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Nanophysics and nanotechnology: an introduction to modern concepts in nanoscience
BOOKS & MEDIA UPDATE
Tips for the top Advice to Rocket Scientists contains excellent advice for research students in any field who are looking to build successful careers in academia or industry, says Charles G. Wade. Jim Longuski, a professor at Purdue University with a previous career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has written a terrific book of ‘street smarts’ for graduate students considering academic or industrial careers. The advice is applicable to a wide range of fields and includes tips, both conventional and unconventional, on how to locate those making the hiring decisions, how to choose a good boss, and how to avoid ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ in the initial stages of your career. In contrast to conventional advice, which favors one page resumes, Longuski argues for detailed documents several pages in length. A lengthier document presents a much better view of your skill base and may trigger a job match in a manager’s mind that would never result otherwise. Brief, concise presentations are fundamental for success, and Longuski proposes different strategies for academic and industrial interviews. Unlike any other community, the academic audience expects you to talk for an hour, and finishing in 30 minutes raises suspicions that you are not ‘deep’. Longuski maintains you must lose the academic audience at some point, going over their heads to show that you are the ‘Top Gunslinger’ in the crowd. They expect you to be an expert, so be one, but finish with a clear summary and conclusions. His recommendations on guiding graduate students include an approach I’ve never encountered: have students give weekly, stand-up presentations on their progress. In contrast to less formal discussions, this approach forces attention to detail, reveals gaps in the logic being applied in the research, and flags areas in which the student can improve. His chapter titled What it takes to get Tenure has straight advice for those considering a career at a research university: regardless of the rhetoric about the topic, the top three considerations are (a) research, (b) research, and (c) research. Longuski has written an extremely useful career survival guide. As a natural scientist (chemistry) with academic and industrial experience, I found most of his
64
November 2004
points to be right on. His suggestions for phone calls to scope out job possibilities are extremely useful. Unfortunately, most students are reluctant to use this method. I’ve observed very positive results from such an approach and, on more than one occasion, I’ve (unknowingly at the time) assisted job seekers who called me to inquire where their skills might fit. Gathering information about a company, a position, or a professor can pay significant dividends. Some specialty placement firms train clients in this aspect, encouraging informational interviews, formulating responses to common questions, and using other methods to gather intelligence about jobs. Interestingly, given Longuski’s suggestions about training students with stand-up presentations, these firms often require that sessions are done under formal interview conditions. One can quibble with details, of course. I don’t agree with his advice to load the front of the resume with contact information. Since education and skills are paramount, these should get first billing. I don’t agree with his admonition never to have an outline of your talk as one of the slides. As for the differences between presentations to industrial and academic audiences, his reasons seem too stereotypical, but Jim Longuski Advice to Rocket Scientists: A Career Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, (2004) 84 pp., ISBN: 156347655X, $24.95
are probably well advised. His guidance on personal integrity versus goals and pressure, using the Challenger tragedy as an example, is easy to offer but very difficult to achieve in practice. He does acknowledge this, however, and has sympathy for those who must deal with political realities in making decisions. To his credit, he always pushes integrity as groundwork for those decisions. This is a very useful book for any student in a technical area and almost as useful for anyone in a position to hire that student. Charles G. Wade is manager of materials analysis and characterization at the IBM Almaden Research Center, California.
Nanophysics and Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Modern Concepts in Nanoscience Edward L. Wolf John Wiley & Sons (2004), 187 pp. ISBN: 3-527-40407-4 $84.95 / £39.95 / 60
This book introduces the physical concepts, techniques, and applications of nanotechnology. It covers quantum effects in nanoscale systems, self-assembled structures, nanofabrication, scanning probe microscopy, and molecular electronics. The book concludes with a look at the long-term possibilities for the field.
Fermi Remembered James W. Cronin (ed.) University of Chicago Press (2004) 296 pp., ISBN: 0-226-12111-9 $45
The contributions of Nobel laureate, Enrico Fermi range across quantum, nuclear, and high energy physics. This book brings together essays by various authors and the recollections of those who worked with Fermi. Material from Fermi’s research notebooks, correspondence, and presentations is also included.
Stalin’s Great Science: The Times and Adventures of Soviet Physicists Alexei B. Kojevnikov World Scientific (2004), 384 pp. ISBN: 1-86094-420-5 (paperback) $32 / £24
Kojevnikov covers the achievements of Soviet scientists during Stalin’s rule, including the Nobel prize winning physicists Kapitza and Landau. He examines the interaction between science, politics, and ideology, explaining how scientists operated within the Soviet political order with a lack of international contacts and restrictions on the freedom of information.
Expert Graduate Undergraduate
Tips for the top Advice to Rocket Scientists contains excellent advice for research students in any field who are looking to build successful careers in academia or industry, says Charles G. Wade. Jim Longuski, a professor at Purdue University with a previous career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has written a terrific book of ‘street smarts’ for graduate students considering academic or industrial careers. The advice is applicable to a wide range of fields and includes tips, both conventional and unconventional, on how to locate those making the hiring decisions, how to choose a good boss, and how to avoid ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ in the initial stages of your career. In contrast to conventional advice, which favors one page resumes, Longuski argues for detailed documents several pages in length. A lengthier document presents a much better view of your skill base and may trigger a job match in a manager’s mind that would never result otherwise. Brief, concise presentations are fundamental for success, and Longuski proposes different strategies for academic and industrial interviews. Unlike any other community, the academic audience expects you to talk for an hour, and finishing in 30 minutes raises suspicions that you are not ‘deep’. Longuski maintains you must lose the academic audience at some point, going over their heads to show that you are the ‘Top Gunslinger’ in the crowd. They expect you to be an expert, so be one, but finish with a clear summary and conclusions. His recommendations on guiding graduate students include an approach I’ve never encountered: have students give weekly, stand-up presentations on their progress. In contrast to less formal discussions, this approach forces attention to detail, reveals gaps in the logic being applied in the research, and flags areas in which the student can improve. His chapter titled What it takes to get Tenure has straight advice for those considering a career at a research university: regardless of the rhetoric about the topic, the top three considerations are (a) research, (b) research, and (c) research. Longuski has written an extremely useful career survival guide. As a natural scientist (chemistry) with academic and industrial experience, I found most of his
64
November 2004
points to be right on. His suggestions for phone calls to scope out job possibilities are extremely useful. Unfortunately, most students are reluctant to use this method. I’ve observed very positive results from such an approach and, on more than one occasion, I’ve (unknowingly at the time) assisted job seekers who called me to inquire where their skills might fit. Gathering information about a company, a position, or a professor can pay significant dividends. Some specialty placement firms train clients in this aspect, encouraging informational interviews, formulating responses to common questions, and using other methods to gather intelligence about jobs. Interestingly, given Longuski’s suggestions about training students with stand-up presentations, these firms often require that sessions are done under formal interview conditions. One can quibble with details, of course. I don’t agree with his advice to load the front of the resume with contact information. Since education and skills are paramount, these should get first billing. I don’t agree with his admonition never to have an outline of your talk as one of the slides. As for the differences between presentations to industrial and academic audiences, his reasons seem too stereotypical, but Jim Longuski Advice to Rocket Scientists: A Career Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, (2004) 84 pp., ISBN: 156347655X, $24.95
are probably well advised. His guidance on personal integrity versus goals and pressure, using the Challenger tragedy as an example, is easy to offer but very difficult to achieve in practice. He does acknowledge this, however, and has sympathy for those who must deal with political realities in making decisions. To his credit, he always pushes integrity as groundwork for those decisions. This is a very useful book for any student in a technical area and almost as useful for anyone in a position to hire that student. Charles G. Wade is manager of materials analysis and characterization at the IBM Almaden Research Center, California.
Nanophysics and Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Modern Concepts in Nanoscience Edward L. Wolf John Wiley & Sons (2004), 187 pp. ISBN: 3-527-40407-4 $84.95 / £39.95 / 60
This book introduces the physical concepts, techniques, and applications of nanotechnology. It covers quantum effects in nanoscale systems, self-assembled structures, nanofabrication, scanning probe microscopy, and molecular electronics. The book concludes with a look at the long-term possibilities for the field.
Fermi Remembered James W. Cronin (ed.) University of Chicago Press (2004) 296 pp., ISBN: 0-226-12111-9 $45
The contributions of Nobel laureate, Enrico Fermi range across quantum, nuclear, and high energy physics. This book brings together essays by various authors and the recollections of those who worked with Fermi. Material from Fermi’s research notebooks, correspondence, and presentations is also included.
Stalin’s Great Science: The Times and Adventures of Soviet Physicists Alexei B. Kojevnikov World Scientific (2004), 384 pp. ISBN: 1-86094-420-5 (paperback) $32 / £24
Kojevnikov covers the achievements of Soviet scientists during Stalin’s rule, including the Nobel prize winning physicists Kapitza and Landau. He examines the interaction between science, politics, and ideology, explaining how scientists operated within the Soviet political order with a lack of international contacts and restrictions on the freedom of information.
Expert Graduate Undergraduate