Comic-Con in pictures

I might do a full Comic-Con report, but until that mythical time allow me to share with you a brief summary of the glorious experience:

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

From Comic Con 2010

Pretties

Once again, I have been remiss in updating this page with pretty space images. Time to rectify that situation.

Last week's total solar eclipse, as viewed from Patagonia and presented on Astronomy Picture of the Day:

City lights and moonlight glinting off the Mediterranean as seen from the International Space Station:

Saturn in the quarter phase from the Cassini spacecraft:

A beautiful star-forming region from ESO's La Silla Observatory:

Have a great weekend!

Stream of consciousness

For the second summer in a row, I had the opportunity to present the planetarium show at the RH Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. As always, the questions from the kiddies hearten me. I just wish we could find a surefire way to keep them asking such insightful and free questions as they get older.

The open letter from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to LeBron James is one of the most amazing pieces of writing I've ever seen. Is it the height of professionalism? No. But then again, neither is letting your team and fans know that you're dumping them on national television. It'll sure be easy to cheer against the Heat next year.

Speaking of heat, May Gray and June Gloom have turned into Misty July. Haven't seen the sun in awhile, not that I'm complaining!

The Comic-Con schedule is slowing coming out. Getting excited!

Now I'm at the point in the summer when I am officially freaking out that I haven't done enough work to prep for the fall semester. Vacation... bah!

I have been going through an introductory chemistry book as review, and I've found some interesting uses of terms that I want to discuss with the chemistry faculty. The term "nature" is used instead of "Earth, one atmospheric pressure, room temperature", so sometimes the authors say that something does NOT occur in nature but I know that we witness it in space. Also, "air" = "O₂", but air is mostly N₂ so I find this disturbing. And we wonder why our students have so many misconceptions!

Mellow

I have been enjoying a very mellow summer so far. Sure, I've done some work - planned out most of my fall semester courses, worked through about one-third of a general chemistry text as review - but mostly I've been reading and resting and enjoying the outdoors.

Went to Julian with Greg and lunched at an old soda fountain:

From Summer 2010

One of the few things I miss about Arizona is the dry blue desert sky, so Julian scratched that itch (and also the itch for apple cider donuts):

From Summer 2010

Carl visited this past week, which was fun. There was much geekiness - gaming, watching BSG, discussing physics education - and lots of beach walks and good food. Here's the scene from an after dinner beach walk in my neighborhood:

From Summer 2010

Nice view from La Jolla Cove:

From Summer 2010

Lunch at Super Cocina:

From Summer 2010

June gloom at Torrey Pines State Beach:

From Summer 2010

Picnicking with a view of San Diego Harbor:

From Summer 2010

Yup, a mellow and enjoyable summer so far!

Daring to discuss being female AND being good at math

Many folks more eloquent than me have discussed John Tierney's recent article in the New York Times: "Daring to Discuss Women's Potential in Science". Boing Boing has the views of four female scientists here. Female Science Professor shares her thoughts here. Female Science Professor sums up Tierney's perspective this way:

There are flawed studies that show that females and males have similar quantitative skills and better studies that show that more males than females are extremely talented at math.

Or, as Dr. Isis says in the Boing Boing article:

Personally, I would find it much more interesting if he would start posting recipes for pies we could make with all the cherries he's picking..

Here's my take: you cannot apply the results of subject tests taken by people under the influence of a cultural bias to say that there IS no cultural bias and any difference noted in the results therefore must be INNATE. Period. The girls taking the tests have been influenced all their lives by the cultural portrayals of math as being a male-dominated pursuit and not as necessary or easy for girls. Has Tierney ever heard of the concept of "stereotype threat" or does he dismiss that out of hand? Or perhaps the recent widely publicized study that one indicator of math success rates is tied to the anxiety exhibited by female teachers? (Who, as education majors, come into my classroom already telling me that they are not "math people".)

As an educator, I see so many students coming into my classroom full of doubt about their abilities, and it is true that females seem to lack confidence more than males. However, what the females don't lack is innate ability.

Another week

Hanging out with Greg

From Summer 2010

View from the beach where I attempted jogging

From Summer 2010

Geisel Library on the UCSD campus

From Summer 2010

Beautiful sight of Saturn's rings and two moons (Rhea and Janus)

And an impact on Jupiter! (via the Bad Astronomer and Anthony Wesley):

The past few weeks

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

From Summer 2010

Various bits

Go Suns!

We had a lovely time picnicking in Griffith Park in celebration of Aaron's birthday. I must remember to hike around there more.

The article "Among Dorms and Dining Halls, Hidden Hunger" in The Atlantic featured my college prominently. At the community college level, I think it is misunderstood how many hungry and even homeless students we serve.

According to the study cited in this article Depressed? You must like chocolate, I am the most depressed person in the history of humankind and should be committed soon.

Speaking of community colleges, a lot of people seem to enjoy the TV show "Community". Would I be able to watch it without wanting to harm the writers?

Greg's next book comes out on Tuesday - Kid vs. Squid! Very excited!

I'm also very excited that there are only two weeks left in the semester. I'm ready for summer! I get to put together curriculum for a new astronomy lab I'll be teaching in the fall. I'm also planning on doing a review of chemistry, because I feel rusty. And yes, I'm excited about this!

Happy 20th Anniversary, Hubble!

The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Here are the celebratory images:

More here.

I couldn't imagine the last twenty years without Hubble's views. We truly live in a different universe than we did before it launched in 1990.

Checking in

Some of the goings-on in April around here so far:

• A visit from Kirsten and Aaron, including a lovely Easter picnic by the bay - yay!
• A big Easter earthquake that seemed to go on forever - boo!
• A new book deal for Greg - yay!
• A chipped tooth followed by a root canal (to be followed by a crown) - boo!
• A stash of Cadbury Mini-Eggs that will last longer because of the aforementioned dental work - yay!
• Several astro students still driving me nuts - boo!
• Physics students so awesome I wish I could keep them for next year, too - yay! (boo?)
• And many opportunities to take pretty pictures - yay!

From Spring 2010

From Spring 2010

Mourning inspiration

Howard G. Voss passed away last night. He was a former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers and a recipient of the Melba Newell Phillips Award. He was my first mentor and left an indelible imprint on my teaching. He gave me a lot of advice that I hear in my head almost everyday. I will miss him terribly and the world is worse off without him here.

The first time I ever taught, I was petrified. Let's just say that those who know me best are probably stunned to think that I get up and talk in front of people everyday. At first, I had been assigned as a grader to a course, but was switched to being a teaching assistant at the last minute. I cried at the thought of having to go into a classroom and have all those eyes on me. Professor Voss was very supportive, though, and had a natural vibe to his teaching which rubbed off on me. A few of the things I learned from him teaching that course (physics for pre-meds, my second-favorite course after astronomy to teach til this day):

• If I walk into your lab room fifteen minutes after class starts and you're still lecturing to the students, I will tell you to be quiet in front of your class. - Lab is about the students doing hands-on work, not for the instructor to guide students through the experiment.
• Just ask yourself, would you want this kid to open up your guts? - It is difficult to dispense failing grades, but sometimes the failing grades are earned.

Other things I learned from Professor Voss as I was his TA for several semesters:

• Night students deserve a chance. He taught physics in the evening for a few semesters, with me as his TA. We had good students and good enrollments, despite many thinking that there would not be a need to teach physics at night. My love for night-time classes remains to this day.
• Conceptual questions are important parts of a physics exam. Some students are good at figuring out how the numbers all fit together, but that doesn't mean that they understand the basic physics concepts. Professor Voss would put conceptual questions on his exams that would make me nervous, because he had me make up the exam key before he'd confirm my answers. Those questions showed me a weakness in my own background and a weakness that a lot of students manage to graduate with today. But not if I can help it!

Professor Voss also wrote a letter of recommendation for me on my first job search and just was altogether so important to my career and maturation as a teacher. Thanks for letting me remember him here. My condolences to his family and his colleagues.

Spring Break

As of 2 pm today, I am on Spring Break. And I really need the break, too. I decided to start it off right by heading a few miles north to La Jolla:

From Spring 2010

From Spring 2010

From Spring 2010

Snapshot of my childhood

Soichi Noguchi has been tweeting images from the International Space Station. Today, he captured my childhood:

Click to see Northern California in all its glory.

Teachable Moment

One of my astronomy students was in my office hours, taking a makeup exam today. I reserve the right to not give makeup exams, and this student admitted that he did not have a good excuse to miss the exam. However I decided to let him redeem himself. As he was taking the exam, one of my physics students came in to ask questions. The physics student explained that he'd arrived at the library at 7am to read the new chapter in advance of class today. He'd also started on the homework and had a few specific questions about them. We also cleared up a question that we had corresponded about via email over the weekend. The physics student thanked me, and then he left. About 15 minutes later, the astronomy student finished his exam and then told me he was sorry. He said that hearing what the physics student was doing made him realize that he could work harder. He was going to tell his friends (!) what he had heard, that there are people who actually work that hard. He just kept shaking his head, as if he'd been truly jolted.

I'm thinking this might be the best bit of peer instruction I've ever seen, and it was completely unintentional. I hope this astro student really will work harder, in all of his classes. Sometimes it is best to sit back and let the students teach each other, eh?

Twenty Years

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of my first date with Greg. Since Tuesday is my 8:30am - 10:00pm workday, we instead spent the whole weekend mellowly celebrating, watching Justice League and sharing a wonderful meal at Urban Solace. Neither of us feel old enough to have been together for twenty years, having our first date when we were undergrads. That bodes well for many more fun years together!

Dream

I had a dream last night featuring the Cassini spacecraft. (I know, I know...) In my dream, Cassini was making a very close flyby of the moon Enceladus. In particular, the spacecraft was sending back closeup video footage of the stripes featured in this image:

The spacecraft was so close that we could see through those stripes as if they were clear panes of ice. And behind those icy windows, we could see glorious swimming creatures, similar to large glowing golden jellies. Everyone was so excited - life outside of Earth! So beautiful! So graceful! I got on the phone to tell my mother. I was trying to explain to her what it was that I had seen. I was tearfully saying, "We're not alone! We're not alone!", when reality started filtering into the dream. Cassini has not done any such flyby. Its next flyby is of Rhea. It doesn't send back streaming video footage... this was all a dream. The sadness of that realization has been with me all day.

Game Day

Three hours til game time, and I'm not sure which team I'll root for. Let's examine the storylines:

The Saints have a great narrative - rising from the ashes of Katrina, a team that did not abandon its city like so many thought. The Saints also have Scott Fujita, who has been using his press-time this week to promote marriage equality. The Saints are the heartwarming feel-good movie with overly sappy music in the trailer. No way a person can feel bad about cheering on the Saints.

The Colts don't have a compelling narrative. When Dungy quit as their coach, the emotional aspect of the team was dampened... until the quake in Haiti, and Colts receiver Pierre Garcon playing brilliantly in the AFC title game to honor his country. The Colts also have Peyton Manning, who has elevated his game even higher this year. Really, if he's still in the game in the fourth quarter, the Colts have a chance, no matter how many points they may fall behind. And I admire that level of skill and competence. If the Colts are a movie, the trailer would have Terminator music with a Manning slowwalk.

Hmm... Still undecided. At least it should be a good game! On the other hand, the snacks were picked well in advance. ;) Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Where does the time go?

Let's see, what has happened in the two weeks that I haven't posted a blog entry?

• Greg's birthday - yay!
• School started. Classes are overflowing. When a student was begging me to let him into one of my classes, real kneeling-on-the-floor-begging, other students chimed in and pleaded on his behalf till I gave him the add form. Sigh. Too nice.
• After a year of feeling icky if I purchased anything from Amazon, I'm deleting my account. The fact that Amazon pulled both electronic AND print copies of Macmillan authors late Friday during electronic book negotiations means that, as a corporation, they do not deserve my money nor my respect. I encourage all of you to delete your Amazon accounts and support independent booksellers through Indiebound.
• Comparing the girls vs. boys rooms in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog means PB will not get my money again, either. As an aside, I know it isn't feasible to boycott every corporation, but when they make themselves so obvious, it becomes more of an obligation.
• We went to a concert of Bill Conti conducting his Hollywood hits that was just hilarious fun.
• Without getting into specific comments by students, let's just say that my presence in the classroom has never seemed more necessary. It could be a very interesting semester.
• We've also been watching Justice League cartoons and reading alot, being just generally cozy.

Hope all is well with you!

Stormy Seas

Snapped this pic before the rain (actual rain!) started:

From Winter 2009-2010

Review of Books - 2009

One of my goals for 2009 was to read one book per week. I came up slightly short and have decided to pursue it as a goal again this year. Here are some highlights of last year's reading:

• Norse Code - Greg van Eekhout - Okay, I'm a little biased. As I've told Greg, I feel like a happy step-mother to this book ("I couldn't be more proud if I'd given birth to you myself"), so holding Norse Code in my hands was arguably the best moment of 2009. As someone who counts "Viking Civilization and Literature" as one of my favorite undergrad courses, I admire the skill with which the Norse mythology was interwoven with the entertaining story. A fun read!
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie - A young adult (YA) book to be appreciated by all ages, this is a beautifully written depiction of contemporary life on a northwestern reservation. If you haven't read it, you're missing out.
• Unwind - Neal Shusterman - Also a YA book, this is an unflinching look at a near-future world where the pro-lifers have insured that all children must be born, but don't necessarily make it to adulthood. This book started me reading Shusterman's back catalog... I've enjoyed all that I've read so far.
• In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I should listen to the man, as I enjoyed and agreed so much with this book.
• Nation - Terry Pratchett - Look, I'm a bad geek sometimes. This is the only Pratchett novel I've read. Aimed at a YA audience, this book tells the coming of age stories of survivors of a tsunami and what it means to be bonded together as a nation. One of my favorite books of all time, I can't recommend it highly enough.
• Drood - Dan Simmons - Wilkie Collins as a protagonist, about the last days of Charles Dickens' life... not the most obvious choice for a novel, but Simmons makes it work. It's bizarre, but in a good way, with the London of that day being grittily rendered.
• A Few Seconds of Panic - Stefan Fatsis - A sportswriter takes on the task of becoming an NFL kicker and goes to Broncos' training camp. If you love football, this is a great inside look.
• The True Meaning of Smekday - Adam Rex - Middle-grade, but reads at the upper end of that age range, this book is the story of a girl on a cross-country trip in alien-invaded America. Lots of humor and lots of insight on prejudice and what it means to be human.
• When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead - A middle-grade book set in 1970s New York, this novel looks at relationships and individuality. And it's science fiction, really. As an adult reader, I felt like I saw where the story was going to go, but it was so compellingly written, I couldn't put it down.

You might notice a lot of middle-grade and YA books on that list. It isn't that I don't read books aimed at adults (I do!), but there is a lot to love in the childrens' section of the bookstore these days. Here's to more great reading in 2010!