A week after I came back to Boston, I took a two-day comprehensive physics exam. This exam tests students' knowledge of fundamental physics, and all graduate students have to pass it in order to start their Ph.D. research. Although requirements for this exam vary depending on the school and the program, in the BU physics department if students don't pass this exam within one and a half years of entering the program, they are asked to leave. They can still get a master's degree, but since almost all students plan to get a Ph.D., this is a crucial exam.
Being a new student, I had no real need to take the exam now. And in fact I didn't pass it. It did provide something for me to think about, however, during my almost monthlong winter vacation. Then, after the exam, I didn't need any artificial stimulus; the normal routine of classes and problem sets resumed immediately.
I've just begun the second week of my second semester. Since it's only the beginning of the semester, classes are just starting to get under way. Much of what we're doing right now is a review of our previous studies. I'm finding that I have a lot more free time now than I had at the end of last semester.
My officemate, Francis, said his second semester of grad school was a lot easier than his first ― not because the workload got any lighter, but because he got used to the routine. I'm hoping this means I'll be able to do more extracurricular activities than in my first semester.
Whenever I have an extra "chunk" of time, I like to catch up on answering postcards and e-mail from readers. I don't like having these hanging over my head, so I try to reply to them as soon as I get the chance. In the past I got feedback from readers via the editors at ST, but ever since I published my home address and e-mail address in the column, I've been getting personal mail.
Judging from that mail, it seems a lot of my readers are "ambitious young women." Maybe I get mail from that type of reader because it's intimidating to write to a stranger unless you feel you already have something in common with that person.
It makes me happy to hear directly from readers, but through my Web page I've come to realize that there are also many more shy readers out there. There is a way for me to find out how many people have been looking at my Web page, as well as the location of the computer from which they're browsing. So this is a kind of indirect contact with readers.
I used to write for a computer magazine, and I noticed then that most of my e-mail was from young men. This is because women (and older people) are not as likely to have computer access. Even in the States there are far more male Internet users than female users. I imagine, therefore, that many people who have read my Web page recently are men.
I've spent a lot of extra time working on my Web page this week since I don't want to have to tinker around with it when I'm really busy. Now there are three main pictures of me, each very different in style. One is a "regular" black-and-white snapshot. The next one is a cross section of my brain (I had it MRI scanned this winter as part of an academic study ― I don't have any tumors!).
This week, I added the third picture; it's a cartoon self-portrait. I sketched it right on the computer screen using a drawing software program. It's a lot harder to do this than to scribble on paper, and for that reason I could only manage a simple line drawing. However, I think it captures the flavor of my personality just as well as the photographs do.
- track
- 軌道
- comprehensive physics exam
- 物理の総合試験
- tests
- 試す
- fundamental physics
- 物理の基礎
- graduate students
- 大学院生
- pass
- 合格する
- Ph.D. research
- 博士号の研究
- Although 〜
- 〜 だけれども
- requirements
- 要件
- vary
- さまざまだ
- depending on 〜
- 〜 によって
- BU = Boston University
-
- department
- 学部
- are asked to leave
- 退学させられる
- master's degree
- 修士号
- crucial
- 非常に重要な
- had no real need to 〜
- 本当は 〜 する必要はなかった
- It did provide something for me to think about
- 私に考えるタネを与えてくれた
- monthlong
- 1ヵ月にわたる
- artificial stimulus
- わざわざ作りだした刺激
- normal routine
- 通常の生活
- problem sets
- 物理の問題
- resumed
- 再び始まった
- immediately
- あっという間に
- second semester
- 2学期
- are just starting to get under way
- 始まったばかりだ
- review
- 復習
- previous studies
- 以前の研究
- officemate
- 研究室仲間
- grad school
- 大学院
- not because the workload got any lighter
- 勉強量が少なくなったからではなく
- got used to 〜
- 〜 に慣れた
- extracurricular activities
- 課外活動
- extra "chunk" of time
- 自由になるまとまった時間
- catch up on 〜
- 〜 に取り組む
- e-mail
- 電子メール
- don't like having these hanging over my head
- そういうことが心にかかっている状態が好きではない
- reply to 〜
- 〜 に返事を書く
- as soon as I get the chance
- 機会があればすぐ
- got feedback
- 感想を寄せてもらった
- via 〜
- 〜 経由で
- editors
- 編集者
- published
- 載せた
- personal
- (記事の感想だけでなく、もっと)個人的な
- Judging from 〜
- 〜 から知る限り
- ambitious
- 志の高い
- intimidating
- 気後れする
- stranger
- 見ず知らずの
- have something in common with 〜
- 〜 と何かしら共有するところがある
- find out
- 見つけ出す
- location
- 場所
- (are)browsing
- 見ている
- indirect contact with 〜
- 〜 との間接的な接触
- are not as likely to 〜
- 男性ほどは 〜 しないようだ
- have computer access
- 使えるコンピューターがある
- tinker around with 〜
- 〜 をいじくりまわす
- each very different in style
- それぞれ全く様子の違う
- "regular"
- おきまりの
- black-and-white snapshot
- 白黒のスナップ写真
- cross section
- 断面図
- had 〜 MRI scanned
- 〜 をMRI(=magnetic resonance imagine、磁気共鳴映像法)でスキャンしてもらった
- academic study
- 研究
- tumors
- 腫瘍
- cartoon self-portrait
- 漫画の自画像
- sketched
- スケッチした
- drawing software program
- お絵描きソフト
- scribble
- 描く
- could only manage 〜
- どうにか 〜 できただけだった
- captures the flavor of my personality
- 私らしさをとらえている
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