I am reviving the blog as an effort to provide an online resource where we can share minutes, plan meetings, and collaborate as a research group. This first entry is a summary of the topics discussed at our meeting yesterday and some of the efforts that I have made to move forward on several of these items.
First off, I'd like to review the online resources available to us as a research group. You do not need to feel obliged to use these resources, but please know that they are available if you would like to do so. If you do not have access to one of these tools or if you are unable to edit and contribute to the content, please let me know and I will fix this right away.
SLUG Website: http://cargo.ucsc.edu/tasc/slug/
This is our group website, providing informative content for outside audiences who are interested in what sort of work we are doing collectively. This site should be updated quarterly, ensuring that we have up-to-date content and links to personalized websites for both current and former members. Someone will need to take on the role of 'webmaster' for this site when Melinda leaves in August. Any takers?
Personalized Website
This is your individual website, which should be linked from SLUG. This is a site where you provide a more detailed glimpse of your research interests, list your publications, host an updated version of your CV, and anything else you think is useful to share. It is important to create your website before you apply for graduate school, but this really can be done much earlier. Please see Melinda, Andrea, or Jacqueline if you have trouble designing or hosting your site.
Melinda's example:
http://cargo.ucsc.edu/msoares/
Blog: http://slugphysics.blogspot.com
You are visiting the blog now. This is where we discuss new ideas, share meeting minutes, organize discussion groups, etc. I think it is useful to house this information publicly, because it leaves a nice trail of things that have taken place in the past, which future members can access. I think it is important that we use this blog on a somewhat consistent basis. Everyone should feel free to publish and edit content. Please contact
Melinda if you are having trouble publishing content. I recommend posting content related to journal clubs and GRE study groups here as well.
Facebook Group
There is also a Facebook group that you can access if you'd like to share content there. This is less useful, since not all SLUG members use this platform. Just know that it exists as a tool and can be accessed if the interest arises.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Supercomputing-Lab-for-Undergraduates-SLUG-at-UCSC/156869757750452
And on to more boring things in lab management fun...
We need to organize
garbage removal lists. I will send out a list with everyone's name and their garbage removal duty date. If you do not utilize the SLUG lab and feel that you should therefore be exempt from taking out the trash, please email me and let me know.
We also need to organize
one deep clean day per quarter. I think it makes the most sense to do these deep cleans at the beginning of the quarter (after everyone has let off some steam). That being said we definitely need to plan a deep clean day for the first week of April. Please make sure that you show up for this, since it really takes a group effort to do this well. We also should bring our own supplies (wipes, brooms, mops) for the afternoon. I have a vehicle and am happy to pick up people with lots of items to bring to campus.
Additionally, we should seek to ensure that as a group everyone is happy with their
workspace. That being said, I think it is important that anyone who feels unhappy with either their work station or their lack of a work station feels that they will be supported if they speak up. Now that we have an additional room to utilize, please feel free to discuss the possibility of moving to the new space.
With the new
funding for equipment on the horizon, we should discuss what tools we would like to purchase. A date for this discussion needs to be arranged. In the mean time, please compile a list of supplies that you would like to purchase with these funds. Let's think about how we can maximize the space allotted to us.
How can we make this space better?
Other tasks that need to be completed are as follows:
- We need to create a SLUG manifesto. Yes, it's silly, but I think it will be a fun exercise.
- Someone needs to be in charge of making keys and providing access to SLUG to new members.
- Someone needs to be in charge of maintaining the machines at SLUG.
- We need to name our rooms in order to keep track of them. I vote alpha, beta, gamma (unless someone wants to think of a better naming scheme), where alpha is the main room we have been using, beta is the room next door that will house the visualization machines, and gamma is the room down the hall. Thoughts on this?
Graduate School Applications:
For those of you planning to apply to graduate school in the future, please remember you have access to
a helpful document that was created by students in prior years. Here you will find lists of potential physics and astrophysics graduate programs, prior application deadlines and requirements, potential advisors, and admissions results for students in former years. Please feel free to contribute to this document -- in fact, we encourage it. If you cannot access this document (due to permission issues), email
Melinda Soares-Furtado.
