losing

[nibot]

Well, I ended up registering for just the two classes I need to graduate and not the two that would fulfill the L&S requirements for a Math degree. I met with my advisor and we had a very nice chat, coming to the conclusion that ($1300)>>(probability of successful petition)*(value of 2nd degree). So, that's that.

My advisor, however, is the staunchest supporter I could wish for. When I told him of my latest troubles with Dean Shun he immediately reached for the telephone directory, ready to talk some sense into the appropriate authorities. In the end though we came to the conclusion that this is pretty much the end of the line. I might still sic the Student Advocate Office onto the bureaucracy, however. I should have retained their services a long time ago.

The Dean of L&S ended up claiming to not have the power to grant my request. I don't actually believe that, but I was referred to the next higher level of authority, The Faculty:

Hello Tobin,

You are bringing up an interesting question--one that's at the core of all requirements and the purpose(s) they serve. Unfortunately, the question you are raising has to be asked in every instance because the regulations (formulated by the Faculty) apply to all students in the College; some of the regulations also apply beyond the College.

The Dean has been charged with the responsibility of abiding by and ensuring adherence to the regulations. Questioning the rationale for the regulations needs to be addressed to the body which formulated them--the Faculty. Consequently, the Dean is acting in accordance to his charge.

How one brings an inquiry before the abstract entity known as "The Faculty" I do not know. I do know that any individual faculty member would grant my request in a heartbeat. (Hilfinger almost stormed the Dean's office for me last semester just based on me noting that they were giving me trouble counting complex analysis as a technical course.) Nonetheless, the effort required to elevate a claim to that level and the additional $1300 it would cost me don't really seem worth the uncertain success.

In dealing with this, I cite Mark Twain, paraphrased for increased appropriateness: ``Don't let school get in the way of education.''

I add to my official list of complaints that the Extension personell are not competent. They could not answer my questions and I did not feel that I was treated with respect.

On a brighter note: When I showed up at work today (my first day as an authentic "Computer Scientist" -- heehee) I couldn't find Ken, the lab director. So I wandered about for awhile, eventually entering the computer room. Immediately some guy addressed me: "You're not Tobin Fricke by any chance? Excellent! I've come on a plane from Arizona just to meet you!" Not entirely true but I was entertained by it. He's a physics prof from ASU who came to meet with Ken and to bring us up to date on the project. Nice fellow. Anyway, the project will be grand.

So now I'm only officially in two classes, attending a half dozen or so others. This actually gives me more flexibility in how I allocate my time, which is kind of nice.

I think one of the main things I am feeling is an unwillingness to let go of this campus. It's really an unbelievable smorgasbord of intellectual offerings. Admission to this university is only a permit to gorge oneself on the buffet for a limited time only. Even in gradschool there is not such freedom to take courses at whim, so the undergraduate offer really is limited-time-only. I really have a sense of wanting to stay, not only to take advantage of these opportunities, but to prove myself -- to not leave until the job is really finished and done properly, all the courses completed, all the projects finished... I felt the same thing in Sweden, where the possibility of omtenta makes it almost tractable. In this sense, it's good and necessary that they're kicking me out.

Comments

The System.

[dedoleo.livejournal.com]

I am sorry to hear of the troubles that you are going through. That is the system for you. I am having my fair share of it too. Though, you seem pretty positive about your final decision, regardless of your circumstance, and I think that is good.

What, if I may know, is the project that you will be working on?

Re: The System.

[nibot.livejournal.com]

The project is a little bit escoteric but quite important: given the amplitude component of a fourier transform of an object, we need to recover the phase component. In an electron microscope one shoots a matter-wave (an electron wave) through a sample (such as a crystal of sulphur dioxode, for example), and the wave is diffracted by the sample, like in a double-slit experiment. The image that is formed is this diffraction pattern, which is the fourier transform of the object. The image is read with a CCD camera, which can of course read intensity but not phase of the matter wave.. Does that make any sense?

Re: The System.

[dedoleo.livejournal.com]

It makes some sense to me though I admit that I am not familiar with the terms that you are using.

Correct me, please:
An electron microscope emits an electron wave. As the wave passes through the sample it is altered. This altered wave creates an image (the fourier transform).
From this image, using the information that is present (the amplitude) you want to determine the phase.

If I've followed, the next question is: Why do you want the phase component? You did mention that it is esoteric, so I figure that you may be wanting to find the phase just for the sake of being able to find it. However, you also mentioned that it is important.

Re: The System.

[nibot.livejournal.com]

And we need to have both the phase information and the amplitude information in order to do an inverse fourier transform and get the real image, which is what we're ultimately interested in.

One thing I'm not quite sure about is under what conditions we get a real image in the microscope and under what conditions we get a diffraction pattern. I think it's a matter of having a coherent electron beam and a sufficiently small sample...

It's basically like doing a double slit experiment (http://members.tripod.com/~vsg/interfer.htm) with electrons instead of photons, and we're trying to reconstruct the slit pattern from the diffraction pattern.

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

One of my best friends at Stanford has various plans to keep doing your thing, but at Stanford. ie, taking classes in various departments and (ab)using library privileges, while somehow making enough to get by on the side. I think it's easier to do at Stanford though, because they don't care if you're actually a student; they'll let you go to the classes all you want. As long as you're not disruptive, or in one of the few limited enrollment seminars.