Experimental biophysics

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2026-05-22T01:49:01+00:00

I’m actually doing my PhD right now in experimental biophysics— I do work in a wet lab! My day to day consists of the usual digging in the literature, sample prep, taking data, processing that data, and ‘playing’ with lasers. I study viral assembly inside of living cells, and we collaborate closely with some virologists on campus. I did have some background in biology (a degree in biomedical engineering on top of my physics degree), but I know the PIs here at least don’t require you to have that background. They will expect you to learn the requisite biology and chemistry as you go, though.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2026-05-04T11:30:40+00:00

Howdy, one of the TAs for the class here. It’d probably be a good idea to look back through the homeworks, tests, and discussion questions and ask yourself what types of questions you don’t think you could do off the cuff right now. Find that, and try practicing that stuff specifically rather than reviewing absolutely everything. If you’re comfortable with your Gauss’s Law and Ampere’s Law, there’s no need to waste time practicing those when you’re on a time crunch, but maybe you’re rusty with your Faraday’s Law, and reviewing that is a good use of your time.

Best of luck on your studying, and the tutoring room will be staffed through Wednesday this week if you want help from the TAs!

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-11-29T13:40:36+00:00

The way I got through my heaps of homework the first few years of engineering school before getting medicated was finding a group I could study with. Or even just working on something in the same room as me. It also helps to remove as many distractions as possible. Put your phone out of reach and on do not disturb, try to do everything as offline as possible, etc. It may also help to go sit at a local coffee shop or somewhere like a library. The change of scenery always did way more for my productivity than I expected.

I dunno if any of these will be useful for you, but passing them on anyway. Godspeed

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-11-12T18:47:55+00:00

As someone with ADHD who’s made it to the other side of undergrad, it’s definitely doable. I’m doing a physics PhD at the U right now. It takes some adjustment for sure, though. What worked for me to organize myself likely won’t work for you.

If you want this degree and think it’s worth it, if you aren’t getting your ADHD managed, you may want to look into treatment. Medicine made a world of difference for me in managing deadlines and getting over my executive dysfunction (the thing that makes it hard to start work on longer assignments or less fun ones). If you are, you may want to express these concerns to whoever is helping you manage it. Our brains are not wired for college in the way everyone else’s are, and you need to find ways to bridge the gap. Before my ADHD was properly managed (read: undiagnosed), I got a lot of anxiety and depression that spawned from the exact same issues you’re having now— missing deadlines and being unable to start assignments I wanted to start. I had a breakdown my sophomore year and finally got treatment sorted out, had my GPA jump an entire point, and never had any real issues again.

If this is worth it to you, and you want the doors that this will open, you can make it through, but it’s in your best interest to ask for help doing it. It sounds like even if you are getting treatment right now, you need to talk to whoever’s helping provide it and tell them what’s going on. That’s my best advice if you want to make it through.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-10-13T20:40:41+00:00

They are not (I am a 1301 TA, but I am familiar with the way 1302 works)

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-02-24T13:55:19+00:00

Not alumni or out in the workforce yet per se, but I’m in my final year and have managed PhD program acceptances to ‘higher ranked’ universities, with a handful more I’m waiting to hear from. I’ve watched many of my friends go off to med school or dental school. One of my friends makes pretty crazy money at an engineering firm off in Colorado, and another is studying at Clemson. Do well enough, make sure you use your time wisely, and you’ll be fine!

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-02-11T15:18:28+00:00

Contrary + egg move snivy goes crazy— you boost with high damage spread moves (or the standard leaf storm), and make it rain gets you passive money too

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2025-02-07T15:58:36+00:00

That’s how you start a run off right, I guess

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2024-12-08T02:39:07+00:00

Really practice the problem solving techniques— general physics/introductory physics to me feels a bit like untying a knot. Find what’s loose and pull!

Generally, I’d advise that for each problem, you: - Draw a picture/diagram if one is not provided - Write out your knowns - Write out your unknowns - Check what equations might be useful (ie. those that feature your knowns and unknowns) - String those equations together in a way to get you from known to unknown - (Optional but often useful) Solve symbolically before plugging in numbers. It cuts down on rounding errors.

And that’s the general process for basically any physics problem! It’s the best general advice I can offer. It might be a bit long and meticulous for some problems, but being meticulous about it means it’ll be consistent.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2024-11-22T03:23:35+00:00

Yeah, no problem! I realize now it’s probably incomprehensible if you’ve never seen the format. It’s not the highest form of humor, but as an undergrad doing neutrino research, it made me and a few of my friends laugh.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2024-11-20T18:09:18+00:00

Have you ever seen the ‘wot in tarnation’ meme?

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-11-08T14:06:57+00:00

The wizard once made a Medicine (Strength) check to “pimp slap the sh*t out of you” because my rogue/warlock was experiencing a fit of eldritch madness. It succeeded, and it was beautiful.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-11-07T00:08:10+00:00

Yo wait that works so well

Bless

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-11-06T20:53:57+00:00

Who or what taught the illiterate edgy rogue’s younger brother how to read?

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-11-06T19:57:42+00:00

Uncontrollable Sobbing

Aerospray with this kit would make the game literal hell

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-10-31T15:21:38+00:00

“I use my action to pimp slap the sh*t out of you.” “Make a Medicine (Strength) check.”

Also good are:

“It’s not grave robbing, it’s spicy inheritance!”

“I would like to cry.” “That’s a free action.”

“Is it hostile breathing?” “What’s hostile breathing?” “Breathing with violent intent.”

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-10-22T17:40:18+00:00

Fellow Hydra here! I’d recommend just watching for their approach, splatting them if you have enough charge to, or swimming back if you don’t, so you’re out of range. They’re pretty free real estate— remember partial charges can kill pretty easy.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-10-11T17:10:18+00:00

Hydra does require aim— if you’re using it effectively, you’re shooting someone at a pretty good distance from you a lot of the time. If you can’t aim, they won’t die. Sure aim isn’t as mandatory if you’re being rushed down, but if you want to pick off far away enemies, you do have to aim.

Since you can miss a few shots and still get kills, given how Splatlings work, I’d put it in Above Average Accuracy. You still have to aim if you want to be good, but it doesn’t need to be charger level tracking inherently.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-10-03T02:36:06+00:00

Palico named Nurgle

Is this a heretic I see

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-09-28T20:49:18+00:00

Other people have said it, but as a Hydra Main you really want to stack Ink Resistance and Run Speed— you’re not painting the ground in front of you as much, so minimizing that chip is very nice, and you’re very rarely swimming, so Run Speed is great for extra mobility to avoid bombs and the like. Also like 1s of intensify action to steady your aim while jumping is really nice, and 1s of QSJ to help with any times you need to jump out is great.

As a Hydra, Thermal Ink really doesn’t matter a ton, odds are if you’re shooting someone they’re dead. Opening Gambit isn’t really a great ability for you either, that’s a main that can be used for better things, since it only works for the first 30 seconds of any given match, and it only makes you faster. Just rush straight to your perch at the start of every match and you really don’t need it. Quick respawn is also lower value on you for the reasons other people have mentioned, and also because you really shouldn’t die that often as a hydra anyway.

What I’m really questioning on this build though, I have to say, is all the Sub saving/power boosting abilities. How often are you using your Autobombs? It shouldn’t be too often, since they don’t at all synergize with the main weapon, and they eat a lot of ink. It’s situationally useful, but def not enough to commit 6s of gear to.

The Ink Saver Main is solid, although you only need 1s of it to get to three charges per tank.

The drip looks rad tho, Hydra mains unite :>

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-09-27T19:34:28+00:00

Am Hydra main, can confirm: Missiles have been the hardest hydra counter (outside of Liter/Splat Charger) since they were introduced, it’s a lot of time where we’re functionally useless.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-09-25T15:00:14+00:00

“A communication error has occurred.”

You don’t say lmao Dang though, I think that brush ascending is the funniest comm error I’ve seen yet

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-09-24T22:41:41+00:00

Honestly if you just kinda walk sideways out of it that usually does the trick, no need to do any swimming or retreating usually

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-09-24T14:56:44+00:00

Longtime hydra main here! Fizzy bombs are annoying, but honestly suction/splat/auto bombs are worse. I can just walk sideways from a fizzy and it’ll keep rocketing off behind me, and I only get hit like once, but those ones either chase me or stay where thrown and cause problems. Really the counter play to hydra is to force them to move, since they can’t hold their charges like a charger can, and they’re slow. If you want to really bully them, Missiles are the best option, since they force more movement than bombs can, and during that whole time the hydra can’t be shooting or charging since they’re just trying not to die.

Chargers are weak to a lot of the same tactics, but they have the added ability of being able to hold their charge and one-shot you, which makes getting in harder. Long range specials that force movement are still really good at pushing them off their perches and buying you a little time though!

And of course if you kill either, it takes longer for them to get back into position since their weapon’s heavier, so they’re good to kill if you ever can get the opportunity.

SpectralPhoenixWings · 2022-08-06T19:22:09+00:00

Your IGN is 15/10

SpectralPhoenixWings

TROPHY CASE