Open Thread

By Kareem Carr

This is your chance to have your say.  If you have a question, a general comment or something you would like to us write about, let us know.

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NYTimes Column

by Andrew Obus

In case people aren’t aware, Steven Strogatz of Cornell University has been writing a very nice column for the online version of the New York Times over the last few weeks, explaining math to the masses.  He started with counting, and has worked his way up to differential geometry (!) this week.  There will be a total of 15 installments.  The most recent one is here, and the others are linked toward the bottom of the article.

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First Clay Mathematics Institute Millenium Prize Awarded

By Kareem Carr

Dr. Grigoriy Perelman has received the first Millennium Prize for his work resolving the Poincaré conjecture. Congratulations to Dr. Perelman. A biography of Dr. Perelman, Perfect Rigor by Masha Gessen, was recently reviewed by the Graduate Student Blog Editor, Diana Davis.

The official press release is available in the form of this pdf file.

[Hat tip: Not Even Wrong]

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Time for PhD?

by Soojung Shin

On the internet I read that half of all graduate students in the US are over 30. I was wondering if there are many jobs that allow you to take time off to get a PhD degree. Besides research ability, what are the other qualifications needed to apply for a PhD and how do adults (who are not going to become professors)  find time to get a PhD?

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Choosing a graduate school

By Diana Davis

Now is the time when college seniors across the country are receiving their graduate school application decisions: accepted or rejected? Or perhaps wait-listed? And after you’ve received those coveted acceptances, you have to decide between them. How to choose? If you have been accepted to four schools, simply roll a tetrahedron; if you’ve been accepted to two, simply flip a coin. The problem emerges if you have been accepted to three schools…

Just kidding! Here are some important considerations when choosing a graduate school. I encourage others to write comments about which considerations are important to you, or tell about how you made your decision about which school to attend.
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