Seven Quick Takes Friday (v. 46): Careers, Thoughts, and a Special Announcement

--1--

I think my PhD completion is about a year off. Therefore, this time around I went to the College of Natural Sciences' Career Fair in an attempt to make some contacts in industry or in the national labs. This is in contrast to previous career fairs, which I largely attended for the free stuff. The result is that this time around, I had two interviews, both of which went fairly well. Because graduation is so far off, I wasn't exactly given an offer on the spot, but was told that I should expect to hear from one or more groups in the next few months. Still, that's two preliminary interviews down.

--2--

The two companies with which I interviewed were MIT's Lincoln Laboratory outside of Boston (technically a DOD Lab and not a "company" per se), and Intel. The latter is located in Hillsoboro, Oregon, meaning that I would be only a few hours away from my parents. Other companies which I am seriously considering are Raytheon (particularly their Dallas area and Tucson locations), UT's Applied Research Laboratories (north Austin), Sandia and Livermore national Labs (Livermore and Albuquerque), and Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio), though there are a few others which have piqued my interest. We'll see how my PhD plays out, and which of these places are similarly interested in me, but my careers options after grad school are looking bright.

--3--

Doing evil so that good may result sometimes also means that unintended evil results as well. Case in point.

--4--

I will be attending the second half of the APS DPP meeting in late October/early November. I've never been to Rhode Island--and I am trying to get a little side trip down to New York in the works. Should be fun.

--5--

Equivalency is not equality, not is equality equivalency, and a hierarchy or aristocracy or set of classes will always exist even in the most "equal" of societies--or relationships. To attempt to make a society (or even relationship) otherwise is to lose the greatest contributions of diversity while creating only a superficial equality.

--6--

 Death is what ultimately makes Pascal's wager work, especially in its most important point: as a refutation of agnosticism as a permanently tenable option.

--7--

Photo taken two years ago in anticipation, sonogram last month.

My wife and I are having a baby. We are far enough along that we count the pregnancy in months not weeks (four down, five to go), and we found out today that the baby is a girl*. The due date is February 15, and so far both my wife and the baby are doing well.

*Actually, the technician had trouble telling, because the baby was keeping her legs crossed the whole time. A proper lady already!

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Seven Quick Takes Friday is hosted by Mrs Jennifer Fulwiler at her Conversion Diary blog.