tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35701767796020399792024-02-19T07:23:29.781-05:00John GizisThis is a personal blog by John Gizis. I am a professor of astronomy.John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-43485929486042283682015-11-29T18:23:00.001-05:002015-11-29T18:23:09.624-05:00What good are brown dwarf planets? Let's ask Iain BanksFrom Iain Bank's novel The Hydrogen Sonata:
There was something comforting about having a vast hydrogen furnace burning millions of tons of material a second at the centre of a solar system. It was cheery. This was just… dull.
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-48368917506466447152015-09-01T23:13:00.003-04:002015-09-01T23:13:53.588-04:00White House Astronomy Night 2015The White House is having its annual astronomy night on October 19, 2015.
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-12552975040299357682015-08-26T20:35:00.001-04:002015-08-26T20:35:33.970-04:00Physics Careers: Founding Computer ScienceToday's New York Times has an obituary of Joseph Traub:
Joseph F. Traub, who founded the computer science department at Columbia University and who helped develop algorithms used in scientific computing in physics and mathematics as well as on Wall Street, died on Monday in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 83.
He had a very impressive career.John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-76463200281217374062015-08-23T14:07:00.000-04:002015-08-23T14:07:22.659-04:00Astronomy and Physics Job StatisticsI am preserving these links to job statistics, but maybe you will find them useful too.
AIP report on Astronomy jobs: This 2015 report includes bachelor's, master's and PhDs, and is for classes of 2010-2012.
538 analysis of starting salaries. See "Astronomy & Astrophysics" at #8. This is salaries for Bachelor's without graduate school, under age 28.
AIP Report on Physics Bachelors initial John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-50191438561101977512014-08-12T14:31:00.002-04:002014-08-12T14:31:39.778-04:00LSST approved for constructionLSST approved for contruction. I am working this week at the LSST Cadence workshop.
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-58853069343475082592014-03-09T22:21:00.002-04:002014-03-09T22:21:38.737-04:00President Obama's Introduction to CosmosJohn Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-41354643356313411362013-03-28T12:15:00.002-04:002013-03-28T12:15:47.552-04:00AAS Statement on Scientific TravelI agree completely with this new statement from the AAS. As a personal example, when I, not wanting to travel so much, stopped going to conferences for a few years it damaged my scientific productivity. In brief: You don't know what's going on, you don't make the contacts needed for new projects, and your work is less known than it should be.
The American Astronomical Society and its six John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-63319108699879769042013-03-27T18:51:00.004-04:002013-03-27T18:51:51.792-04:00Yes, this blog is pretty inactiveBecause of Google's decision to unify all the accounts, it's incredibly inconvenient to log into blogger. I've been spending more time on a daily astronomy weblog at Tumblr.
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-63611681817300212422011-10-24T19:18:00.003-04:002011-10-24T19:20:58.514-04:00Advice from America's top women scientistsThis video is billed as advice from some of the top women scientists and engineers in America for girls all over the country, but its good for boys too:
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-14708636057336563732011-07-08T11:48:00.005-04:002011-07-08T11:51:07.492-04:00American Astronomical Society statement on James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)This is the new statement by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) on JWST:
The proposal released on July 6 by the House Appropriations
Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to
terminate the James Webb Space Telescope would waste more taxpayer
dollars than it saves while simultaneously undercutting the critical
effort to utilize American engineering and ingenuity toJohn Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-27071815785930675952011-03-30T17:35:00.004-04:002011-03-30T17:43:23.798-04:00President Obama visits another Science Fair
That's our President visiting the New York City Science Fair:
During his trip to New York City yesterday, and between interviews with three network news anchors and a speech dedicating a new building to late-Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, President Obama made an unexpected detour. The President dropped in on the New York City Science Fair—a venue that pretty much sums up the meaning of “winJohn Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-36703090048841350192011-03-29T14:36:00.001-04:002011-03-29T14:37:37.116-04:00LSST simulationI like this video showing what the LSST would look like, with a beautiful night sky:
John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-7580371775395060692011-03-21T19:14:00.002-04:002011-03-21T19:16:55.122-04:00Astronomy News: Joint Statement by President Barack Obama and President Sebastian PiñeraToday's statement by the Presidents of Chile and the USA mentioned astronomy:
Both Heads of State highlighted the effective collaboration in the fields of astronomy and astro-engineering which will allow the operation of the LSST and ALMA telescopes in the northern Chile, involving an investment of 1.5 billion dollars, with a close collaboration between public and private academic and research John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-25035622592193209452011-03-11T18:57:00.003-05:002011-03-11T19:10:43.396-05:00In memory of astronomer James ElliottWhen asked, I often say Carl Sagan (COSMOS) and Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek) influenced me most to become an astronomer. However, my first astronomy memory is cutting out the New York Times article describing the discovery of the rings of Uranus to bring to school. (I think I was in 1st or 2nd grade.) Today I see that astronomer James Elliott, who made that discovery, has died:
In 1977, using a John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-45319201938260632112011-03-09T14:37:00.003-05:002011-03-09T14:41:37.302-05:00"First Blast" at LSST
An exciting time for a new telescope is "first light," when the first images are taken. This picture is "first blast" for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope LSST at Cerro Pachon. They've begun leveling the ground for the telescope's base. I joined the "LSST Science Collaboration" and have been working on astrometry issues.
There's even an LSST webcam so you can watch the leveling.John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-14678798724949681832011-02-19T10:54:00.005-05:002011-02-19T11:25:34.235-05:00My favorite jazz of 2010This is my annual list of the new jazz albums I picked up and really liked. It's not representative, but if I didn't happen to buy it, it can't make my list!
Jacky Terrason, Push. I based on Nate Chinen's review and loved it. This was my favorite of the year. I need to go see him when he comes to Wilmington, Delaware's Piano Jazz Summit.
Gregory Porter, Water: This is a great vocal album. My John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-40465472958123112762011-02-17T11:57:00.005-05:002011-02-17T12:04:42.059-05:00Speaking at Chester County Astronomical SocietyI'm looking forward to giving a talk at the Chester County Astronomical Society on "Brown Dwarf Stars."
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - CCAS Monthly Meeting, Room 113, Merion Science Center (former Boucher Building), West Chester University. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Dr. John Gizis: “Brown Dwarf Stars.”
The mission of the CCAS of Pennsylvania:
The Chester County Astronomical John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-79195807553980720582011-02-16T15:41:00.004-05:002011-02-16T15:45:31.393-05:00Time to move on PythonI've been starting some new projects and the unholy mix of IDL, Perl and Fortran I use to look at data and solve problems can't be efficient. So I've resolved to follow the smart people and move over to Python. It's free and there are lots of astronomy routines available, plus our undergrads at University of Delaware will all learn it in CISC 106, so I'll be able to use it for teaching too.
LastJohn Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-63809710429319337152010-11-13T18:39:00.003-05:002010-11-13T18:45:53.886-05:00Physics Opportunities: Department of EnergyThe Department of Energy Scholars program looks pretty interesting:
What is the DOE Scholars Program?
A unique new approach within DOE for introducing students or post-graduates to DOE’s mission and operations.
As a participant in the DOE Scholars Program, you will have a competitive edge for familiarizing yourself with DOE functions while showcasing your education, talent, and skills. John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-84853097914632547122010-11-13T18:27:00.005-05:002010-11-13T18:39:55.863-05:00Physics Careers/Scholarships: Department of Homeland SecurityThis Department of Homeland Security scholarship looks like a good opportunity for Physics majors if your interests run this way:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) realizes that the country’s strong
science and technology community provides a critical advantage in the development and implementation of
counter-terrorist measures and other DHS objectives. The DHS John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-39392415369576785532010-10-25T07:56:00.002-04:002010-10-25T07:58:15.328-04:00Physics Teaching JobsSouthern Teachers has a poster up at UD's Department of Physics and Astronomy looking to recruit physics teachers. They recruit teachers at private K-12 schools in the South.John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-89535510230043477122010-10-19T16:29:00.003-04:002010-10-19T16:37:17.522-04:00President Obama Honors Young ScientistsPresident Obama hosted the new White House Science Fair:
“If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too,” the President said in November.
The White House Science Fair kicks off a week that culminates with the USA John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-62705058173985550802010-09-15T11:30:00.003-04:002010-09-15T11:31:22.056-04:00South Jersey: Astronomy Open HouseThis should be of interest to those in South Jersey (quoted from Rowan news mailer.)
Rowan Observatory Open House:
Autumnal Equinox, Harvest Moon, Jupiter, and Uranus
Date: Wednesday, September 22nd
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Location: Science Hall, Rowan University
Fall officially begins Wednesday, September 22nd and the Rowan Astronomical Observatory will host an open house to mark John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-5783675568947736232010-09-13T10:33:00.006-04:002010-09-13T10:39:50.709-04:00Never rely on physics textbooks for historyI've always believed my physics textbooks which have statements like "Einstein did not even mention the famous Michelson-Morley experiment in this classic 1905 paper"
But this year I'm also using Alan Lightman's The Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs of Twentieth Century physics, which includes translations of the original papers. Sure enough, here's Einstein in 1905:
Examples of this sort, John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570176779602039979.post-79502130824146085622010-09-10T10:20:00.005-04:002010-09-10T10:28:14.262-04:00Physics Major to CongressI'm always looking to see what else people do with Physics degrees.
Here's a physics undergraduate major:
According to the Arizona Daily Wildcat, a guidance, navigation and control engineer who works for Raytheon Missile Systems won the GOP primary in Arizona’s 7th congressional district in late August and now hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a four-term Democrat, come November.
Ruth John Gizishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971714290605244582noreply@blogger.com0