Introducing Astro Computing Today, a New Blog on the Astro Block!

by Guest on August 30, 2010

AstroComputingI’m Bruce Berriman, Senior Scientist, Project Manager, and Computer Scientist at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech. I have worked at IPAC since 2000 and am responsible for managing archive projects. Many of you may know me as the project lead for the Montage image mosaic engine. I have been managing scientific software projects since the early 1990′s. Most recently, I have assumed the role of Program Manager for the  Virtual Astronomical Observatory. I want to introduce you to my blog, Astronomy Computing Today, which grew out of my long standing interest in software engineering and computational technologies.

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Links: Employment Prospects, No Bullet Points in Star Wars, Acadamnit, and Much More.

by Kelle on August 27, 2010

  • Postgraduate degrees produce employable people – it's official | onlinelibrary.wiley.com
    Subscription Required. “A survey has confirmed that [postgraduate degrees in astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science and particle physics] bring excellent long-term employment prospects and above-average salaries, within sciences and elsewhere, boosting the case for funding studentships in order to support science and industry.” (via @USA Today Science)
  • Big science feels the pinch in Europe | Nature News
    “Tim de Zeeuw, director-general of the European Southern Observatory, headquartered in Garching, Germany, says that in the next financial year he plans to ask for funds to start developing the European Extremely Large Telescope, a 42-metre-diameter behemoth. De Zeeuw points out that much of the telescope’s €1-billion budget will go to high-tech companies in Europe, which will design its optics and instrumentation. “If we want to stimulate our economy, this is a fine way of doing it,” he says.”

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Customizing your xTerm and Terminal: I. Color

by Saurav August 25, 2010

As our eyes spend most of our days looking at the xTerminal (xTerm, xgTerm, uxTerm, or Terminal.app) any relief is always welcome. Unfortunately, the default for the xTerminal (or most applications) is black text on white background which means you are staring at white, i.e., light, most of the time. In addition, your eyes have [...]

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Links: Grad School Advice and Admissions, Plane Crash Survival Odds, Rule of 200, and More.

by Kelle August 24, 2010

An Open Letter to New Graduate Students | ProfHacker Excellent article that you should consider circulating to the incoming class at your institution. Physics: number of A-level entrants roars beyond 30K | The Institute of Physics blog “Although the number of entrants has increased much work is still required to reduce the gender divide in [...]

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Safari 5 Extensions

by Marcos August 23, 2010

Three years ago, I asked why do Mac users use Firefox?  The answer was very clear – extensions. And having used Firefox for a while now having been forced to use Windows at work, I do see the merit of this sort of flexibility.  (Well, mainly to block Flash). With the release of Safari 5.01 [...]

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Links: Decadal Round Up, Myths about Girls in Science, New LaTeX Site, and Much, Much More.

by Kelle August 20, 2010

These posts are getting too long. I’m going to start doing this twice a week: Tuesdays, in addition to Fridays. Stop Admitting Ph.D. Students | Inside Higher Ed “Knowing that prospective students apply to graduate school of their own free will, with hope in their hearts and stardust in their eyes, doesn’t absolve faculty of [...]

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10% of US Postdocs negotiate pay raise.

by Jane Rigby August 18, 2010

On Friday we told you that the 6,500 postdocs of the University of California just ratified their first union contract, after 18 months of negotiation.  The five-year contract requires that all postdocs be paid at least $37,740/yr, which is $340 above the current minimum at UC.  (Postdocs with 5 yr experience must make at least [...]

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Job Hunting Season Opens for 2010/2011

by Jessica August 16, 2010

It is that time of year again. Hundreds of astronomy graduate students and postdocs are entering the mysterious and stressful world of job hunting. Listings for postdocs are starting to hit the Job Register now while the faculty position listings will start to heat up later in the Fall. To help take the edge off, [...]

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Links: Encouraging Creativity, Getting Started with Twitter, Ergo Mousing, and More.

by Kelle August 14, 2010

Scientific career renewal | Nature Jobs “Scientists must force themselves off the research treadmill periodically if they are to remain creatively stimulated. The culture and bureaucracy of science must encourage them to do so.” Taking “The Road Not Taken”: On the Benefits of Diversifying Your Academic Portfolio. (arXiv:1008.1586) | astro-ph “…young researchers should always allocate [...]

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Astro2010 Open Thread

by Kelle August 13, 2010

The US 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro2010) was released today at an eTownHall meeting. If you’re like me and not able to watch the webcast, the twitter coverage is superb: #astro2010. There’s also a nice post by Julianne and a discussion going on at Cosmic Variance. Slides are available for download for the [...]

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