“Good is the enemy of done.”

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Melanie Laffin
When you are doing homework for a class, it is nice to know that there is a solution to the problems that you solve within a given time limit (even if that time limit is the end of the semester). Since you know that the problems assigned are solvable, it is reasonable to assume that you can finish them within a certain time limit. I enjoy having a time limit as one of my fatal flaws is that I’m not necessarily motivated to study unless I have something specific to do. Further, it is great to get feedback from the professor as to how “correct” your solution was, or alternative methods to solving a problem.
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Student Seminar

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Brian Simanek

By Brian Simanek

This semester, my university is beginning a regular graduate student seminar.  All of the talks are given by graduate students and are intended to be accessible by anyone who has completed their qualifying exams.  Last week, the inaugural talk was about the student’s own research and included many of his own results.  My talk is scheduled in a few weeks and will be an introduction to potential theory in the complex plane.  This is a set of tools that is very useful in my research, but the talk itself will contain only textbook material and none of my own results.

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Conference Presentations

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Tyler Clark

I will be presenting at the Western Kentucky University Mathematics Symposium this Friday and Saturday and have been working on my presentation. I have seen many speakers using Beamer, but I had not yet explored it.

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To Get or Not to Get a Job?

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Jean Joseph

Considering that the career you wanted to have in the mathematical sector is not possible for many reasons (maybe you don’t have the degree you wanted, or you have the degree but not an employer to work for), what would you then do? Continue reading →

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Things You Should Do Before Your Last Year

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Laura Zirbel

I’ve started to worry about applying for jobs and finishing my dissertation, even though two years seems like a lot of time. But in a year from now, one short little year, I will be applying for jobs. Watching those a year ahead of me, I’ve began to make a list of things I can do now to make my life easier next year.

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