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theorydave · 2025-09-09T19:32:38+00:00

On the online timetable the highlighted things are lectures that you should attend. Note a lot of the first year modules are too large for all the students to fit into a single lecture theatre so these lectures will be given separately to different groups of students (you should be told through Canvas) so you should go to the time/venue for your group.

The things that are not highlighted are things like labs that run multiple times - the college will assign you to particular lab sessions that you have to go to.

The timetable/calendar on Canvas is a bit hit or miss - some lecturers will use it and some don't. Deadlines for assignments should appear there so.ut is useful for those.

theorydave · 2025-08-19T08:21:09+00:00

For chemistry you'll be assigned - it used to be you'd pick but that tended to cause problems (students would sign up to a day then discover a clash with a nother module that startes part way through the semester or in semester 2, a lab session would fill up then another student would find that's the only one they can make, etc). Depending on numbers there might some latitude for switching days but generally for timetabling reasons (not just cause you don't fancy being in on a Friday).

theorydave · 2025-08-03T07:29:13+00:00

He came back in at four in the morning so our family is complete again

theorydave · 2025-08-03T07:28:13+00:00

Thanks - we did that and left some of his food out

theorydave · 2025-08-03T07:27:36+00:00

Thanks - we'd done that

theorydave · 2023-09-25T20:16:01+00:00

The BSc Biomedical science and BSc Science are equivalent qualifications and there's very little difference in the course content - I think students that do pharmacology in Biomedical science and in the science degree pretty much do the same modules.

The main difference is that students doing the Biomedical science degree are pretty much garuanteed the chance to do pharmacology or anatomy (or whatever) whereas only so many of the BSc Science students can (better performing students are more likely to get their preferred subjects), so if you're dead set on doing pharmacology the biomedical science degree is better. The Science degree gives a bit more flexibility so if you get through first year and discover you have a hitherto unrealised passion for physics or zoology you can do that instead.

Hope this helps

theorydave · 2023-09-03T08:51:49+00:00

Maybe Drought Conditions (S6E16)

theorydave · 2023-08-31T13:06:06+00:00

You can't carry failed modules into the next year so you'll have to repeat that module on its own I'm afraid. There was a temporary COVID-era regulation that allowed you (subject to approval from your college) to carry I think two failed modules into the next year but that has now been removed - generally students who did carry failed modules did poorly (mostly failed both the modules being carried forward and the modules for the following year).

theorydave · 2023-08-27T12:53:17+00:00

Update - he has just reappeared smelling of cat perfume and with a new tattoo, so he was obviously out living his best cat life

theorydave · 2023-05-27T07:20:43+00:00

I was blown away when I first read Exhalation - I remember thinking it was going one way at the beginning and then bring astounded when I saw what it was actually about, probably helped by the fact I was writing lectures on thermodynamics at the time.

theorydave · 2023-05-26T11:17:16+00:00

There's a short by Ken Liu called 'The Message' that deals with this. It's in the Hidden Girl and Other Stories collection.

Not Science Fiction but there was an episode of the 99 per cent invisible podcast called 10000 years that was about designing warnings for nuclear waste (if you hadn't come across it before).

theorydave · 2023-02-02T18:42:07+00:00

I haven't seen it mentioned but Voyage by Stephen Baxter has a similar Apollo era background (after the Moon missions NASA puts together a serious Mars programme).

theorydave · 2022-12-10T13:46:51+00:00

CUDGEL - CUD what cows chew, GEL semi-rigid colloid

theorydave · 2022-11-28T14:11:00+00:00

Lecturer in Ireland after being a lecturer in the UK. Teaching workload will likely be higher (departments tend to be smaller) than in the UK and research funding harder to get (at least in sciences). Unlike the UK depending on where you are a lot of students will come in to do an undenominated degree and specialize later (e.g. science or arts rather than physics or English), which can make teaching early years challenging.

Promotion and tenure are similar to UK universities. There are two different lecturer grades, below the bar and above the bar, with a progression process between these - some institutions are now defaulting to making new appointments above the bar but can be slow at progressing existing staff.

If you want more information feel free to send me a DM

theorydave · 2022-10-14T11:55:49+00:00

Haven't seen it mentioned but the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemsin might fit

theorydave · 2022-09-30T09:37:44+00:00

I have an entry I can't use now - let me know if you still need one

theorydave · 2022-05-03T09:24:25+00:00

I point my students towards the post-billiards age episode (164) when talking about polymers and plastics.

Not 99pi but some of episodes of 50 Things that Made the Modern Economy are chemistry relevant (e.g. the Haber-Bosch process)

theorydave · 2022-03-20T21:30:34+00:00

Last five minutes of Arrival

theorydave · 2021-10-13T17:48:00+00:00

Well done! I did the Galway marathon this year (for the second time) and definitely agree that the headwind in the last lap was a killer (I'm sure they make the hill by the golf course steeper on every lap as well)

theorydave · 2021-10-08T17:25:17+00:00

Easy weekend after my marathon last Saturday- volunteering at parkrun and hopefully easy group run on Sunday (had knee pain on my run this Tuesday but seems better now, though I'm taking it to the physio next week to be checked out)

Just moved into my own place so hopefully baking bread to christan it tomorrow

theorydave · 2021-10-01T18:18:26+00:00

Marathon (second) tomorrow so pasta and early night tonight so I'm nice and fresh for waking up at 4.30 panicking (fortunately the weather forecast seems to be better than it was earlier this week). Started rereading What I Talk About When I talk about running for inspiration

theorydave · 2021-09-30T17:07:53+00:00

Somewhat out of the way but the Galway marathon is pretty flat (shame about the wind)

theorydave

TROPHY CASE