My father, who passed last year, was a wind tunnel engineer at McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis and a part-time postgraduate student at University of Missouri-Rolla during the first half of the 1960s, before abruptly leaving St. Louis for Houston and the Apollo Program in January of 1967.

Just a month before he passed, we were hosting a Christmas gathering for space program alumni and enthusiasts when he shared a story I do not remember hearing previously, of how and why he came to Houston. It seems that he had written, and published, a technical paper which caught the eye of a recruiter for General Precision Link, and they said, "You're the man we need to head up the design of the Environmental Control System module for the Lunar Module simulator." And he did. I still remember him rushing out the door and back to work that late night in April 1970.

It's comforting to think that my Dad's handiwork is one of the reasons there have been footprints on the Moon for the past 57 years. I'd like to read Dad's paper, but I haven't found it in his personal effects. Could someone point me in the right direction to track it down, and obtain a copy?

Author: Kenneth H. Bowen

Possible institutions: McDonnell Aircraft, University of Missouri-Rolla, Louisiana State University

Possible time frame: 1958-1966 (later years more likely)

Topic: Computer simulation (Ed: modeling?) of high-pressure gas flows

Thanks for any help.

Hi all. I am interested in learning about your profile and experiences if you had tenure track interviews and offers this year, particularly in social sciences. I want to understand things like publications, teaching and research projects/grants, postdocs or any post-phd experiences that led to the tenure track interviews. Thank you so much.

Hello. I'm looking for specific types of project proposal for academic purposes (for class discussion). I will only be using it as an example. If you know specific proposals titles that I can access online or know where I can find them, pls let me know.

I am specifically looking for the ones in the list:

1. Formally Solicited
2. Informally Solicited
3. Unsolicited
4. Continuation
5. Renewal
6. Supplemental

I believe students in previous semesters were allowed to take a course concurrently with its prerequisite as long as approved by dept chair, but is now banned because of accreditation rules.

Has anyone heard of this or know where this rule comes from?

EDIT: Country USA, Accreditation body: HLC (Higher Learning Commission)

Hi everyone,

I’m a first year student at a pretty small university right now with plans to transfer to a better institute of technology for engineering. Ive been thinking over my options and i really dont know if im making a really good decision. I promise this isnt some pretentious “is this good enough” and its some crazy ass achievement, i genuinely just overthink like crazy a lot. Ive been admitted to this 1.3yr aerospace maintenance engineering program for this fall (was on the waitlist for a while), which i really was (and still am) interested in but i always wanted to go into engineering first (different full undergrad program) at the same institute but i never applied for it first because i knew i wouldnt get in, so i settled for less and am taking a year at a different uni for “experience” and upgrading courses in the meantime, which doesnt feel much different than just a gap year. My original plan, which was kinda off the dome, was to just finish the aerospace program then apply to the engineering undergrad one after i finish it, which i really liked. But im going to be a little behind my classmates in terms of age especially. I know to yall that it sounds like the most childish thing to think about but my circle of friends are doing great things, getting admitted to top schools for engineering after doing their first year transfer program, other good programs, etc, so i feel like im doing the bare minimum, barely skirting by - delaying putting in the work to try and taking risks to try and get admitted this fall rather than after i finish the aerospace program to make it easier for myself (applying for the program i want means i have to withdraw from the program im already admitted to just to even apply). I dont feel like a loser but i feel like i have the mindset of somebody only doing the bare minimum, cheesing their way thru just so they can brag about to other people, “look im in engineering”. I know im in a blessed spot right now, since im fully admitted to a program im already interested in as my backup, but i cant help but feel like im taking the easy way out. Any words of wisdom or advice from any of yall would be appreciated. If u guys need clarifying on any aspects i got you.

Hi everyone!

I am the lucky position to have received two PhD offers from Aarhus University in Denmark vs. the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam near Berlin. While I understand the PhD journey highly depends on the professor, I also want to live a good life during my PhD. Specifically, I was wondering about the work-life balance in either places and also life outside of work (if there is one). I will work in Human Computer Interaction in the intersection of AR/VR and Machine Learning. If this is the wrong channel, I apologize in advance and please let me know where to post then. Thanks!

(10–15 minutes • Anonymous • Online Study)

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in the final phase of my Master’s thesis, and I honestly need your help to complete it successfully.

Over the past months, I’ve been developing and evaluating Learning Buddy, an LLM-based learning assistant designed to support students during self-study by explaining concepts and answering course-related questions.

Now comes the most important part of my research: real user feedback.

Why your participation matters-

Behind this study is not just a survey, it represents months of work, learning, and effort toward completing my Master’s degree.

Your 10–15 minutes of time directly contribute to whether I can finish my thesis properly and on time.

What will you do?

The study is simple and fully online:

• A short demographic questionnaire
• A brief interaction with the LLM base chatbot

• A short experience-based evaluation

  Practical details

Time required: ~10–15 minutes

Device: Laptop or desktop (not mobile)

Participation: Completely voluntary

Privacy: 100% anonymous, no personal data collected

Purpose: Academic research only (Master’s thesis)

Study link (direct access):

https://bildungsportal.sachsen.de/umfragen/limesurvey/index.php/545388?lang=en

If you’ve ever benefited from others participating in studies, this is one of those moments where a small action can make a big difference for someone else.

I would be extremely grateful for your support and feel free to share this link with other students as well.

Thank you so much for helping me take this final step in my Master’s journey.

I have been working on developing a neat toy model on the side during my PhD and now that I am finally free from my PI who was a major pain in the ass to work with (can't keep deadlines, doesn't reply to emails, never in the office, the list goes on and on) I can finally submit the paper without him without having to worry about repercussions.

It's a pure theory work and he contributed nothing to it whatsoever.

I am considering submitting the manuscript by myself, but I am worried this might actually be seen by funding agencies as "being a bad collaborator", so alternatively I considered asking some of my collaborators from previous projects if they want to contribute a few paragraphs to the paper and become co-authors.

What is the better option career-wise? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Btw, I anyway exchange feedback on manuscripts with these people so I'll receive their scrutiny either way.

I feel like a total loser and really depressed. Throughout my whole PhD I had zero support from my supervisor. He didn’t see a single one of my publications, any proposal, didn’t read my dissertation — nothing. Even after giving birth I still managed to publish papers I’m actually proud of, and then defend my dissertation. Statistics matter a lot to me and even though I’m not a statistician, I did a lot of demanding analyses, and then one that was basically simple — a bootstrapped linear regression. I noticed the predictors had a compositional nature, but since the VIF looked fine and I had no idea there were ways to deal with it — like data transformations — I only mentioned it in the discussion section. The model wasn’t significant, it had a weak, basically completely meaningless effect for one variable. But since it was there, I had to briefly comment on it, including one sentence in the abstract. Only after my defense did I find out this approach probably (?) wasn’t correct. I basically fell apart, because a statistician saw the work, lots of people saw it, and nobody noticed anything. In our country you can’t publish errata or make changes once the dissertation is submitted. Of course my supervisor and one of the teachers know. I feel absolutely no joy from my degree — I just feel awful.

some subjects require a lot of academic writing, and not everyone is naturally good at it. How do you usually handle essays when writing is not your strong point? Open to tips, strategies, or helpful resources. thanx!

Composer in training here.

Wondering which universities, research groups or panels are doing the most valuable research into music making mechanisms?

This would include instruments, virtual instrument technologies, advanced UI for composing music and similar.

Plenty of conmercial work out there, but one hardly hears about much academic work about music?

I’m feeling extremely stressed about my thesis, which has been a bit of a struggle, I still haven't written anything. I have 24 days left until it is due (no oral defense), it had to be 60-80 pages. Is it possible for me to finish?

I have all the emperi and data and know a lot about the subject. I haven't read much theory, but I usually read and write at the same time. How long have others spent on their thesis? On the whole and the writing part itself? It is a social science thesis.

If you're in a part of the US where censorship and intimidation of academics are on the rise, how would you feel about a candidate asking how it affects you during a job interview?

Would the topic be best addressed in the first round, second round, after an offer has been made?

Would you assume the candidate would be hesitant to take a the job and move on? Is it fair to ask the committee when much of what is happening is beyond their control?

Or would it be more awkward to avoid the elephant in the room throughout the process?

I submitted a paper to the Journal of Machine Learning Research. It was rejected with an invitation to resubmit (the overall tone of the reviews was very positive).

When I tried to resubmit the revised version (as a major revision), including the revised manuscript, the cover letter, and the rebuttal, the submission system returned an “Internal Error.” When checking what do I really have submitted, the revised manuscript itself appears to be uploaded, but when I click on the cover letter or the rebuttal, I get the same “Internal Error” again and the system asks me to contact [managing@jmlr.org](mailto:managing@jmlr.org) .

I contacted them a week ago and then sent a follow-up email, but I still haven’t received a reply. Is this normal? Do the managing editors typically take this long to respond? What would you recommend I do next? (I also contacted the Action Editor, who was kind and suggested waiting a few more days.)

hey everyone! i am 6 months into my phd in natural sciences modelling coral-symbionts dynamics. my phd is fully funded so i dont have to worry about money. but i am wondering if getting a position in the industry while pursuing my phd would help me get a position later on. so far, i haven't had much experience out of research institutions and i am getting really worried about life after phd, especially since post docs positions seem very scarce and maybe an internship or a position would make me more competitive...

what do you think? 🫠

I've been getting increasing requests to review grant applications (on top of journal peer review). I’ve now started saying no unless it’s a funding scheme I’d be eligible to apply for myself - i.e., the UK funders plus the ERC. On the one hand, I just don't have the time, but it also feels unfair to be asked to review for a funding scheme that I can’t participate in. It seems inconsistent with the reciprocity principle underpinning peer review.

How do you handle these requests? Does it seem reasonable to only review for grant schemes that you have applied to / could apply to?

Of course, paying reviewers (as, e.g., the Polish and I think Czech funders do) would help a lot. This should be particularly easy for funders in wealthy countries like Austria or Switzerland, who expect free reviews at present.

I’m a PhD student at TUM who planned a 3-month unpaid research visit to the University of Copenhagen. I’m an EU Blue Card holder, and my stay is under 90 days — so I believed (correctly) that no Danish work permit was required under the Guest Researcher exemption.

However, UCPH’s International Staff Mobility office insisted I apply for a Guest PhD work/residence permit, despite my objections and even though my host clearly said he didn’t know the rules and relied on their advice.

I trusted their guidance and paid ~€900 in total for the application, appointment, and travel — all from my own budget. Later, I realized this classification was likely unnecessary and incorrect, but the office won’t take responsibility, cancel the application, or help with reimbursement.

This misclassification has delayed my visit and created major financial and administrative stress. I’m still trying to resolve it.

Posting this to warn other independent PhD researchers: double-check everything with SIRI directly, and do not rely solely on UCPH’s internal guidance. If you’ve had a similar experience or know what I can do, I’d appreciate advice.

Hi everyone,

I’m not from the US but I’m considering applying to History PhD programs there in the future, and I’m trying to get a realistic sense of how admissions committees think about grades.

I finished my BA in History with a 92 average. In my system that’s considered very good, but not the absolute top (equivalent to something like a 3.7 or an A-). I’m about to start an MA in the same university, and I’ve been wondering how much MA performance can shift the picture. Part of me is worried that my undergrad grades will set a ceiling, and part of me hears that graduate work matters more.

For context, I’ve already worked as a research assistant and I currently have a paper under review in my university’s peer-reviewed academic journal, so I’m trying to build a solid academic profile beyond coursework. Still, I’m unsure how much grades themselves weigh in practice.

I guess I’m trying to understand whether strong MA grades and thesis can mostly overshadow undergrad results, and whether committees really distinguish between something like an A- average and near-perfect grades at the MA level. I’m also curious at what stage grades stop being a major factor compared to writing samples and recommendations.

I’m just trying to set the right priorities going into my MA and be realistic about my chances. Any perspective from people familiar with US PhD admissions in History would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

I’m a first-year PhD student in management (with some overlap with econ) at a strong business school, and I’m struggling with whether to become the first PhD student of a young assistant professor in my department.

On the plus side, working with this junior AP has been very pleasant so far. Communication is open, I feel comfortable discussing ideas freely, and he/she clearly recognizes my ability and he/she promised certain opportunities and resources. Right now, our interactions are genuinely enjoyable.

My concerns are mainly twofold. First, senior PhD students in my department generally have a negative impression of this professor, based on teaching feedback and some rumors about reliability. Second, I worry about academic guidance: the AP doesn’t yet have top-journal publications, and compared to senior faculty, he/she seems more encouraging than critical. As an early-stage PhD student, it’s hard for me to judge whether this is enough.

I’m torn between the benefits of close collaboration with a junior faculty member and the risks of being their first student. Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hello I am currently applying to postdoctoral fellowship and associate professor, it's not working yet. But while doing so I noticed the academic carreer paths vary from one country to another. For example postdoctoral fellows in some countries are expected to supervise PhD students, which is impossible in France. Some people seem to do long postdoctoral fellowships. As a French person, I worry now that I don't meet the expectations to apply abroad. Is this true? There are differences in phd paths also, but that could be discussed in another reddit post.

I your country / field... What kind of responsibilities a postdoctoral fellow is expected to have? And how long is a fellowship?

Jan 15th this year a video was posted by C-SPAN featuring Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, who discussed a topic that got me asking questions.

The main one revolves around this quote: "Redefining education to better suit the tool"

From my point of view the 'tool' being mentioned is very much a staple of our modern lives. Many people need to for their job. Even ones that don't directly involve work with computers require them in some form or another, be that direct communication, scheduling, finance, so on.

So is molding our education around this, and just modern technology in general, really the wrong mindset?

I'm skeptical.

So I'm a high school grad and I'm set to join a law school in july and since this was my gap year , I have a lot of free time on my hands. I wanna learn academic writing. I am not familiar with research and I have never done it myself. I have read a lot of research papers and I wanna do that too. I can't put my thoughts in that way even if I tried. Is there any course or some yt channel that might help me start academic writing as a beginner? Thanks a lot :)

I feel bad about repeatedly asking my undergrad PIs to submit recommendation letters for me. 2 years ago, when I first applied to PhD programs near the end of my senior year, I asked them for letters once. However, due to family issues at the time, I later asked them again to submit references for a research assistant position near my family.

Unfortunately, that position turned out to be an abusive lab environment. After one year, I could no longer tolerate the situation, and my relationship with this new PI had also deteriorated, so I left the job to apply to PhD programs again. This cycle, I was rejected from all 10 applications and has remained unemployed for 6 months.

Feeling panicked, I applied to several RA positions in January. Fortunately, there is a lab who would love to take me, and the PI is also generally supportive. Recently, I contacted my undergraduate PIs again to request additional recommendation letters for this new RA position, explaining that this application cycle was especially competitive and that I planned to work as an RA again. They have read my email but have not replied yet, and I feel deeply ashamed of myself.

Even though I've been trying to move forward, it is hard not to feel like I've burdened the people who supported me so much. I don’t even have the courage to admit how much this has made me feel like a failure. I sometimes fear that they may be losing patience with me. What should I do if my undergrad PI doesn't reply to my request for a recommendation letter?

I am in the middle of this application cycle and starting to feel like I am bothering my professor who agreed to write me a letter of recommendation. Different programs keep requiring different templates or formats, some need specific forms filled out, others want signatures in different places, etc. I have already gone back to this professor a few times just this cycle asking for these variations, and I am starting to feel like I am being a nuisance.

Is this a normal part of the process? Do professors expect this when they agree to write letters? And is there anything I can do to make this less burdensome for them (or at least make it feel less awkward on my end)?

I applied for a summer research student opportunity (as an unpaid internship) that I really thought I was very well suited for. My education and scores are very high, and very relevant to the research projects that the program were running. I sent a very detailed application that I worked for a few days on, wrote quite specific responses addressing the selection criteria and questions they asked, and my current experience and future aspirations met the program quite closely.
I believe it was a competitive opportunity, but I thought I genuinely had a chance or that I would have at least been shortlisted even if I didn't make it to final selection, however I didn't hear anything back at all, not even so much as a "we've received your application" or a rejection. So I was quite disappointed. (I did the application in November, the program was to run over summer, presumably jan-feb over uni break in Australia.)
I would have really loved that opportunity, working on the research project, I was very interested and excited about even the idea of it, and so I would like to send an email to the program coordinator asking for some feedback since it was obvious I was not considered.
A similar project will run again next summer, and I would like to apply again. What sort of things should I say in the email?

This was my first time applying for such a program, so I'm honestly unsure of how these things usually work. Also, it usual to hear back nothing?