Archive by date | July 2008

Belgian BOSS

Greetings from Belgium, land of beer, chocolate, moules frites and organic chemistry. I’m at the 11th Belgian Organic Synthesis Symposium (BOSS) in Ghent, and it has a line-up to die for: Hartwig, Du Bois, Enders, Shibasaki, Fuerstner and Trost, to name but a few.  Read more

Materials Girl: Comparisons

Posted on behalf of Materials Girl Summer break highlights the differences between the working world and academia — notably at the undergraduate level and below. While the ‘lower’ students generally have three months of relaxation, professors, grad students, and others in the workforce must keep working (or catching up on it). In previous years, I imagined that being a perpetual student or teacher would leave summers utterly free for my own time. Hah. Hah. During the past school year, my experience researching in a materials lab revealed the world of graduate studies and taught that school never ends – especially  … Read more

Materials Girl: Silence speaks for itself

Posted on behalf of Materials Girl It feels as though many months have passed since I last posted – every closing term of the school year loves to drag on forever. My third year as an undergraduate is over! After a mad scramble with finals, moving out of a dorm room, repacking for an apartment, and driving many miles, I am now settled in Silicon Valley for the summer. Housing is provided through a joint program between a local university and research center, and I have rather gleefully been absorbing the new surroundings. The next few months will be spent  … Read more