In January 2004, I saw Gareth McKinley of MIT give a talk at Dynamics Days. Among other things, he showed us what happens when you shoot a bullet at Silly Putty---Answer: It shatters like glass!---which was the coolest thing I saw at that conference (and among the coolest things I've ever seen). I tried to find a video online via google, but I couldn't. Instead, I'm just going to say that non-Newtonian fluids can do some cool stuff and that you should look at the videos on the page I referenced. If you ever get a chance to see McKinley give a talk, it's highly recommended. He's a very entertaining speaker, and you'll learn a lot too!
By the way, a fluid is non-Newtonian when the viscosity changes with the applied shear [force].
Consider the mantle of the Earth. A very cool substance.
ReplyDeleteHey, Mason, if you want to put up an entry someday on "How I got my first postdoc..." that would roxxor.
Sure, I'll do that at some point. I could even have a sequel, "How I got my second postdoc." (And I, for one, don't plan on this becoming a trilogy!)
ReplyDeleteOne thing worth noting for now: In different fields it works very differently. I applied directly to departments/programs almost exclusively, whereas I know that in other fields one either contacts people directly or one's advisor has connections and you get your postdoc that way. Anyway, I'll say more later. (Just remind me in a little while if I haven't done this yet.)
That would be excellent. Yeah, I know about differences accross fields; right now I just need to know that this is something everyone has to deal with and how it's worked for people. (Yes, my field is very much the "your advisor arranges things." Except it's not clear that's true for what I want to do.
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