MariaD’s blog

This is an experiment for Twitter-like communication in a more permanent medium. Here is the original, created by John Faig.

I inadvertently got into a flame war at a forum where I tried to talk about multiplication. Somehow, the discussion wandered into our past graduate school experiences. My last graduate school was pretty meaningful. Many people contributed to that fact, including Laurie Cavey. As graduate students, Laurie and I spent several years working with our advisor, Sally Berenson, and conducting some of our research together. Doctoral dissertations can be horribly lonely affairs, and only about 40% of people who start doctoral programs get their degrees. I think having ties with other people, beyond your advisor, makes or breaks your graduate school experience and success. I’ve been coaching people through their dissertation work, and they claim I am doing a wonderful job as a coach. However, I think the mere fact of a tight connection with an interested human being is doing some 90% of the coaching job.

Here is a snowflake for Laurie, who made a difference. And for everybody, I wish you to find good fellow travelers in your research journeys.

Being easily amused, I like this:

This is a short collection of decent mathematical novels. I started to think about mathematical novels because I want to play NaNoWriMo this year. If you are playing too, let’s be writing buddies. Wish me luck!

I think it’s pretty, but maybe it’s my imagination. You can help Natural Math a lot by being a beta tester.