How to think of an interesting and useful calculation to do

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of identifying and executing interesting calculations in the field of thermoelectricity, particularly in the context of academic pressures and personal development. Participants explore strategies for engaging with literature and overcoming obstacles in their research process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to find interesting calculations independently due to perceived lack of support from their adviser.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of extensive reading to identify open questions in the niche area of thermoelectricity.
  • A participant shares their struggle with balancing reading current literature and revisiting core textbooks, questioning whether to prioritize one over the other.
  • There is a suggestion that taking time to deeply understand material can lead to better recognition of common problem-solving approaches in the field.
  • A later reply mentions that fluency in reading and understanding develops over time, particularly during postdoctoral experiences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of reading and understanding foundational material, but there is no consensus on the best approach to balance this with the pursuit of new calculations. The discussion reflects multiple viewpoints on how to navigate these challenges.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the effectiveness of their current reading strategies and the potential impact of perfectionism on their research progress. There are unresolved questions regarding the balance between foundational knowledge and current literature engagement.

bjnartowt
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I am wondering what the first steps are to finding an interesting calculation, and doing it. My adviser seems concerned only with me writing my thesis to hurry up and get me out of the program, rather than helping me develop my CV and involving me in other calculations he may be doing. It seems to me that I have to take things upon myself if I'm going to at least have a fighting chance of getting a postdoc when I graduate.

The problem is that it seems like there is a ton of research already done, and a ton of research that could be done. I suppose I should stick to my strengths (thermoelectricity). I have a colleague who noted that he got a publication by thinking of a calculation, and then simply doing it with pen and paper/Mathematica. Is it really that simple? Comments?
 
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Read.

A lot.

You can't rely on someone else to give you a calculation to do. You make original contributions by reading everything you can, knowing what the open questions are in your little niche area and then exploring them. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a piece of low hanging fruit that is worth publishing.
 
Thanks, Choppy. I have no problem with reading, but it may be that I'm reading the wrong things. I try and read the latest developments in thermoelectricity, but constantly find myself having to go back and read/solve problems in my core-class-textbooks. Then, whenever I start the day intending to deepen my knowledge of current literature, I always end the day in my core textbooks, hung up on filling in a missing step that is probably "obvious" or "pedestrian" to everyone else. Should I try and cut down on my perfectionism, and just power ahead through the literature on thermoelectricity?
 
I don't know. I think there's value in taking your time to really understand the material that you're reading in your field. Wrestling with a problem for a while will often help you to understand how others approach the solution. Once you've done this enough times, you'll begin to recognize the common approaches to solving the kinds of problems you're interested in and you'll spend less time going back to your textbooks. And this will allow you to read more both in terms of quantity and quality.

It wasn't really until I was a post-doc that I began to feel confidently "fluent" in my readings, if that helps any.
 

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