I believe this blog should maintain a level of professionalism...

As such, I am forced to make haste in writing a post so that terrible photo can be taken down as soon as possible.

So let's talk. As you may be aware, I've been at MIT for the last couple months just starting my Phd in Physics, and MIT has not disappointed in terms of starting to swiftly kick my ass. The MIT physics program is rather infamous for having a particularly grueling set of Qualifying Exams, 3 in total, with the most fun I've had so far with my first exam which I had to take as soon as I arrived at MIT as a welcoming party. This was a 5 hour long exam on everything I "should have learned" as an undergraduate, and all you have to know is that it was long, painful, and I passed.

Since then, I've settled into a fairly good rhythm of cutting classes, handing in my hw late, staying at the lab till 11pm on fridays, and drinking atleast one night a week. All in all, graduate school has lived up to all miserable and romantic expectations (including drinking 5 cups of coffee a day) and I wouldn't rather be doing anything else right now!

Often I'm asked to characterize what being at MIT is like, or how it is different then being at Rutgers. In reply: it's pretty clear already from my short time here that MIT is not just a place with great ideas and intellect, but a place of action and implementation. There is this general attitude, and not to mention a great history of success, that seems to propel the students here to take their chances in taking an idea and making something out of it. Sure MIT has lots of resources and is very selective, but it's a self feedback mechanism right? All the students here know the reputation of their school and it seems they work hard to reinforce that idea.

I have begun research work, some what in earnest, with Pablo Jarillo-Herrero -a new, young faculty member in the Condensed Matter Experimental group. Pablo has all the energy that would be expected of a new professor in the perilous world of the tenure-track academic, and has no qualms of piling the work on me. In all fairness though, I don't work in the lab that much yet, what with having 3 grad courses and all, not to mention all the time I spend attending every free pizza/coffee/cookie event I can at the MIT campus.

For those interested ( all 2 of you), I am beginning my research work on a material called Graphene, most easily understood as a single atomic layer of Graphite -the same material that makes up a good amount of your pencil "lead". You can look it up on wikipedia, and as soon as I start making amazing discoveries I'll be sure to let you know more about this awesome material!

Winter is approaching and I can't wait to see how terrible the Cambridge frost can be. Look forward to seeing pictures of my wrapped head to toe as I trek the treacherous tundra on my point three mile walk to school.