(what I really was looking for was "what is Hauser-Feshbach")
My kind of poetry…
Kategori: forskerliv
forskerliv
Forskningen er internasjonal! (rant)
Hver morgen, når klokken er seks, våkner vi at at radioen skrur seg på, og det er selvsagt P2 som gjelder hjemme hos oss - jeg digger P2 (#voksenpoeng)!
Jeg er nesten alltid superfornøyd og imponert over kvaliteten på det som denne radiokanalen serverer mellom klokken 6 og 9, men i dag ble jeg småskuffet og litt irritert; det var nemlig en merkelig sak som handlet om at forskere publiserer "for lite" på norsk*.
For å utdype denne Twitter-meldingen litt, og forklare hvorfor det ikke er et valg å publisere for eksempel fysikk på norsk:
I akademia så er det publisering som gjelder: Publish or perish. Forskningen vår skal (selvsagt) være på et topp internasjonalt nivå! Vi må publisere, og vi må få artiklene våre fagfellevurdert. Forskningen vi driver med på instituttet vårt er også svært spisset, og vi er noen få i Norge som driver med det vi gjør**. Så en norsk journal der jeg feks kan publisere kjernefysikk fins ikke, og den hverken bør eller kan lages (den ville automatisk ha blitt på et MYE lavere nivå enn enhver internasjonalt anerkjent tidsskrift, og størsteparten av det eventuelle publikummet for denne journalen ville måtte jobbe med å lage/drifte denne).
Videre kunne ikke fagfellevurdering fungere fordi det ikke er nok fagfeller i Norge som kunne vurdert en artikkel skrevet på norsk. Hvis det er noen som faktisk har kompetanse til å forstå det som står i artikkelen så er de antageligvis medforfattere på den aktuelle artikkelen, hvis ikke vil det være noen som ikke kan fagfeltet, eller de kan fagfeltet, men ikke norsk...
Til sist så ville vi ikke kunne samarbeide med de vi samarbeider med - internasjonaliseringen forsvinner (de kan ikke være med oss, og vi kan ikke være med dem); vi gjør mange eksperimenter på andre kjernefysiklabber rundt omkring i verden - feks i USA, Sør-Afrika, Frankrike, og Japan. Disse eksperimentene resulteter i artikler, som vi samarbeider om å skrive. Det blir fryktelig vanskelig å skrive disse sammen med forskere som ikke snakker norsk - hvis vi er tre norske og 15 fra diverse land rundt omkring i verden (de andre forskerne må jo tross alt kunne forstå teksten de er medforfattere på, ellers ville det vi drev med vært mildt sagt grovt uetisk), og av samme grunn så kunne ikke vi være med på artikler skrevet på fransk, tysk, eller japansk (vi kunne vært med på den engelske/amerikanske, da, men det er kanskje ikke helt rettferdig hvis vi skal få masse ut av samarbeid med dem, men de skal ikke få noe ut av samarbied med oss - eller kanskje vi bare skal forvente at de lærer seg norsk?)
Publish or perish gjelder overalt i akademia, så det må kunne være ganske sannsynlig at samarbeid resulterer i artikler, ellers forsvinner mye av insentivene for å bruke tid på dette.
Vi bør vel kanskje ikke skrote internasjonalt samarbeid, fagfellevurdering og nivå, bare for å få artikler på norsk...
At dette i det hele tatt er en diskusjon (slik den ble lagt frem på radioen i dag tidlig) er bare rart og feil. Vi publiserer SELVSAGT ikke på norsk, for det er hverken mulig eller ønskelig. Forskningen er internasjonal, og da må den også deles med internasjonale forskere på et språk som er internasjonalt forståelig. (Vi kan godt være litt triste over at norsk ikke er et internasjonalt språk, men sånn er det nå en gang, da...)
For meg så viste denne diskusjonen noe som kunne minne om en manglende innsikt i mye av forskningen som foregår på univeristetene - hvis man tror at veldig mange av oss bare kunne ha publisert på norsk istedetfor på engelsk, så er du i mine øyne omtrent ikke meningsberettiget.
Grunnen til at forskningen vi gjør er utilgjengelig for folk generelt er ærlig talt ikke at den er publisert på engelsk. Vitenskapelige artikler er ikke formidling. Jeg tør faktisk påstå at forstår du faget, så forstår du engelsken.
Her er noen eksempler på artikler jeg er medforfatter på:
Experimentally constrained (p, γ)89Y and (n, γ)89Y reaction rates relevant to the p-process nucleosynthesis (12 forfattere som ikke forstår norsk - som ikke kunne ha vært med, og som i prinsippet gjør at artikkelen ikke kunne ha eksistert)
Study of the 238U(d,p) surrogate reaction via the simultaneous measurement ofgamma-decay and fission probabilities (5 norske forfattere - vi kunne ikke ha vært med på denne hvis den ble skrevet på hovedforfatteren sitt morsmål, men heldigvis publiserer de på engelsk også i Frankrike)
Experimental level densities of atomic nuclei (16 forfattere som ikke forstår norsk - som ikke kunne ha bidratt til det endelige resultatet). Denne er jo til og med nesten populær i sin fremstilling. Abstractet lyder:
It is almost 80 years since Hans Bethe described the level density as a non-interacting gas of protons and neutrons. In all these years, experimental data were interpreted within this picture of a fermionic gas. However, the renewed interest of measuring level density using various techniques calls for a revision of this description. In particular, the wealth of nuclear level densities measured with the Oslo method favors the constant-temperature level density over the Fermi-gas picture. From the basis of experimental data, we demonstrate that nuclei exhibit a constant-temperature level density behavior for all mass regions and at least up to the neutron threshold.
La meg være litt grei, og gjøre en rask oversettelse av dette abstractet:
Det er nesten 80 år siden Hans Bethe beskrev nivåtettheten som en ikke-vekselvirkende gass av protoner og nøytroner. Siden da har alle eksperimentelle data blitt tolket i dette bildet av en fermion-gass. Dog har den fornyede interessen for å måle nivåtettheten ved å bruke forskjellige teknikker gjort at denne beskrivelsen må revurderes. Spesielt så favoriserer det vellet av nivåtettheter målt med Oslometoden konstant temperatur-nivåtettheten fremfor fermigass-bildet. Med bakgrunn i eksperimentelle data de
monstrerer vi her at kjerner viser en konstant temperatur-nivåtetthetsoppførsel i alle masseregioner, og i alle fall opp til nøytron-bindingsenergien.
Jeg brenner for formidling, og jeg skulle gjerne hørt en diskusjon som handlet om hvordan forskningen skal gjøres tilgjengelig for andre enn forskerne, men det problemet med formidling er ikke at vi publiserer på engelsk.
Hadde det vært en diskusjon om formidling; at det formidles for lite på norsk, og nå må vi gjøre noe for å belønne formidling på norsk, så er jeg også helt for diskusjonen. Men det var altså snakk om publisering, og da blir det hele mer eller mindre tragikomisk.
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*Det er klart, dersom spørsmålet er om forskning som handler om spesifikke norske forhold, og hovedsakelig er av interesse for nordmenn, så er det jo ganske merkelig å publisere på engelsk (vi er alle, eller i alle fall de aller fleste av oss, selvsagt bedre i vårt eget morsmål, enn i engelsk, og dermed vil antageligvis også det vi skriver få en litt høyere språklig kvalitet på eget morsmål), men slik det ble lagt frem så handlet det generelt om at forskere publiserer på engelsk.
**For å illustrere: Anders driver også med PhD i fysikk, og selv om vi da har ekstremt mye av den samme bakgrunnen, og snakker veldig mye sammen og forklarer for hverandre, så er det jeg kan si om hans forsknng ca dette: han programmerer masse også holder han på med noe molekyler, blant annet silikat. Å lese en artikkel i hans fagfelt vil være ekstremt krevende for meg - om ikke umulig...
Working your ass off – hairdos
I've been working my ass off analysing data since Monday morning - wanting to be as prepared as I can for Jon's visit later this week. It's tedious work: studying a plot, finding time limits, change your code, run the program, check the results, write everything down and put it into different folders - and start all over again. Repeat until dead tired.
But speaking of working my ass off, even though I work hard, I still want to feel fresh - without spending too much time or effort on it...entering the three working your ass off hairdos:
1. messy bun
2. messy braid no 1
3. messy braid no 2
The point with these three hair styles is to save time; all of them can stay for a week or so, and at the same time look fresh. You can wake up, and you're hair's already done, meaning there's one less thing to fix in the morning! They are all of the "messy" kind - meaning they are supposed to look a little like you just came out of bed, and not too "perfect" 😉
The hair should not be washed when you make these - I typically wait one or two days after the last time I washed my hair. In the picture below I hadn't washed my hair for 3 days; and also you don't need to comb your hair (I only do that like once a week, or something - before I wash it) - the best result of all these three hair dos comes without combing 🙂
This thing from Define is a real life saver! It's actually a mixture of dry shampoo and hairspray at the same time, so it's just perfect for making your hair look fresh and voluminous. Also it makes the hair so much easier to work with (newly washed hair is the worst; so little volume, and so straight, and so slippery).
Ok, let's start 🙂
The messy bun and the messy braid number 1 and 2 start with the same messy pony tail (steps 1-3):
first you need a thin rubber-band (1), then gather the hair for a pony tail at the crown of the head (I use both hands for it - 2), and wrap the rubber-band around the whole of the hair until it feels secure, not too tight (3). The combination of a pony tail that is quite loose, and placed high up on the head, makes it possible (not even uncomfortable) to sleep with 🙂
the messy bun is made like this: take the pony tail and twist it loosely (4), continue twisting it until it's wrapped around the rubber-band, and then stick the end back under the rubber-band (5) - it looks like this at first (6). To finish it I mostly just pull the bun, but a couple of bobby pins helps get it "down", and at the right place (7)
I often wear my hair like this when I'm giving a talk. Unless I'm super nervous and afraid I won't be taken seriously, or something, the messy bun is a good choice (of course, in combination with the right outfit ). Below you can see what it looks like when I just made it, and what it looks like after a week - I normally prefer it after a couple of days.
messy bun <3
The messy braid no 1 has the same starting point as the messy bun - the messy pony tail.
You need two rubber-bands for this one. Divide the pony tails into three parts, pull them forwards, and start braiding quite loosely (1). Secure the braid with a rubber-band (2). It first looks a little simple and dull, but then there's magic: hold the braid with one hand on each side of the braid (my other hand is busy holding the camera at this picture :/) and pull gently (3). Continue pulling at different places along the braid until you're happy with the size/volume (4), and then, finally place the braid at the right side of your head - the back side (5)
The last hairdo is the messy braid no 2. Some extra hair spray is often a good idea on this one.
First, gather all the hair loosely on one side (1). Sometimes I use a comb to tease the hair a little bit by the roots, so it won't be as flat as it was here... Then divide the hair into three equally sized parts, and start braiding (2) - remember: not tight! Then simply braid as far down as you want - I prefer to keep a decent portion of hair not braided - secure the braid with a rubber-band, and pull the braid the same way as the messy braid number 1 (3)
Messy braid number 2 is very soft and feminine <3
(I don't have thick hair at all, but the messier it is the thicker it looks :D)
All of these three hair dos should be so loose that you can sleep comfortably with them. When you wake up you just apply some dry shampoo to the roots, and you're ready for working your ass off!
even though it's messy doesn't mean it can't be serious 😉
Also read: working your ass off dinner
Thursday blues
- bad conscience (I spend too little time on my degree, and too much time procrastinating)
- procrastinating
- writing for an hour as I feel bad (my conscience bugging me since I procrastinated when I got to the University, instead of writing)
- searching the University's web pages for a template for my thesis - turns out it doesn't seem to exist (help?!), but I found myself as poster-girl on the frontpage of the phd education. Lol.
- going to the MNKOM lunch talk, to listen to all the science communication students (as I was also making some notes from an article #multitasking)
- finding a template for master's thesises - works for now
- starting cleaning up and putting stuff I've written before into the template - looking kind of good
- writing a short introduction to my articles (that the thesis will be based on)
- thinking I know which order to put things in my thesis (which is supposed to sew the different articles together)...I've changed my mind several times, tough, so who knows what I'll end up with
And now I'm finally at home, drinking a glass of white wine and snacking on some kale chips I made (soooo good <3 ), waiting for Anders to get home again. He's currently in the air, and doesn't land at Gardermoen before midnight - so I might go to sleep before he gets here, since I'm quite sure I'll wake up the moment he opens the door here anyway 🙂
Hope you have great Thursday evening everyone! See you tomorrow.
Monday
meetings, yes - plural
started reading about, and writing about the so called generation 4 reactors (the next generation of nuclear reactors, that will use their fuel more efficiently, reduce waste production, be more economically, and have even higher standards of safety and proliferation resistance)
then realised that everything that should be written about these reactors in my thesis could (and should!) probably be summarized in one or two sentences... So even though I haven't actually deleted any of it yet, that'll be the first thing I'll do tomorrow. Well, maybe I can view it as one or two HIGH QUALITY sentences 😛
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something that looks very much like SUMMER has finally come to Oslo, and here are some snaps from a beautiful weekend, with friends and my little family <3
Today's office
When you're working on a PhD you never really have the day off - there's always something than needs to be done: an article you should read, an article you should comment, an abstract you should finish, an analysis you should work on, and of course, if you've done all the reading and the commenting and the analysis and everything, there's your scary thesis that you need to work on.
Today I've had a Skype meeting with Supervisor Jon, and then I went with Trine to Espresso House at Majorstuen to write.
The nice thing about a job like ours is that we can work in cozy places - like cafés.
The downside is that we don't have the day off, ever, since every day is just one day closer to the day you have to finish.
Here are two pictures of me thinking and drinking coffee and taking selfies instead of actually writing anything...:P (Love this maritime looking sweater from Pimkie, by the way <3)
Jon told me my article is starting to look quite ok now, so that's good! It means that I can continue working on these fission gamma rays. We're missing some of the gamma rays that we expect to see in our detectors, though, so we have to figure out if there's something wrong with the design of the experiment (very bad - can't be fixed), or the way we analyze the data from the experiment (more work, but can be fixed). I'm still positive that we have some very interesting results (which I of course can't tell you about yet) and that it will definitely be something we can publish in a nice journal...
I ended up writing about one page on my thesis today. It may not sound like much, but it is much more than nothing 😛
After I came back from Espresso House I had promised Alexandra to go swimming, but the swimming pool turned out to be closed today. Luckily we found out just before we left home, so we went just outside to pick flowers instead. Alexandra picked out her own outfit; tiara, wings, silver shoes, and a pink ballerina skirt - love the style <3
Goal of the day
After yesterday's not feeling so great and mostly procrastinating-day, I think I'll try baby steps today: My goal is to find/produce the figures of these fission gamma rays (they will be far from "ready", but I'll make them as good as I can), and send them off to supervisor Jon.
Goal number two is to fix my abstract for PhD Day: I said I did it yesterday, but then there was some problem - probably that it was 100 words too long, so I need to shave it a bit, and retry. It will be done by the end of this day 🙂
Thanks so much to the best officemate ever, Gry, who's smiling and telling me that my thesis will actually be great, and that I've just buried my head down into some details that are not so fun, and very soon everything will feel better...<3
Crying in the cantina
Tuesday:
- procrastinate
- coffee with Anders
- crying in the cantina
- dugnad in the kindergarden
- going home
- crying in the shower
- feeling stupid
- thinking (hard) about the thesis
- submitting abstract for PhD Day
It's phdlife.
Preparing for PhD Day!
This is a blogpost there are good reasons why I shouldn't write...but I do it anyway, and if you are a PhD candidate here at the University, you should definitely keep on reading (if you're not, you should at least read the end of this blogpost):
On June 10th, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Science Library are arranging PhD Day, and all PhD candidates at the Faculty are invited to participate in the Poster session (aka Poster competition). There's a 10 000 NOK prize for the best poster, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to win it... However, I also really want all PhD candidates here at the Faculty to know about this day, and this poster competition; it's more fun the more we are, and it's more fun in winning if there's a real competition 😉
Deadline for submitting an abstract for the competition is one week from now (May 9th). I'm pretty sure that if you actually try making an abstract you will be accepted to the Poster session, and that it's not like for a conference where it's normally a bigger chance of rejection than being allowed to make a poster or give talk... If your abstract is accepted, remember that your poster will be on display for students, fellow PhD candidates, professors, faculty members, and possible future employers on PhD Day 2016.
This is the third year that the Faculty and the Science Library are arranging this day, but for some reason, this is the first time I'm actually planning on participating in all that happens (Poster competition):
The poster is supposed to be more popular than if it was for a pure, nuclear physics conference; this day is, after all, for all of us at the Faculty, and not just nuclear physicists, but that's what I think is the most fun to prepare anyway - perfect for me, in other words <3 What I've also realized is that even thought this is a popularization of my research, the story that I'm telling is still the same as when I'm going to the ND16 conference in September, and preparing this for PhD Day is actually forcing myself to really try to find good answers to these important questions:
what is my story?
why are my results interesting?
what are the important things that we did?
I think (hope!) making this popular poster will contribute to making my talk at the conference better...:)
I've spent most of today reading about "prompt fission gamma rays", which is the topic of my poster (planning on finishing, and submitting, my abstract tomorrow). It maaaaay be that I'm calling gamma radiation for nuclear sweat … 😀 Don’t know with you, but I mean, if a nucleus is excited, or “hot” (as my nucleus is), it cools by emitting gamma rays - sounds like sweat to me 😉
Read EVERYTHING about PhD day HERE
Even if you're not a PhD student, and not participating in the poster competition, you should come to the Science Library this day: You can see all the posters, and hopefully learn about all the different, cool things that people are studying at our University, and you can vote for which poster should win the audience best prize (2000,-). The poster session starts at 11.
Then, from 3 it's the most awesome BBQ (food from Strøm Larsen), the bar opens, and at 3:30 it's "Smashing Physics: news from the energy frontier", by Jon Butterworth. This should be good!
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PS: My poster will be pink; I see no reason why a scientific poster couldn't be pink <3
Not a good night…
the experiment is behind this thick, blue door (just before the migraine)
I had such plans for last night! I had the evening shift at the cyclotron, and in addition to baby sit the experiment, I was planning to answer a lot of e-mails, prepare for my teaching today, work on my gammas from fission results, and I had planned to make a long blogpost about Chernobyl.
Then I got a migraine, and could just barely be at the lab, and didn't get to do anything at all! Luckily the cyclotron was behaving, so it was an easy shift, and I could even get an hour sleep - the only thing that helps.
The annoying thing is that now, even though the pain is gone, I'm really exhausted - wish I could just stay here in bed and sleep for a couple of hours, but I'm teaching the nuclear physics students about thorium and nuclear energy in a couple of hours, and I din't at all get to prepare my teaching yesterday. Meaning I have to do it now.
Well well, hoping I'll feel better very soon (*poof* away with exhaustion...!), and hope you all will have a productive and good day!
If all goes as planned, I guess my todo list look something like this:
- prepare teaching
- answer e-mails
- teach
- work with TALYS - where to go next...?
- make figures of gammas, gather them and send them to supervisor Jon
- (start preparing for PhD day???)
- work out (which I'm not particularly fond of, but I want my body to last for 70 more years, and then there's no getting around going to the gym)