Hi folks. I am sincerely sorry for not updating my blog sooner. It so happens that I have actually written a post explaining the fun I had during Christmas and the event that ended the break and the fun. However, out of paranoia, perhaps, I am choosing to wait to share that post until later in February.
This semester, besides research, I am taking on another tutorial-based course (statistical thermodynamics) and I am a TA for another course (macromolecular structure). The tutorial class is by choice where as the TA assignment is not. At Duke, graduate students in my department are required to TA one course. For some odd reason they assigned me to TA the macromolecular course (this was written in the most sarcastic tone…believe me). The TA duties, as of now, revolve around copying class handouts and grading the weekly assignments. Grading is not fun; no wonder math professors higher undergraduate math majors to grade assignments!
Statistical thermodynamics on the other hand is an absolutely fascinating class. Since it is tutorial based, the class, all 5 of us, get to dictate how fast we go. We are now taking time to get the proper mathematical foundation needed for the rest of the course. For me, this means learning math that I have not had before, differential equations. To learn such things I have found that reviewing basic calculus requisite. Luckily, calculus is roughly analogous to riding a bike; once you learn it a quick review brings it all back again. I find math amazing and fascinating. As I learn these new mathematical methods I keep on thinking, ‘You know if I wasn’t doing this PhD gig, I‘d totally go for a second bachelors in math’.
We are learning how to find an extreme on a 3D-surface; how cool is that?!! I know you’re all dying to know, ‘How can I do that?!’ I highly recommend you watch a video or two on Lagrange multipliers; there are a few good ones on youtube.
So Friday night Jeremy put an idea in my head by asking, ‘Road trip?’ You see, we both had no plans for Saturday and the weather was supposed to be phenomenal. I has heard of this place called ‘Hanging Rock’ here in NC and had always wanted to go. I went home and researched the matter. After finding out the Hanging Rock was a state park with numerous hiking trails a mere 2 hours away, I was sold. At 11 PM I texted Jeremy and we planned on a 7 AM departure. The drive there was uneventful. The state park was beautiful, complete with a lake, campsites, hiking trails and a hidden pond. The terrain was relatively rugged; mind you, the ‘relative’ term refers to the state of North Carolina. In fact, that is where the title of my post comes from; ‘North Carolina is not a Continuous Function’. This is analogous to saying that there are actually cliffs in NC. We hiked to the highest point in the park; a tad over a whopping 2500 feet (sarcastic tone). At the top there is an old fire-watch tower; it’s pretty cool. Jeremy brought his camera and I’ll be sure to post the pictures ASAP. Until then, enjoy Jeremy’s panoramic video from atop the watch tower.
Hanging Rock Video
