Thursday, May 27, 2010

Dillo Day

Dillo Day is this Saturday. For anyone who doesn't know what Dillo Day is, it is basically the one day of the year where NU parties like a state school. Drunken undergrads will be all over the campus area and the cops don't really do much (as long as you leave the alcohol inside). There is of course also a concert, but that's only part of what makes Dillo Day great. There used to be other such ridiculous events such as Porn in Tech, where they showed ridiculous pornos in the Ryan Auditorium. Large crowds of both guys and girls would go to laugh and shout at the screen. Unfortunately, that has been canceled because somebody apparently got offended. It was clearly called Porn in Tech, so if they were offended by Porn then they shouldn't have attended! But all that's besides the point. Do try to enjoy yourself: it's always better to be one of the revelers than to be in lab annoyed by all the revelers around. My advice to any noobs would be to pace yourself and try to be in control when you're at the Lakefill. Especially don't act extra drunken in front of paramedics, that can have negative consequences... There will be a party at Ian's for anyone who doesn't already know.

McCormick Art Fair

It's today! Please come out to the Tech courtyard between 4-7 p.m. I think there are many Mat Sci students involved (possibly one from yours truly =D ).

Food and non-kiddie drinks, too!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Congrats!

Congrats, Mr. Jon Emery for being voted best dressed as a bum. It obviously shows. Please take a few moments to comment on your thought process concerning your wardrobe, Jon. And if anyone else would like to comment on why they chose Jon as the winner, please do tell.

Sorry, Bryce, all your hard work has been in vein. =P Your 9 votes pale in comparison to Jon's 21.

*EDIT: Make sure to read Jon's acceptance speech in the comments section...*

Friday, May 21, 2010

Kudos and a Philosophy

I like the Hilliard Symposium because, although it's difficult to give a good picture of your research in a 15 minute presentation, it is a good means for getting a glimpse of our department's research. Very impressive, guys! Even for me, the "Woman of Steel" who is only interested in metals, I was very intrigued and actually excited to learn about all the really cool stuff that our own classmates are doing.

Congrats to Mr. Almost Dr. Eric! The department better get that check to you..or else...!

During lunch I had the opportunity to sit with Prof. Lauhon. I asked him at what point did he know that he wanted to be a professor and how that came about. He said that he didn't always know, and that at one point he was at a crossroad and had to pick between either engineering or music. He chose materials science because he just loved physics so much. As years passed, he realized that this whole passion for science took over and his other hobbies faded away. Science is now a hobby for him.

WOW. After hearing all this, I think it is 100% confirmed that I CANNOT and WILL NOT be a professor ever in my life. I really do like science and engineering, but I am fully aware that there is a vast difference between my interest level and that of a professor. I assure you that Prof. Lauhon's story is nothing out of the ordinary. Every time I hear the G.B.O. talk about science and engineering, I am amazed at the depth to which he is interested in so many subjects. Every time I walk outside my office and hear Hersam discussing words I have no comprehension of, I understand that that cannot be me ever as well. I have always thought of mat sci as an interest, not a passion, and I am wondering whether this means I am not the ideal grad student (probably not). I'm okay with that, though, and I hope the rest of you are okay with this too. I think there's still a place for us people who have the just-kinda-sorta-yeah,this-is-okay attitude about research. You academia people, please don't look down on us =P. hehe. We all can't become professors anyway. We gotta make those planes fly! (Ref. to the keynote speech yesterday). For those of you who do find research so interesting that it is a hobby for you, well that's good, too! The world needs you guys too. For the rest of us, keep pressing on. The end is in sight...

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Monday, May 17, 2010

Cheap Soda at Tech Express

The 1 liter vending machine that is normally $1.50 is programmed to only be $0.50 as of this morning. The catch is...the buttons don't necessarily correspond to the soda you will get. Last time we checked (starting from the top)

Button #1: Diet Pepsi
Button #2: Mountain Dew
Button #3: Diet Mountain Dew
Button #4: Probably H2O (1 report of a Mountain Dew/4 waters)
Button #5: Pepsi

Thursday, May 13, 2010

IM Sports Poll

The winners are: Flag Football, Floor Hockey, and Soccer. No surprise here. However, 2 people marked Dodgeball as one of their favorites? Seriously?

Ideas for the next poll?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mat Sci Athleticism

NOT speaking of IM sports, the arrival of the GSA 5K sparks up an interesting subject - Mat Sci Athleticism.

A great thinker once said, "In undergrad, you reach your physical peak, but in grad school, you reach your athletic peak." -M. J. Palmeri., PhD Candidate (I think he was the one who said this, correct?)

Who has also heard undergrads complain that grad students should not be allowed to play in the same IM leagues as them because we are older and therefore more experienced and better? To which we have replied, No, we are so old and slow. If anything, we have a disadvantage.

Well, I am here to tell you that I do not disagree with any of the aforementioned statements. However, I do think we have our range of grad student athleticism. At one end, I am utterly amazed at the number of people who are rather athletic, despite the nerdy science/engineer stereotype. I am even more impressed by the runners. Why is it so common for people in our department to run 10K's, half marathons, and marathons? Why are/were there so many people in Tri-Club? Who enjoys torturing themselves this much?! OUR DEPARTMENT. A large chunk of people are very fit and actually look forward to working out. Why are you guys so crazy?! Why are you guys so good at running?

Sorry, but I do NOT like running and do not have "Run a marathon" on my Bucket List. I certainly do NOT want to do this 5K and I'm waiting for someone to invite me to do something else Saturday morning, like go eat brunch at Le Peep. That's how much I dislike it. Is anyone else with me on this? Anyone want to be on the other end of the spectrum with me?

Going back to the athleticism thing, I feel this desire to be athletic is not just a part of wanting to be physically fit and healthy. I think this whole obsession is related to the mind of grad students. We like tackling very difficult things that the bulk of society doesn't want to. We strive to be competent in many things and a variety of things, and we want to be that Renaissance person that society respects and looks up to. Or maybe I'm way over thinking this and we're just trying to live "normal" lives. We're just going crazy in the lab and need something to distract us. Whatever the case may be, for all of this working out, training, practicing, sports talk, Can we please win an IM championship? Or at least, can someone please win the 5K? (Still waiting for Glamm-orous's leg to heal so he can win it again like he did his first year.)

P.S. - Don't forget to register for the 5K www.surveymonkey.com/s/9JNBLQT and also donate to the Cradle Foundation! www.cradlefoundation.org/gsa

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Congrats to Dr. Noah!

While he may not have been the social lynchpin of the MatSci department that Dr. $$$ was, I think he deserves a shout-out post of his own. So to my ever-sharply-dressed class/lab/officemate, congrats on your defense and best wishes for the future.


Defense cake: Tapecaster, brought to you by the Faber Group (Matt, Amanda, Fabian, Harold.)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The M(ason)afia

"The Mason Group is like a gang..." -overheard while walking to lunch

Ever wonder what its like to live with Kevin?

I thought I'd share this gem depicting a typical Tuesday night at our place:


Don't forget that his B-day is coming up this weekend (and Shull coffee hour is today)!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today is the 5th of May, aka, the 3rd anniversary of the beating of Pedro. Y'all remember Pedro, right? Here he is, back when he was still whole and alive and well...and blindfolded, unaware of what his fate was:

Poor, Pedro. We really beat the crap out of him, especially MarC who sheared a tootsie roll in the process. At least we saved his hooves, which stayed enthroned up high in our kitchen for the rest of the year. That Cinco de Mayo party has got to be one of my favorite Mat Sci get-togethers still to this day. Anyone else concur? I mean, look at all this food?

It was so cute how we all worked together to put this delicious meal on the table. And who could forget Pin the Tail on the Donkey? I think Praneet won that one, but we all think he cheated. ;)

Too bad that tradition didn't continue. No one has thrown a Cinco de Mayo party since then (I don't think...). Now we are old and do boring things, like bar hop in Evanston. Tonight! Hope to see you there.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Summer Enrollment

Don't forget to enroll by TODAY. www.northwestern.edu/caesar

Great, I sound like Peggy now... =P

...And then I found $5.

You can take a survey for some Asian-American study conducted by Loyola if you go to the front of the Science Engineering Library. It only takes 5 minutes. The only catch is that you have to identify yourself as Asian-American. Maybe those of you who aren't should go complain about being discriminated against and demand to be allowed to take the survey and get your $5.

TGS Night Out

Tonight is TGS Night Out at Firehouse in Evanston at 7 pm. I don't know about you, but I am always a fan of free food, so I'm going. It's just first come, first serve up to 300 people, so I have a feeling it will fill up quickly.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Privacy Issues

Sorry about the confusion. This blog is fun and all, but I certainly don't want to be causing any trouble (or do I? puahahaha). The blog will stay public, so just remember that when you post...(if you ever do).

I've also added the full list of IM Sports to the poll (forgot Volleyball. Thanks MarkO). Please take it again!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Doctor Moneybags

Congratulations to Dr. $$$!

I feel that $$$ has had such a prominent role in shaping our department that he definitely deserves his very own blog post. Where should I start, I can go so many directions with this...hahahaH(evil laugh).

I can't really remember the first time I officially met $$$, but I can share many memories that I DO remember. For one thing, I think I didn't start to understand the real $$$ until I heard about his "side job." The first thought that ran through a lot of our minds when we heard this was, "Wow, how is this possible? This computer geek who talks passionately about phase field simulations AND he does that?" As part of the Mat Sci Dept., I felt so proud to know that there was someone actually like that - someone who was completely NOT the stereotypical engineering grad student.

Just to share some other memories:
-$$$ getting up on stage at the Karaoke bar singing (kinda) "Baby Got Back"
-$$$'s beer towers
-The infamous Halloween costume at Jon's that stained the walls and caused a raucous on MySpace
-$$$'s dance moves in Bo's "Dance Your PhD" YouTube video
-2007, Prospective Visit Weekend #2. $$$ leading the parade of prospectives to his apartment down Ridge, followed by the other Ian M. with the keg heaved over his shoulder...

There are many more, so let's take a moment to share our favorites!

All in all, $$$ will be greatly missed! He's the type of person that wants to have a good time and wants YOU to have a good time. Whatever the situation, he'll make it happen =)

Thanks, Dr. $$$, for many fun years!