What a tiring past four days. I came to the realization of just how close the first faculty job application deadlines had become, and ramped up my work on application material. That, coupled with the seminars and travel is tiring me out. I still find myself energized for this whole process – I’m excited, if a little uncertain, about applying for faculty jobs this year. There are a number of high-energy physics positions advertised, so ovetrall the field looks fertile. Now it’s just a question of getting in the door and getting an interview.
I was in Columbus over the weekend, and gave a shorter talk to the Society of Physics Students at OSU on Monday. This was a chance to related some of the “life lessons” I wish I’d learned earlier; whether they will help any of the students in the room is never clear, but it’s best somebody say them before they have to make too many more decisions. My hope was not to change the course of their careers by saying a few words; rather, I hope they now know the questions to ask and the things to look for in grad school, post-docs, and beyond. Well, I can’t really speak to the beyond part – I’m not there myself – but it seems like a pretty natural progression.
I drove from Columbus to Cleveland last night, getting only briefly lost (headed west on 90 instead of east). I am staying in a beautiful mansion near the campus, operated as a bed & breakfast. It’s an incredible house, with over a dozen bedrooms and elegant sitting rooms.
Cleveland itself is this strange mixture of enormous post-industrialization factory hulks and charming neighborhoods, with tension between urban renewal and urban decay mixed in between. The campus of Case-Western is gorgeous, nestled into this southern end of the city.
My seminar at Case-Western seemed to go really well; it’s always nice to hear students tell you they’re not used to such a good talk for a seminar. There, I said it – yay, ego.
Now is the lull before dinner. I’ve gotten a lot of work done on the applications today, did some work for BaBar, and even did a little physics. Tomorrow I hit the road and head for the opposite corner of the state – Cincinnati.
