Is school or work the next step towards becoming a great inventor?

[hungca0123456]

I am interested in researching about high energy physics such as Beyond the standard model, symmetry breaking and origin of mass, electroweak, CP violation,... So I want to join groups that have been researching above problems by I will be gotten anyone part of group's project and then i will perform theoretical calculation, simulation or other. Finally, I will send results which will have completed. Anyone who know these groups, please send me informations about these groups. If anyone have same my research interesting then can contact to me. Thanks.

 

[hoboyow]

IJTP---any opinions?

Hi,

First of all let me just point out that I am new to PF. So, hi all.

Secondly, just going to bring up that I got a paper into International Journal of Theoretical Physics. But that's a side issue, really. I'm not here to promote the paper itself, let alone the material, because I've got time for all that.

I'll give a bit of background for those who don't know what it is I'm talking about. Their website is here:
http://www.springer.com/physics/journal/10773. It's a modest journal...its name is known, and the name of the publishing company is probably best known. They've got a very good editing/office staff and are very expedient, from my (limited) experience. But they're not really one of the biggest contenders, having an impact factor well below .5 according to wikipedia (though I'm not sure how reliable that statistic is, or how dated).

So. Erm. Point being, I'm a bit young to worry about impact factors and all that stuff and really just think I might want to continue working with these folks, provided they continue the fast, comprehensible publishing service they've been providing me (and whomever might actually want to read the paper) with (this account is in no way affiliated with Springer Netherlands, I assure you. haha ;). Just wanted to hear what you all might have to say about similar (or contrary) experiences with the journal.

Many regards =].

 

[elivil]

I am a second-year undergrad at the university in the UK. I'm doing Physics and Maths and looking for summer opportunities for research. I got a first for my fresher year but I really have difficulty finding placements because most of US REUs are limited to US nationals. I don't want to do some banking internship because I'm more interested in real physics research. I'm thinking about theoretical research but probably I have not covered enough courses already to do theory. Last year I also did computer science and I'm quite interested in computational stuff as well.

So if you know any possible places to go for summer research, please post to this thread. Thanks in advance.

 

[elecidi0t]

Hello All

I was wondering if anyone could point me to the direction of some insight into what kinds of concerns an engineer might have as far as quality of parts.

Obviously there has been some standards put into place but I would really like to hear some real life situations where quality was an issue.

Defect examples I have questions about would be about the following.

-Mis shapen BGA's
-Light residue or scratches on the boards.
-Small chips in the edges of the board

I can look at parts like this 40x to 500x.

This is a personal interest post. I have some other questions and I have pictures available to help answer them. My screenname on AIM can be made available if anyone is interested in helping me out.

Thank you all

Regards,

Howie

 

[karenlau]

Hi everyone,

I just want to know your opinion about the future of microfluidic application in the near future. The story is I will be interviewed for a position as a researcher in microfluidic. The job is a contract for two years and after that I have to find another position in industry.

I also have another option to work in insurance industry as a trainee marine underwriter or insurance broker. The company will pay for my education towards ACII (chartered Insurance certificate). I need to pass all the 11 exams and 8 assessment in a year to get this certificate and I will be tied down with the company for 3 years.

How would I choose between these two? Is anyone here an underwriter or work in insurance before. These two jobs are so much different.

The most important thing is how would you see microfluidic in a few year time from now?

 

[JamesWatt]

My goal, in the long-run, is to come up with a new invention in the energy industry on the scale of James Watt’s steam engine.

Right now, I’m two and a half years into a leadership development program at an industrial parts reseller and pursuing my goal outside of work. I’ve been doing things like studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, shadowing engineers and technicians, and doing small-scale engineering projects (e.g., making a small turbine). Before that, I got my BA in philosophy.

Right now, I’m inclined towards going to school at a program like BU’s LEAP--(http://www.bu.edu/eng/academics/special-programs/leap/), where I would get a Masters in two years. After that, I would want to do something like GE’s Edison Engineering Development Program in their Energy business (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Engineering_Development_Program). Just as being in management positions in a range of departments has helped me to come up with general principles of management, so I would figure that being in a range of engineering positions would put me in a position to get a clear picture for what it is to be a good engineer.

My reasoning for going to school now instead of going straight to work is:
•I can quickly take in a wide range of problems facing engineers.
•After graduating, I have more job options. Going straight into R&D at an energy company would be impossible given my background. I would have to start out in an operational management role at an energy company and prove that I could add value in another capacity.

My concerns with this strategy are:
•One of the things I love about the projects I’m working on outside of work is that I am able to make tangible things. I’m not intimidated by math and believe it has a huge place in making things. That being said, I don’t find the prospect of spending all day every day solving equations that don’t amount to anything very appealing.
•Going to school for two or more years full-time is an expensive proposition. My current work covers 100% of tuition if I were able to go to school part time. Unfortunately, I haven’t found anywhere near central New Jersey that offers night engineering degrees (I would go as far as Philadelphia or New York if I saw something…).

How can I make my plan more conducive towards becoming a great inventor?

 

[tenacity2986]

I completed my undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering back in May 2010. Have been working at an engineering firm for a few months but am pondering going back for a masters. Here is where I am confused.

I am considering a Masters in Electrical Engineering but I am moreover intrigued these days by monetary systems, in particular investment banking. Now I know I don't have all the experience with financial statements, formal training about investment vehicles etc., but am curious what the likelihood of getting into a program for a Masters in Finance, financial mathematics, or financial engineering is.

I was going for an undergraduate minor in Engineering management which was essentially all core courses for business majors, i.e. managment, accounting, marketing, and economics. I fell short by 1 course and couldn't fit it into my schedule, wasnt willing to stay for an extra year since it was only offered in the Spring semester. What are your opinions? Would I be able to handle changing my direction during a masters program?

Also I am sure the decision will highly depend on scores from the GMAT or GRE? Which is the best to prepare for?

 

[Schreiberdk]

Hi there PF.

I am, after this summer, going to go to the University of Copenhagen at the physics department at the Niels Bohr Institute. I really like theoretical physics and I would like to qualify for a PHD asap :), so my question here is:

Should i go talk to some of the professors, about that I would be interested in their research, or should i wait till the end of my bachelors study / the start of my masters study, before asking such questions.

I am specificly interested in "The Unified Field Theory", String theory and quantum gravity, and I have found suited professors to give in my interest at their research, so I do well know who to ask, but rather I want to know when to ask, and perhaps what to ask :)

Thanks in advance
Schreiber

 

[Lavabug]

Hi,
First some background: I'm a sophomore physics student in Spain that's having a lot of setbacks on getting through his degree. I spent large part of my youth in the US where I did most of my education and initiated university (and had to drop out and move back to Spain due to lack of funds, as I was working at the time and could not maintain a good GPA for my grants or stay).

3 years ago I restarted university from scratch in Spain (initially a distance-learning uni for 2 years(no professors), then a fairly well-known university) without having any life outside of my studies and I've yet to make it past sophomore level.

The standards for a passing grade are way above what I was exposed to when I started college in the US. One final 4-hour exam is something I've never heard of outside of my current university. Despite all my efforts(6-8+ hours daily study sessions, frequent talks with profs outside of class, private tutorship for math courses(which have been effective, I've done well on 1 math course and think I will do on the next 2 ones)), I'm starting to doubt if I'm going to improve at my university.

I'll be 24 soon and I'm still a sophomore and at this pace I'm not sure when I'll be able to graduate, let alone do it with a grade average that isn't laughable for any kind of job or academic career, which is what I've always wanted (maybe I'm kidding myself?). I push my study sessions well into what most would consider an unhealthy practice (I've got the odd comment from a 3rd year rarity student who does extremely well, praising my dedication as I spend more time at the halls than he could bear) and try to prepare well ahead of exams but it never seems to be enough. When I study the subjects ahead of time I get more and more confident, but when faced with an exam I seem to lose it all unless its something I really have an impeccable understanding of (as it stands, mainly my "easier" math courses like ODE's, PDE's and integral transforms).

I don't want to use language barriers as an excuse but its true I didn't do almost any of my previous education in Spain so I'm a bit slow in that regard, I frequently ask classmates and profs to repeat certain details I miss out on. I find I make better use of time using original English textbooks for subjects like math and electromagnetism.

I'm living outside of my province (as the one in mine has no physics faculty) thanks to a grant, but unless I pull something incredible in my July recuperation exams (I've still got some hopes), I may lose it which may put my family under a lot of financial stress.

All in all I don't know what I should do, I'm really emotionally troubled with all this as well. I don't have a backup plan, I was just hoping someone could chime in or say something I haven't thought of yet. Thanks for reading.

 

[starbuckBSG]

I'm looking for a career coach to help me with my job search in terms of resume and interview help. I'd like to find someone who is familiar with the technology industry and literate with technical terminology, preferable with physics too. My background is in scientific programming (mainly C++ in Linux environments) working on simulations in the nuclear energy field (though, I'm open to changing industries). Has anyone ever hired a career coach before? Or headhunters that know the industry? Thanks!

 

[abooboo]

Hi all,

I am trying to figure out which graduate schools would be good to apply to if my goal is to land a job in government or industry. I have been searching on sites like gradschool shopper and phds.org, but haven't really found a way to decipher which schools have the sort of programs I'm looking for. Although (in the past) I'd be fine just doing physics for physics' sake, after reading some 'horror stories' of PhDs in very abstract areas unable to find suitable employment, I'm interested in learning which areas of research of the most employable.

For the record, I'm a domestic non-minority male. My research is mediocre: 1 summer REU and 1 year of university research, with no publications. My PGRE score will probably be decent: I ranged 690-820 on the practice tests, and I've improved since then. Fortunately, my GPA is practically a 4.0. Based on what I've read, I'm assuming I have no shot at getting into a top school but still have an OK chance at getting into some good schools and a high chance of getting into lower-ranked schools.

I'm interested in doing research in condensed matter (either computational or experimental), but am unsure what sort of research would give me the most employable skills; from what research I have done in condensed matter, I get the feeling it ranges from the very applied to the very theoretical. I've heard that there are jobs for people experienced with thin films, but was wondering if anybody was knowledgeable about which other possibilities there are in condensed matter. I have nothing against more theoretical research, but if I'm going to be working on something for several years, I'd like to be developing employable skills in the meantime since I'm not going into academia.

Finally, are my goals (getting a PhD in physics and working outside academia) reasonable? My fear is spending half a decade or so in school and ending up with a job comparable to what I could get with my bachelor's or with a master's (either in some area of physics or engineering). Also, although condensed matter is my main interest, are there other areas that are in demand? I've heard about medical physics, but that doesn't sound like something I can see myself doing at all.

 

[ace-card]

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice/opinions about industrial placement years. I am a second year UK mechanical engineering student with aspirations to work in the automotive industry as a designer, specifically engine/powertrain design. An opportunity has arisen to do a placement with an excellent automotive company, however not as a design engineer but rather a manufacturing systems engineer.

I like the sound of the job description, however my question is whether or not this is worth doing? Will it give me an edge over other applicants when applying for graduate design jobs? Or will I still be seen as having no experience in that particular area?

Thanks

 

[Blitzy89]

Hello.
I've got a big moral dillema that I can't seem to solve myself

This is my situation: final year in uni, finishing my BSc. w/ Physics Major and Comp.Sci. minor.
My GPA is good enough to get me into a graduate program.
Over the years I've realized that I enjoy programming (not as much as Physics, but still).
I want to work in something applied - like software development for example.

I could go for a MSc. in Computer Science, but that graduate program is strongly based on theory and it does not offer many opportunities after graduation (for work; most people go for a PhD afterwards). And I cannot complete a Masters in Comp Sci (MCompSci) because it requires a bachelors' in Computer Science

Or, I could go to a different college and obtain a 3-year diploma in programming, which would really allow me to get a job. However, the downside is that where I live, this diploma is equivalent to something between trade college program/bachelors and I honestly have no idea how something like this would look like on a CV (preceeded by a BSc. Physics).

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated!

 

[3.141592]

Hi all,

The best friend of a partner of a relative (networking!) will be looking for a 'digital executive' at entry level in a few months. My name (and lack of job, probably) was mentioned and this employer said she'd interview me.

I don't have many details yet but it seems 'digital executive' is a fancy name for 'someone to gather data on the use of our website, torture it for its secrets, then suggest things to achieve company goals based on the data's confessions'.

Thing is, I don't really think I have the tools for the job. [I have made no secret about being of no statistical use to anyone right now but there you go.]

I am doing a part-time maths and stats degree. I have only done (introductory) sequences, matrices, vectors, differentiation and integration. In statistics I have only done/am doing the usual introductory stuff: basic probability, a bunch of tests for hypotheses, basic modelling, regression, and some basic data analysis with Minitab. That's it really. I don't suppose there'll be many hypotheses to be tested...

I don't want to seem ungrateful. More seriously, I don't want to turn down my first ever opportunity for a crack at a data-related job. I can handle looking like a moron at interview. I might as well leave it to them to boot me out of the race, rather than not apply.

The job apparently will have some training but I don't know how much and in what.

I need a job, and ultimately want to be a statistician so this seems like a good opportunity. I would love any advice from anyone who has done this sort of thing in any capacity. If I can answer questions about the sort of things that might be relevant without a "Huh?" then hopefully they might see promise and train me up.

Based on my non-existent knowledge (there is no job advert/description yet) and the fact the term 'Google analytics' came up, my plan is to read up about/watch You Tube tutorials on/play around with:

>Google analytics - I know nothing about this

>Microsoft Excel - I am aware of what one does with this but have never really used it

>A database (either Access or SQL?) - these things store information. That's all I know

>>And go back and make sure I can talk clearly, concisely - and correctly! - about all the basic statistical/probability tests/models I have studied so far.

Sorry for the long post; I figure more data is better data ;) And this could be a real shot to get into a data-focussed role and get out of my "Mom's" basement (spare room) - despite having done less than the freshman year of my degree.

Thankyou in advance.

P.S. 'You are in over your head, don't get a name in your network as being clueless at interview' is an acceptable response, if legitimate.

 

[evan247]

I heard about this one-year programme from CFD Online and thought this might be good if one wants to break into CFD area as a career. Anyone could possibly share more insights on this programme - worth reading it? How helpful for job application?

Furthermore, I am actually going to Cambridge Uni. for Part III Maths this October, and I could only consider doing a second Master's degree next year. Though my courses to be taken will be largely focused on numerical analysis and fluid mechanics, I am quite worried if this will help me get graduate opportunities (vs engineering students who might have taken some courses in CFD already). Will it be helpful if I do this additional programme at Cranfield next year?

Many thanks!

 

[starbucks]

Given the rising influence of China's economy, is it reasonable to search for a postdoc/research position in China for a few years to learn the culture and potentially network with global companies? I'm thinking of this from a "I'll be a more valuable employee" once I start looking for a more permeant industry job. I know basic Chinese b/c I've studied at Tsinghua U for a few semesters during college.

I'm thinking of the potential to gain a wider network/connections via doing a temp research position at a major Chinese university. Does this sound reasonable? Or should I stick with jumping into corporate America upon getting a phd in physics?