof wins out. Pick the mo...On 1., the influential prof wins out. Pick the most influential adviser that is willing to take you on as a student. Seeking mentorship in the form of doing research projects with other professors, post docs, and more senior students is not too hard.rzhttp://metarz.net/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-37877767458766119722011-09-05T13:52:47.466-04:002011-09-05T13:52:47.466-04:00Agreed if you can make "meaningful contributi...Agreed if you can make "meaningful contributions to humanity's scientific knowledge". Unfortunately, 1. natural science is still too academic and 2. you're unlikely to get a job as a PI. Wasn't intended as a comment about the money.<br /><br />If you're chances are good for a professorship or one of the few serious non-academic science groups and your field is such that MtMorunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-41294491597261982632011-09-05T11:57:07.856-04:002011-09-05T11:57:07.856-04:00IMHO, if the new student intends to measure his/he...IMHO, if the new student intends to measure his/her life's success in meaningful contributions to humanity's scientific knowledge MtMoru's (2) won't apply. If cash is the metric, (2) dominates all other advice.LondonYoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-18349615945755023442011-09-05T10:15:18.917-04:002011-09-05T10:15:18.917-04:00All advice on competition. Beat the other guy at a...All advice on competition. Beat the other guy at a game. Really bad.<br /><br />The right advice: <br /><br />1. Make sure there is a very healthy non academic job market for what you do or make sure your school is top 5.<br /><br />2. Don't go unless you've got nothing else to do.<br /><br />3. It <i>shouldn't</i> and it doesn't <i>need</i> to be this way, but in Les Etats-Unis MtMorunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-15329240936302759702011-09-05T08:22:44.079-04:002011-09-05T08:22:44.079-04:00Truly excellent advice, all of it. I would add, Fi...Truly excellent advice, all of it. I would add, Find a niche that is unoccupied, and fill it.sykes.1noreply@blogger.com