UConn here I come!

So it happened again – an e-mail from Dr. Jepsen stating it’ll be another year before she starts her research group and I didn’t get into other research groups at MIT. So I’m very excited to announce that I’m going to be starting my masters degree (probably leading into a PhD) with Dr. Bahram Javidi’s research group at the University of Connecticut! I’ve been down there a couple times and have already decided on a research topic! It’s real-time 3d sensing and identification of microorganisms using holography. I’m really excited to start work (took the last half of last week off to get all read up on holography and microorganism fun stuff)!

Originally, Kate and I were hoping to stay in the Boston area. She’s been a teaching assistant in a school for the last couple years and after finishing her teaching masters degree this summer was hoping to take over her own classroom. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a job there (we’re both bitter towards Boston!) so we’re free to look elsewhere. I only need to take one class at a time at UConn, and the one this fall only meets once a week (on Friday afternoons even!) so the thought was for me to keep my full time job at Lincoln and do a part time masters program, doing research in my spare time.

After my visit down there earlier this week, it’s become very apparent to me that it’ll be VERY VERY difficult to do an intensive research project at the same time as working full time… and there’s also the 80 mile commute between work and school to consider. Right now, I think I’m going to cut back to working half time in the fall, either working two very long days and spending three in lab at UConn or come in on weekends. We’re looking to move to the middle of Massachusetts near the Connecticut border so Kate can actually use the Massachusetts teaching certification she’s worked so hard for! UConn is only about 20 minutes from the CT/MA border so that can easily be worked out on my end. Plus, there are TONS of teaching openings for Kate!! Yay!

So things are a bit up in the air with Kate searching for a job… really hope she can find something good and me trying to figure out what to do about balancing work and school. It’ll probably be tough but we’re both really looking forward to moving as far away from Boston as we can (I’m going to get a stupid thing about Boston column going here soon).

So what else is new? I’ve been spending way more time and money on comic books and related paraphernalia than I really should be I’ve recently started acquiring Original Comic Art, focusing on pages that hold significance from my childhood. If you are interested in experiencing the real nerdy nerdy (and roll your eyes like Kate rolls her eyes), then take a look at my gallery at the Comic Art Fans community website: Linky Yay nerdiness!

I’m also working on a fun little 3d movie using Flash. I started another blog to document the process. Check out my White Rabbit 3d Blog! It’s good for you!

That’s me… I’ve been REALLY self absorbed lately trying to deal with all the crap going on. Will get out and say hi to everyone soon!

Hope the weekend was nice and the weather treated you much better than it did stupid Boston (eh, Boston deserves it, stupid stupid Boston)

-Bob

Bob at work

This is pretty accurate.

-Bob

Bob’s career

Howdy,

Life's been a bit stressful over the last month as I've waited to hear back from grad school to determine my future plans.  My main objective was and still is to make a living designing display devices such as televisions and computer monitors.  I was hoping to start graduate school in the fall with Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen's "Nomadic Displays" group at the MIT Media Lab.  Dr. Jepsen is currently serving as Chief Technical Officer of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) non profit organization, with a goal to distribute government-subsidized $100 laptops to third world children.  She decided to delay the creation of her research group until Fall of 2007 so she could stay as CTO of OLPC through the launch of the laptops.

So what does that mean for me?  I have no graduate program to get into this year.  I can wait a year and go in Fall of 2007 but now I need to figure out what to do over the next year.  I enjoy my current job working in Optical Communications at Lincoln Laboratory and can gain some valuable optical testing and design experience but I don't feel very passionate about what I'm doing.  Lincoln doesn't have any display projects but I can get involved with testing of CCD digital imager sensors so that's at least kinda sorta related to what I want to do.  I'm wondering if I should put my career objectives on hold for a year or try for a job with a local display company.  It doesn't make much sense to go somewhere for just a year but then again, at least I would be heading in the right direction.  Dr. Jepsen said there was a chance OLPC would hire a display person in the Boston area.  That'd be great!

So yup, that's my dilemna.  What do you people think?
It's sunny outside and I need to do some picture taking!

-Bob