One of the things that brings me much joy during the often difficult and trying times of finishing a PhD in particle physics is the overwhelming exposure I have to some really great intellectual minds and discussions. Being stationed at Fermilab and taking part in an experiment like CDF (which has a long history and much expertise) makes this even more possible!
Image from talk by Prof Sundrum
In fact just a few weeks ago I got to see a lecture from one of my physics icons Prof Raman Sundrun on Warped Extra Dimensions. (See his talk here). This was really a great talk and the images used were simple but conveyed a really understanding of an incredibly difficult subject (only on this blog would working out the mathematics of 11 dimensions be considered “standard operating procedure”)
Along these same lines I was pleased when I stumbled across the website http://fora.tv. This website complies talks by many different experts and academics from all over the US and puts it all in one place (mostly) for free.
I’ve already watched some great lectures by Prof Steven Levitt (Author of Freakonomics and Prof of Economy and University of Chicago) NASA scientists David Morrison on the end of the world and 2012 myth…and I’m just getting started.
These types of intellectual discussions are great stimulus during those long coding sessions and paper editing nights. Where the intellectual work is already done and now you just need to bear down hard and turn through the work. So I thought this would be a great thing to share with our readers here.
Enjoy the talks!
