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Midpoint at Maynooth

Posted in Biographical, Education, mathematics, Maynooth with tags , , , , on November 11, 2024 by telescoper

Amid all the excitement last week I forgot that it was the sixth teaching week of the Semester. That means that we’re now past the halfway point. Among other things that meant that examination papers were due in on Friday (8th November). That means two papers for each module I’m teaching, one to be sat in January and another for the repeat opportunity in August, so that’s four altogether.

I always find setting examination questions very difficult. In theoretical physics we want to stretch the stronger candidates at the same time as allowing the weaker ones to show what they can do. It’s a perennial problem how to make the questions neither too easy nor too difficult, but it is compounded this time by the fact that I’m teaching two modules for the very first time so judging the right level is tricky.

Another issue is that I’m once again in a situation in which I have to set examination papers without having taught all the material. At least I’ve covered the first half of the content so I have some idea of what the students found difficult, but that’s not the case for the second half. It should be a bit easier next year once I’ve experience of covering the whole syllabus. Assuming, of course, that I’m teaching the same modules again next year, which is by no means guaranteed…

I’m teaching a module on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis for 4th year students and just about ready to switch to the part that comes after the and. I taught a bit of Complex Analysis when I was at Sussex and I’m quite looking forward to it, although it does pose a particular challenge. Some of the class are doing a Double Major in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, and have done quite a lot of Complex Analysis before, while others are doing a Single Major in Theoretical Physics and haven’t really done any. I have to somehow find a way to satisfy these two different groups. The only way I can think of to do that is to teach the subject as a physicist rather than a pure mathematician, with an emphasis on examples and real-world applications rather than in the abstract. We’ll see how this works out over the next few weeks.

P.S. On the subject of Complex Analysis, I just remembered this post from a few years ago.

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Developmental Review

Posted in Biographical, Maynooth with tags , , on November 8, 2024 by telescoper

Today I attended a (mandatory) training workshop relating to the Developmental Review, a process which is aims to “help to align the objectives of the Reviewee with the goals of the Unit* and with those of the University” and “to develop the capability of all staff, by focussing on the employee’s current role and their future career plans”. In other words, it’s a Staff Appraisal scheme.

Basically the reviewee discusses goals for the next couple of years with the reviewer and identify any training or other needs that would help achieve those goals. The two meet again at the end of the review period to see whether the goals have been reached and agree aims for the next couple of years. And so on.

I have, in a previous existence, been involved with conducting appraisals as a reviewer as well as participating as a reviewee, and found the experience reasonably positive because it is reviewee-led and focussed on career development rather than being tied to pay. This time round, however, the only career development goal on the horizon for me is retirement so I’m not sure I’ll get much out of it unless someone can suggest a way of bringing the date forward…

*Don’t ask me what “the goals of the Unit” are. I have no idea.

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Trinity Talk

Posted in Biographical, LGBTQ+ on November 1, 2024 by telescoper

Today I gave the inaugural EDI Seminar at the Department of Physics of Trinity College, Dublin, in the Lecture Theatre formerly known as Schrödinger. I wasn’t sure what to expect ahead of the event, but it was nice to see a large and attentive audience. At the end I was given the above book and whisked off to a pleasant lunch followed by a chat with some of the PhD students.

I’m going to a concert at the National Concert Hall later this evening. It being a mild evening, and there being no point making a trip to Maynooth and back,  I decided to walk around Dublin for a bit.

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Management Memes

Posted in Biographical, Maynooth on November 1, 2024 by telescoper

I’m out all day giving a talk at the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth, near Dublin, so in lieu of a proper post here’s another Management Meme.

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Saving Time Again

Posted in Biographical, Maynooth with tags , , , on October 27, 2024 by telescoper

It’s Sunday 27th October 2024 and in the early hours of this morning the clocks went back, bidding goodbye to Summer Time. You can tell I’m an oldie because I have quite a lot of time-keeping devices around the house that need to be set by hand. My computer updates itself, of course, but I’m not sure if WordPress does. I’ll find out when I publish this post!

I’ve written before about the silly business of moving the clocks backwards and forwards (e.g. here) so I won’t repeat it all again. I will mention, however, that some time ago, before the Covid-19 Pandemic, the European Parliament approved a directive that would abolish `Daylight Saving Time’.  Unfortunately that plan has been ‘paused’ and there’s no sign of it happening for the foreseeable future.  I’ve long felt that the annual ritual of putting the clocks forward in the Spring and back again in the Autumn was a waste of time effort, so I’ll be glad when this silly practice is terminated. It would be far better in my view to stick with a single Mean Time throughout the year. I’m disappointed that this hasn’t already happened.

Anyway, talking of time, we have now completed five weeks of teaching in Semester 1 at Maynooth University. Tomorrow (Monday 28th October) is the October Bank Holiday and next week is Study Week so there are no lectures or tutorials. When I took the train into Dublin on Friday evening I noticed it was much less busy than during term-time. I think most students had already left for the week.

Bank Holiday Weekend Weather..

Normally Study Break comes halfway through the 12-week teaching term but this year it splits 5-7. Since I’m teaching two new modules this term I am not unhappy to have an earlier break to allow me a bit more time for preparation and to catch up on some correcting, but I am conscious that this is going to make for a longer run-in to the Christmas holiday. We are supposed to teach up until Friday 20th December, on which day I do have a lecture scheduled, though I suspect attendance will be low!

I’m not sure how much studying the students do during Study Week, but it’s not a holiday for academic staff even though there is no undergraduate teaching. Among other things we have examinations to write for the January examination period, which must be checked and printed well in advance. The break from teaching will also allow me a bit of time to work on my retirement plans and figure out how much Time I can afford buy with my Savings…

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Storm Ashley

Posted in Biographical with tags , on October 20, 2024 by telescoper

Storm season has arrived in Ireland!

Storm Ashley has been battering the West of the country today. It’s not been as bad here in the sheltered environs of Maynooth, though we have had gusts up to 80 km/h which has left my garden in disarray with leaves and twigs all over the place.

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The trouble with arXiv

Posted in Biographical, Open Access with tags , , , , on October 17, 2024 by telescoper

We’re now publishing papers at a steady rate at the Open Journal of Astrophysics. This is probably not obvious to outsiders, but our platform actually consists of two different sites, one handling submissions and the other dealing with publishing those papers accepted. Although we have a large (and still expanding) team of volunteer Editors to deal with the former, as Managing Editor I am the only person with the keys to the publishing side of things. This part of the process has been simplified enormously after the automation introduced earlier this year but it still takes some time to do, as I have to check the overlay and metadata before pressing the button to deposit everything with Crossref and make the overlay live. I also announce each paper on social media. This usually takes around 15 minutes per paper, give or take.

Now that I’ve returned to full teaching duties at Maynooth University, I’ve developed a routine to deal with this activity. During workdays I usually wake around 7am, make some coffee, and then check the day’s arXiv mailing to see if any of our accepted papers have been announced. If any have, I do the honours while I have my coffee, and then proceed to shower and breakfast (including Coffee no. 2); if none have, I go straight to shower and breakfast. I’ve been following this routine for quite a while now.

In the last couple of weeks, however, I have noticed quite often when I try to look up newly-announced papers on arXiv that the connection times out with a message saying ‘rate exceeded’. If that happens I just wait a while and try again. It’s not a very serious issue but it does slow down the process.

Well, today I found out the reason via a message on Mastodon. The loading errors at arXiv are caused by people doing many simultaneous downloads in attempts to scrape all the content from arXiv as soon as it is announced. This is almost certainly to provide material for Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT, which are essentially Automated Plagiarism Engines. I propose the acronym APE for the kind of person who engages in this sort of activity.

This is a very tedious development and I hope arXiv can find a way of putting a stop to it without inconveniencing its authentic users. I suggest that the people managing arXiv identify the culprits and send the boys round.

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Eyes Right!

Posted in Biographical with tags , , , on October 17, 2024 by telescoper

Yesterday afternoon I had my eyes examined, it being two years since my last test. I went with some trepidation because for the past several visits to the optometrist have resulted in a new prescription and the consequent need to fork out a not inconsiderable amount of dosh on new spectacles. I wear varifocals as I have both astigmatism (which primarily affects long-distance vision) and the usual problem at close range for people of my age. Varifocal lenses are rather expensive but do work pretty well for me. Since I’m now a member of the Over-Sixties Club I just assumed there would be steady deterioration from now on.

Every time I go to the opticians they seem to have different kit and a different procedure, but this time – to my surprise – the result was the same as last time: no change in prescription and therefore no need to buy new glasses. It was good to learn that my vision is relatively stable. I’m set for the next two years, unless I lose or break my specs and need to replace them.

Before the eye test itself I had a retinal exam which involved taking a picture of the back of my eye. This wasn’t carried out by the optometrist but by an assistant, but the resulting photographs were delivered magically onto the optometrist’s computer screen and shown to me. It turns out my eyes are reasonably healthy. Indeed the picture of my retina has hardly changed since the one from two years ago…

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Alarums and Excursions

Posted in Biographical, Education, Maynooth on October 13, 2024 by telescoper

Last week was the third week of the semester at Maynooth University and teaching activity has ramped up to its full level: tutorials have begun; assignments handed in, corrected and returned; projects allocated; and so on. With a quarter of the term now over, and two new modules to teach, I’m relieved that apart from a batch of assignments to correct (which I’ll do this afternoon), I haven’t fallen behind schedule.

The addition of our Space Week event made this an extra busy week, as did a few personal matters that have been dragging on for ages and weighing on my mind, but which are now at last resolved; the last stage completed on Friday.

To add to all this I had to interrupt work to make two extra trips from my office and back. On Wednesday I went early to my office on campus planning to write my Space Week talk in the afternoon, after a lunchtime tutorial. Unfortunately when I got there I realized I had left the power supply for my laptop at home. A sensible person would have bought two adapters, one for work and one for home, but I didn’t do that so had to go home to retrieve it. It’s only about a 20-minute walk home from my office but I was annoyed at having to waste 40 minutes there and back, not to mention a bit tired.

In the pub after the evening event, one of our technicians told me that he keeps a collection of spare power supplies in his office, so I needn’t have bothered. Sigh.

The following morning I was in the office again when I got a phone call from one of my neighbours who told me the burglar alarm in my house was ringing. I could hear it over the phone actually. It’s very loud. I had time to get there and back before my lecture so I set off home once again. By the time I got back to the house, the alarm had switched off but when I checked the control panel it explained “REAR WINDOW. GROSS EVENT.” I did wonder what “GROSS” meant in this context, however. Had something particular disgusting happened? Or had 144 people tried to break in?

There was no sign of any break-in and all windows including those at the rear were intact so all was well. I then checked the instructions for the alarm to see what “GROSS” was meant to indicate. It turns out to mean one large thump on the window, as opposed to “PULSE” which refers to a series of short impacts. There was no certainly no sign of anything gross. Although there was no supporting evidence, my best guess is that a bird flew into the window.

Anyway, I reset the alarm and waited for 15 minutes to see if it went off again in case there was a fault and when it didn’t I went back to work. It hasn’t happened again.

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Space Week 2024: The Universe according to Euclid

Posted in Biographical, Books, Talks and Reviews, Euclid, The Universe and Stuff with tags , , , , , on October 10, 2024 by telescoper

I had a very busy day yesterday culminating in the Space Week event I blogged about a few weeks ago. There was a good attendance – lots of young kids as well as adults – and the lecture room was very full. We could probably have filled a much bigger room, actually, but had been moved to a smaller venue and had to close registrations very early to avoid having too many people. I’d guess we had about 350. My talk was the last one, and didn’t finish until 8.30 by which time I was definitely ready for a pint.

You can find the slides I used for my presentation, The Universe according to Euclid, here.

There was an official photographer there who took quite a few pictures but I haven’t seen any of them yet. I’ll post a selection if and when I get them.

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