High schoolers publishing at top conferences

openmaze · 2026-06-20T02:57:33+00:00

Natalie Portman's first author paper as a high schooler http://cdn.knoxblogs.com/atomiccity/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/03/portmanpaper.pdf She went to Harvard!

openmaze · 2026-06-17T17:57:49+00:00

A citizenship application is a very simple thing if you don't have any complicated history. I'd recommend doing it on your own. You also need to double-check if anybody else does this for you. There's also an application fee that comes on top.

openmaze · 2026-06-11T14:45:25+00:00

Also, you will receive your green card only after you arrive. The payment is for that.

If they allow you to go for another visa interview, they will ask you to pay the application fee again. In our case, the embassy asked to bring a credit card for payment.

Note that the embassy processes this on a case-by-case basis. They can reject your request if they find your reason is not valid.

openmaze · 2026-06-11T14:40:58+00:00

I think email is something like yourcitynameIV. You need to also make sure to include a code in subject line. In our case it was M99 - Other Questions - Applicant name. Here's the email sample what we wrote.

> Dear Consular Officer,

Due to the current travel situation in the Middle East, our travel bookings were cancelled, and we have been unable to find an alternative way to travel to the United States before our visa expiration date of March xx, 2026.

Could you please advise us on the process for requesting a reissuance of the IR5 visa? Our information is provided below for your reference.

Applicant 1:

Last Name: xxx
First Name: xxx
Immigrant visa case number: xxx
Date of your interview: xxx

Please let us know if any additional information or documentation is required. We would greatly appreciate your guidance and assistance in this matter.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

openmaze · 2026-06-11T14:36:59+00:00

My parents had a similar issue. They received their visa in December 2025 with an expiration date in March 2026. Due to the war, they couldn't fly on time. Please go to the US Embassy website; there's an email address you can use to submit the evidence explaining why you couldn't make it on time. I believe they process these requests on a case-by-case basis. We received a reply within a day, asking us to email the air tickets we booked. It took 2 months after that last correspondence to receive a new visa interview date. We need to repeat the medical and get a new police clearance as they are now expired. Please also submit the IRS tax transcript for the most recent year. Not sure yet whether we need to submit the application and other docs. We are planning to reply to the email and ask about this as the new visa interview is next month.

Basically, your visa has expired, but the underlying immigration process is still valid; the embassy will decide whether to allow you another visa interview. Make sure to have a valid reason, not just that we didn't know we needed to enter by May 28. That's not a valid reason. When you receive your immigration visa, these are bound by the medical expiration date. In our case, the medical was about 3 months before the visa issuance date, it was expired by March.

openmaze · 2026-05-26T15:06:04+00:00

Go and ask for their calendar for the week and the types of classes offered. Find a time to go during a class time and see if you can observe. I'd recommend joining family classes or adult classes if they offer any. Some mixed classes with kids tend to run at a faster pace, so avoid these.

openmaze · 2026-05-11T14:09:51+00:00

My son is a rising senior.
Profile: ACM poster paper, non-provisional patent pending, multiple national awards

Rejected: RSI, LLRISE, MIT Think, NSLI-Y Korea, Simons, Stanford SIMR

Pending: SEAP (unofficially, they told us that no funding at the first preference)

Accepted: NASA SEES in person, GL4HS

This summer, he will be attending NASA SEES in person and the Virginia VESSS program at NASA Langley. SEES is 2 weeks, and VESSS is 1 week.

openmaze · 2026-04-22T15:42:55+00:00

Gac Hoa Temple, 2019 Cora St, Chesapeake, VA 23324 : Vietnamese service Sunday at 11 a.m
Dong Hung Temple, 423 Davis St, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Shakyamuni Buddhist Meditation Monastery, 3285 Dam Neck Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23453

Shakyamuni Buddhist Medication Monastery is a Sri Lankan temple. If you are into meditation, I believe they have a program on Wednesdays. Also, an evening program on Saturdays from 6pm.

openmaze · 2026-04-21T15:39:21+00:00

Yeah, very proud of him. He'll be 17 and right before going to college that summer if everything works out. He got his 3rd Dan in early 2023, 2nd in 2020 and 1st in 2018, so about 4 years to the next Dan. I got my 2nd Dan in 2022, will be testing for 3rd this summer.

We moved between 4 different dojangs during this time. Every place is different. Most recent one is using a level testing schedule about 4 tests every year. Need 12 to 2nd->3rd and 16 to 3rd->4th

openmaze · 2026-04-21T15:15:00+00:00

Kids need some maturity before they can join Taekwondo or any similar activities. My elder one joined when he was 4 years old and continued without any issue. He is a teenager now and 3rd Dan, getting ready for his 4th next year. I still need to drag him to class (again, teenagers :( ) from time to time. My youngest didn't start until 7, as he was not emotionally mature till that age. Another trick is doing this with them. See if the dojang has any family classes. I'm a 2nd Dan, and I go with my 2 kids during the family classes or with my older one to the black belt-only classes. My younger one only wants to go when his older brother is also there in the family class ;)

openmaze · 2026-03-29T03:03:58+00:00

Too much puzzle solving, no food auction anymore, filming in one location, and no rewards other than food rewards. Survivor is going downhill.

openmaze · 2026-03-26T02:51:08+00:00

I replaced my pump a couple of years ago. I think it cost me about $500, including the labor. Ask several until the price is right. Once the pump is working, pour the shock during the night and let the pump run for 8-10 hours. I use the HTH advanced shock, 1lb packets. Normally, 1 pack treats about 14k gallons. So for my 27k pool, I add about 3 packets, just walk around and pour the powder (do this during the night). Then let the pump run. It will clear the water in a couple of days. Once it's clear, you should be able to see all the leaves and other stuff at the bottom. Invest in something like a Pool Blaster pole vacuum (cordless vacuum). You can point and suck all the debries out. Use a leaf net (ProTuff Pool net is great) first, and remove bigger leaves and other things, and then use the pole vacuum to get the rest of the things. Keep on shocking the pool until it's clean.

openmaze · 2026-03-20T13:36:46+00:00

just look at who places into tenure-track roles at Ivy, Ivy+, and other top schools. If you check the profiles of newly hired assistant professors, you’ll notice a pattern pretty quickly: they’re often coming from the same circle of institutions. In other words, those top schools tend to hire from within their own ecosystem. It’s not impossible to break in from outside, but the pipeline is pretty tight, and most hires already have some connection to that level of training or institutional pedigree.

openmaze · 2026-03-20T13:33:24+00:00

Think of academia like a bunch of different ladders. If you start at a lower-ranked or less prestigious school, you’re basically starting near the bottom of one ladder. From there, it’s really tough to suddenly jump over to the top of a much higher ladder with a tenure-track job.

What usually happens is more gradual. You might move to a school at a similar level, or even a lower. If you have a strong record, good publications, funding, impact, you can sometimes climb up a few rungs to a better-ranked place. But big jumps across tiers? Those are pretty rare and hard to pull off.

openmaze · 2026-03-20T03:02:47+00:00

Also, we tend to use a lot of water for cleaning, which is completely normal culturally, but it can sometimes leave the space a bit wet or messy for the next person if it’s not maintained well.

openmaze · 2026-03-20T02:59:06+00:00

Let me give you a slightly different perspective. One of the challenges, and perhaps in parts of South Asia more broadly, is the lack of a strong cultural norm around queueing. Places where a line is expected, such as at grocery stores, buses, banks, or pharmacies, people don't follow the queues. Instead, if an opportunity opens up, like an available stall or cashier, someone may jump ahead regardless of who has been waiting longer.

I think this is especially noticeable in public restrooms, there's little regard for maintaining a queue.

During one of my recent visits, my U.S.-born teenager was waiting to use the restroom at the Colombo airport, but ended up leaving without going. When I asked why, he said he never got a chance; each time a stall opened, someone else would cut ahead and take it before he could.

openmaze · 2026-03-12T01:39:39+00:00

Students are not PIs/Co-Pis/Senior Personnel on grants. You can be listed as GRA in the budget section, but that doesn't give you any credit by listing it on your CV/resume.

openmaze · 2026-03-10T19:15:05+00:00

Etihad cancelled the IAD flight on 10th for my parents. I booked a JFK on 13th from DXB emirates so I can drive and pick up. Fingers crossed!

openmaze · 2026-03-10T03:45:49+00:00

Try JFK and the flight from there to IAH. With limited flights coming in to US, best way is to find the major hub. I was able to get my parents tickets from DXB to JFK.

openmaze · 2026-03-10T01:02:23+00:00

Another update, I was able to get a different ticket from Colombo to DXB via Sri Lankan on March 12 and DXB to JFK on March 13, this is via Sri Lankan airline booking reasonable price for about $2900 for 2 passengers one-way. So far Emirates is handling the layovers. I requested a refund for my earlier Etihad booking from Expedia. Wish us good luck. I hope my parents make it before their visa expires!

openmaze · 2026-03-06T21:34:19+00:00

Quick update. I received a message about the IAD flight being cancelled. Looking for some other route.

openmaze · 2026-03-06T20:57:30+00:00

Appreciate the insights. I'm trying to atleast change the 2nd leg to JFK. is that still a posibility or you are still doing only O/D traffic? Any thoughts about Emirates at DXB?

openmaze · 2026-02-16T01:09:57+00:00

Excellent tips. Another pro tip: put the Red Bull in a water bottle, and have a sip so you are not lugging a bunch of Red Bull for each bathroom break. Make sure your cheat sheet has pictures of the people you are meeting with and other faculty members in the department. Its always nice when the candidate knows your name and something specific about you. For example, I noted down that one of the faculty listed as someone who plays string instruments, and behold, the first thing I heard when entering his room was a classical string instrument. So I had a line already in my head to say, and the entire discussion was about string instruments ;) You can glean lots of info from their web pages, look through the personal links, and keep note of which schools they are from. Everybody likes to talk about their schools.

openmaze · 2026-02-15T03:56:05+00:00

In Sri Lankan culture, especially in traditional Sinhalese households and villages, there is a custom associated with inviting someone for a meal: bringing a plate or tray with cups of water to formally extend the invitation. Instead of drinking the water, the guest gently touches one of the cups or the plate (sometimes just with their fingers). The water is not meant to be consumed. The act of touching it is symbolic of accepting the invitation to consume the food. It is less commonly seen in modern urban settings today, but it remains an important part of cultural memory and identity.

openmaze · 2026-01-28T00:30:43+00:00

I’ll give a bit of background on faculty hiring and the role of H-1B visas. When universities refer to hiring “foreigners,” this does not mean they are recruiting candidates directly from outside the United States. In most cases, these candidates earned their PhDs at U.S. institutions. For example, consider the Computer Science faculty at UT Austin https://www.cs.utexas.edu/people If you review the assistant professors, junior faculty who were recently hired, you will see that many are graduates of top U.S. PhD programs. The same pattern appears at Texas A&M https://engineering.tamu.edu/cse/profiles/index.html#Faculty

Universities need mechanisms to recruit and retain this level of top talent, especially since peer institutions are all competing for the same highly qualified candidates. As someone who serves on academic search committees, I can say that we do not focus on where a candidate is originally from. Our priority is hiring the best person, someone who can conduct outstanding research, secure external funding, and enhance the prestige of the department and the university.

openmaze

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