SLUG Meeting -February 18th

Meeting Minutes

1. Equipment Purchase
• We've started adding items to the Google Doc. Please add anything that comes to mind here.
• Jill has kindly offered to help us choose equipment. I think we should take her up on that offer. We need a volunteer to sit with Jill and discuss possible equipment set ups and to fill in the spreadsheet with suggestions.
• Andrea has volunteered to get an inventory count and fill in the spreadsheet so we have a snapshot of what is still needed.
2. Delegating Responsibilities
• Office Manager: Melinda Soares and still needed
• Mentors new recruits 
• Provides keys to new recruits
• Discussion Coordinator: Still needed
• Organizes group discussion sections for SLUG members to discuss scientific topics. It would be useful to meet weekly for these discussion groups. 
• Resident Technician: Monique Windju
• Helps diagnose the cause of broken equipment
• Leads the upgrading and installation of new computers in the lab.  
• Visualization Lab Manager (Beta Room): Ian Weaver
• Leads the upgrading and installation of new computers in the Visualization Room (Beta).  
• Web Guru: Aaron Lopez and Melinda Soares
• Support staff for website design and management (personal and group)
• Updates and maintains the group blog
• Updates and maintains the group website (SLUG)
• Resident Photographer (headshots): Melinda Soares
• See Melinda to schedule a headshot if one is needed
• Outreach Coordinator: Still needed 
• Organizes volunteer outreach activities for the SLUG group to enrich the community. We should aim for 1-3 activities during the summer and 1-3 activities during the academic year. Small goals, but a nice thing for us to do.
• Entertainment Coordinator: Still needed
• Organizes entertainment activities for SLUG members as "team building" exercises. Yes, it's a bit silly, but this may be a nice thing to try. I believe we should aim for 1 activity each quarter.
3. Website Management
• Ian needs to update the bio portion on the SLUG group website. 
• Every member should publish at least one image to the Visualization Gallery page. If you have not yet done so, please log in and do this at your earliest convenience. We should all know how to edit the site and contribute content. Uploading content should not be a task responsible to a single individual. 
• We should each individually review the website once per quarter to search for any editing needs and ensure that all content is up to date.
4. SLUG Snack Supply
• We have agreed to maintain a snack supply for SLUG members with a "karma jar." Melinda is happy to pick up supplies after her Caltech visit and others are also encouraged to contribute to the stash. We still need to decide where will we house said goodies. 
5. SLUG Maintenance
• A schedule of "chores" is on the wall next to the door. Make sure you know what you've been assigned to do. 
• We need to organize a deep clean day for the first or second week of April. This is still far enough away not to be a major concern, but this shouldn't be forgotten completely. 

Writing Technical Papers

Over the past few weeks, I have been reviewing some books, blogs, and videos that discuss the process of writing a scientific paper. In that process, I have encountered some informative resources that outline methods for effectively reading and writing technical papers. I have attached several links below in case you are interested in perusing them. Please bear in mind that many of these resources are not generated by astronomers, however the guidelines are still relevant.

Writing a technical paper:

• I highly recommend the book 'Writing Science' by Dr. Joshua Schimel: 
• Video interview with Dr. George Whitesides of Harvard University describing his take on what he defines as an effective technical writing process.
• An outline of notes supplied by Dr. Henning Schulzninne of Columbia University on the techincial paper writing process (this is somewhat specific to computer science and electrical engineering).
• A video by Dr. Simon Peyton Jones of Microsoft Research on writing a great research paper.
• Seven simple suggestions: don't wait - write, identify your key idea, tell a story, nail your contributions, put related work at the end, put your readers first, listen to your readers.

Reading a technical paper:

• An in-depth description of the 3-pass method of reading a technical paper. Also discussed is the literature survey process. 

SLUG Equipment Purchase

I've started a Google spreadsheet for SLUG members to add in items that we think are useful for the upcoming equipment purchase. Please add any ideas you have to this document and we can discuss them in the group meeting. If you do not have editing access, please email me and I'll adjust the settings for you.

I have a few ideas about getting the new space up and running. Would other SLUG members be interested in painting the room? I can get the necessary supplies, since my step-father is a painter. Additionally, we could pool together money to order a pizza that day to make it fun.

I also think it would be useful to purchase a locked supply closet that houses extra equipment (keyboards, monitors, cables, etc.). We should spend an afternoon to review our current inventory in an effort to find out what we already have and what else might be needed. We can then post a copy of our in stock inventory on the door of the supply closet. What are your thoughts regarding this idea?

Lab Management -February 2014

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.

Flyer - Updated!

Preparation for the Coming Quarter

I wish to address the coming school year plans. The following classes will have students interested in attending our lecture series by Paul and future lecturers.

Course / Days & Time / Where
105 / TuTh 10-11:45 / PSB 110
116C /TuTh 2-3:45 / PSB 110
171 /TuTh 2-3:45 / ISB 231
139B / MWF 2-3:10 / PSB 114
195A / M 3:30-5 / NS Annex 101

I want to announce to the following courses of our lectures on the FIRST day of class where the attendance would be highest. However, I cannot be at two places as once for 116C and 171. Would someone like to present our lecture series to either one?

Considering the increased attendance, I propose to change the current days of lectures. Currently we meet M 5-7:30 PM and Fri 10 AM - 12:30 PM. Friday doesn't fit well for Melinda and me since we have a meeting with our research group.

The United States Astronomy Program Map

http://dimitriveras.com/mapUSSafari/