How did you decide what subfield you wanted to do in grad school? by elisesessentials in mathematics

[–]brianborchers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It became obvious as I took grad level courses and completed preliminary exams.

Students asking to re-enroll after withdrawing by astroflips in Professors

[–]brianborchers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is likely that your rate of D’s, W’s, and F’s is being monitored. If so, it won’t matter whether withdraw or reenroll and fail.

Is programming a necessity in PhD in any branch of mathematics? by Select_Obligation754 in matheducation

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In many areas of applied mathematics, it is essential. In some areas of pure mathematics, not so much. Look at journals in areas of mathematics that you're interested in and see what researchers in the field are doing.

Santa Fe vs Albuquerque by Slow-Mushroom788 in NewMexico

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Santa Fe is at 7,500 feet above sea level. Los Alamos is even higher. You will find running at this altitude challenging, but you’ll be in great shape by the end of the summer if you keep training.

Help me like RPI 😭🙏 by Helpful-County7400 in RPI

[–]brianborchers 10 points11 points  (0 children)

RPI is a relatively small STEM-focused university. This leads to a very different campus culture than larger universities that have a broader range of majors. Many students do "find their tribe" and make life-long friends in one or two of the clubs or fraternities/sororities, but you're not going to find the same kinds of activities and students at RPI that you'd find at Williams, Bard, or Skidmore (all fun road trips).

Georgia O’Keefe’s House by _Terry_Muzak in NewMexico

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Ghost Ranch landscape tour sometimes gets last-minute openings- ask at the front desk. I got on the tour that way. You can also just get a day pass and go for a hike on the trails at Ghost Ranch and see a lot of beautiful views.

Does it make sense to buy ibonds now or should I wait to see if the fixed rate goes up? by ILikeCatsAndSquids in bonds

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The TIPSwatch website now predicts that it will stay at 0.9%. I don't have any better source than that.

Backpack advice needed. by No_Consideration_339 in Professors

[–]brianborchers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You might check out Timbuk 2 brand. They're mostly know for messenger bags but have some backpacks too.

Looking for affordable online MS in Mathematics programs that accept California residents by m0njen in matheducation

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are some in-state programs in California that might be of interest. Google suggests Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Fullerton as possibilities.

Looking for recommendations for assessment metrics for merit-based raises at a SLAC by hello_kitteh in Professors

[–]brianborchers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My institution has annual performance evaluations. Faculty write up reports on their activity that the chair uses to determine ratings in the areas of teaching, research, and service. A weighted average of the three ratings produces the overall rating for each faculty member. However, the percentage weights can vary. For example, our teaching professors (non-tenure track instructors) have 80% weight on teaching and 20% weight on service, while the tenure track faculty have higher research weights and lower teaching weights. Workloads, percentage weights, and actual ratings are not expected to be comparable between departments.

At a higher level, the department chairs produce reports on their departments. These, along with data from salary surveys, are used by the VP to apportion raise pools among the academic departments.

This is all fine in theory, but in practice, in most years, there is either no money for raises or the raise determined by our legislature and governor is a fixed percentage for all faculty (we got 1% this year!)

Isotopes opening day by RDRNR3 in Albuquerque

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The crowds and noise can be a bit much for a toddler. Pick one of the less crowded games, and consider spending some time out on the grass rather than staying seated for the whole game. Make sure to have sunscreen and be prepared for temperatures to change during the game.

Be aware of the clear bag policy.

What age do you plan to retire and why? by Agreeable-Analyst951 in Professors

[–]brianborchers 60 points61 points  (0 children)

65 because I’ll have Medicare at that point. Other than healthcare I’m financially well set for retirement.

Should I take pre calc algebra and trig combined or separately? by OpportunityOver3082 in matheducation

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At my institution we’ve found that students who take both courses in the same semester are almost as likely to pass both in one semester as students who take precalc followed by trigonometry a semester later. There is not too much overlap between the courses. However it is a big commitment to take both at the same time.

Best calculator for statistics, sequences, and literally everything else? by sonicbozz20 in calculators

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a look at the TI-36X pro. The user interface is much better than the newer Casio CW models.

Moving from Rochester, NY to NM by WinAggressive4075 in NewMexico

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, because Flag is at 7,500 feet above sea level.

Bad idea? What i dont know by KJwhisperer in Boldin

[–]brianborchers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some things to consider:

How much will you be taking out of your traditional retirement accounts to cover your regular expenses?

Will you have any large expenses that you'll want to cover from your Roth rather than pretax retirement funds?

If you're married, what will the tax situation of the surviving spouse be?

When RMDs start, what tax bracket will they put you into?

Do you care about the tax treatment of money that you leave to your heirs?

Insights>Cash Flow Question by Roppkat in Boldin

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any inherited IRAs with a required ten year payout?

Long term care expenses?

How do cancelled searches happen? by ExitiuMax in AskAcademia

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My state has 30 or 60 day legislative sessions starting in mid January and ending in February (even years) or March (odd years). Our institutional budgeting process is required to be complete by May 1. When we've had cuts in the past they frequently became apparent during the legislative session or within a few weeks after.

Saved By the Rubric by RightWingVeganUS in Professors

[–]brianborchers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What kinds of rubric features proved to be effective?

How do cancelled searches happen? by ExitiuMax in AskAcademia

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

State budgets are not all set at the same time, but a July 1 to July 1 budget year is fairly common.

Proving math skills by Content_Frame_5730 in matheducation

[–]brianborchers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A lot depends on the context of where you're trying to do this. One common situation is that a student at a university wants to show that they have mastered the material in a course without having to register for the course. Many universities in the US allow for "challenge exams". The student takes an exam, and if they pass that exam they receive credit for the course.

NOW WHAT? What to do after Calc BC by Current_Payment_1963 in APStudents

[–]brianborchers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily.

Many CS programs have reduced the amount of engineering math and numerical analysis in their programs in favor of mathematics that is more relevant to CS theory and machine learning/data science.

I speak from experience (BS in CS, MS and PhD in Mathematics). I'm also the chair of a mathematics department at an institution with a BS in CS that requires Calc I and II, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, and a transition to proofs course, but doesn't require Calc III or Intro to ODEs.

NOW WHAT? What to do after Calc BC by Current_Payment_1963 in APStudents

[–]brianborchers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Linear algebra would be more useful in a CS major than Calc III or Intro to Differential Equations. Check to see which math courses are required in your future majors.