It's back to school season, and at my house that's already meant a lot of math. Both of my kids are taking quantitative science courses along with math courses, so every few nights I'm getting to help with math-related homework of one sort or another. It's an interesting opportunity to see what I remember and don't remember from when I took those classes, and what comes easier with more experience and what doesn't. Fundamental principles seem to stick better than specific techniques. For example, I helped my son with a … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Back to Math Class
Science Corner
Summary and Reflection: A Life Observed
Gregory Rummo has offered several reviews to ESN on books by C.S. Lewis. Here he summarizes the life of Lewis, based on a recent "spiritual biography" by Devin Brown (Brazos Press, 2013), and offers his own reflections on the life of this man, who for so many of us exemplifies what it means to be a scholar Christian. SUMMARY Infant and Child (1898 - 1908) Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland on November 29, 1898, at the end of the Victorian era into a world that “resembled the world of the Middle … [Read more...] about Summary and Reflection: A Life Observed
Beginning Well at the Start of a New Academic Year
One of the elements of the scholar's journey is dislocation. Every few years, and sometimes more often, you find yourself beginning a new year in a new place. Dislocation can be disorienting and can bring out some of our worst coping mechanisms. Do you know what those are for you? Whether you are beginning your first year of graduate school, or beginning a Ph.D program at a new school, or a post-doc, or a first-year faculty position, you are likely experiencing dislocation--new place, new responsibilities, new … [Read more...] about Beginning Well at the Start of a New Academic Year
Review: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Gregory Rummo has shared several reviews of C.S. Lewis books on the blog this summer. This is his last, the first of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Spoiler Alert: Because the book is familiar to many, Rummo includes discussion of the plot outcome. If you are new to the Narnia stories, you may wish to refrain from reading this review until after you've read the book. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the first[1] of C. S. Lewis's seven-part series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is a fantasy story about four … [Read more...] about Review: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Science Corner: There’s Science in Those Hills
Probably the biggest (or at least buzziest) science news of the moment is the possibility of a room temperature superconductor. You may remember we went down this particular road a few years ago. At that time, superconductivity was achieved at not-quite-but-close-enough-to-room temperature but with radically impractical pressures. This time, the candidate material (LK-99) is a superconductor at warmer-than-room temperature and ambient pressure. The catch for the moment is some uncertainty about confirmation and … [Read more...] about Science Corner: There’s Science in Those Hills