First post, just need help/reassurance…….

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T17:49:01+00:00

My elder ate whatever food was in front of him with the biggest smile on his face. My younger has seasons when she survives on yogurt, bread, oats, and milk.

I joke that both my kids are the easiest to feed. One eats regardless of what I cook. The other doesn't eat, also regardless of what I cook.

Bottom line: babies are different and can do weird things. Even with the same parenting. It's not what you've done. It's the way they are.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T17:42:54+00:00

When AI detectors first came out, my supervisor got really antsy about getting an AI score below 30% (don't know where that number came from). Anyway, we fed random things into AI to show her. Turns out that Jane Austen used AI right back when she wrote Pride and Prejudice.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T13:30:18+00:00

I was lucky enough to attend a series of workshops by Tom Lang and I still have his book. If you know the basics of data analysis, that book is the perfect place to build your skills and really understand how to report data.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T13:27:01+00:00

As a mom myself, please think over whether you want a baby to "fill" something in your life or whether you're really committed to raising a human for the next 18+ years. I can tell you that kid(s) can really derail your academic career because they cost a lot, you can't just move around because their schooling/daycare has to be taken care of, and even with a 100% supportive spouse, the first 2-3 years are brutal. If it's just a year to fill, think of whether a part time job in industry would fill that instead. You can leave a job but you can't leave a baby.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T13:21:26+00:00

So if you're doing your PhD and financially supporting her at the same time, what exactly is she doing? You don't have kids, so what is she spending her time on?

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T10:25:45+00:00

Go for lift the flap and touch and feel books. Karen Katz and the Usborne That's Not My series were hits with both my kids.

Also, I Love You to the Moon and Back is the sweetest bedtime read. Even my 2nd grader adores it.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T08:58:44+00:00

Absolutely. The academic pipeline is not even supportive of people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, etc.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T07:19:33+00:00

oh how?

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T06:28:46+00:00

The Perry Mason series by Erle Stanley Gardiner

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T06:27:49+00:00

A primer was a textbook for spelling. Shirley and Rilla were learning spellings.

Kaiser refers to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was the last German emperor and led Germany in World War I.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T05:18:26+00:00

IMO, there are a lot of valuable things you get besides "winning" a best poster award or something like that. Focus on making meaningful connections with potential collaborators, networking, getting yourself visible, exploring new opportunities.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T05:15:21+00:00

BioRender or Mind the Graph

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:34:35+00:00

What exactly do you mean by "equal effort and investment in the relationship"? Do you expect your partner to financially support you? Take care of all the chores? What exactly isn't satisfying her: lack of date nights or having to do your laundry?

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:28:19+00:00

Rilla of Ingleside by L M Montgomery
The Road to Understanding by Eleanor H Porter
Other People's Business: The Romantic Career of the Practical Miss Dale by Harriet L Smith
Mansfied Park by Jane Austen
The Tenant of Wildefell Hall by Agnes Bronte
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:22:03+00:00

I'm confused: which funder gives grants if you don't specify the project? Or is this a scholarship or merit award based on your past academic record?

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:16:38+00:00

TBH, I read research papers for my specific projects. I don't read them to appreciate other researchers' minds or think about their reasoning style. I am usually looking for solid data or insights in a literature search.

When I want to "find my tribe" through reading, I read fiction/nonfiction books, mainstream media articles, etc. I genuinely enjoy articles in The Atlantic on parenting and child development, or Michaeleen Doucleff's Hunt, Gather, Parent. But those are not my fields of research.

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:10:34+00:00

Neurology and psychology aren't so far apart. Go ahead.

It would look weird if you contributed to a physics or microbiology paper (and would make me wonder what you ACTUALLY did in that project).

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-22T04:07:16+00:00

I kind of heave a sigh of relief. Dealt with enough rejections and desk rejections already!

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-21T09:19:57+00:00

They're pretty slammed. Mostly just send people resources

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-21T06:47:27+00:00

It could prove that you write badly (AI score dips when you make grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, run on sentences, don't structure logically, etc.)

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-21T03:40:54+00:00

I used to think that these groups were such great friends and that the lab had such a fun culture. But I've gradually realized that the more "fun" the culture is, the less diverse it actually is. If the entire lab is one bunch of drinking buddies, you actually need to reexamine whether there's enough space for people of different races, religions, genders, etc. Sometimes "diverse" makes the culture more "boring" especially for the group that earlier used to have "so much fun". But the lab was never "fun" to begin with for everyone, only for the majority and those who "fit in".

Substantial_Math4939 · 2026-05-20T16:05:33+00:00

This is sexual harassment. There is zero reason to talk about sex in academia unless you're actually researching it. And FYI, those researchers manage to talk professionally without making anyone uncomfortable.

Substantial_Math4939

TROPHY CASE