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Jump to Chiang National Laboratory (CNL).
Jump to an UNOFFICIAL Rich web site. Which although I'm being mocked, I must say impressed me enough to link to it (I do have a sense of humor, y'know).
I'm a Physics Department graduate student and an employee of Chiang National Laboratory (CNL). Currently, I am a graduate research assistant through the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I'm originally from the beautiful Pacific Northwest full of majestic mountains, lush valleys, deep blue lakes, a wide assortment of fruits and vegtables and tons of fresh seafood from the Pacific Ocean. I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Washington and forever will bleed purple and gold (regal champion colors wouldn't you say?).
After being here at the U of I for a number of years, I now know why it has so many nationally ranked departments including the Physics Department. With so few distractions, the motivation to finish is certainly strong here, if not only to have more distractions in one's life. If you're not familiar with the area, let's just say I believe they used to make rulers here...because it's so darn
When people discover I'm from Washington, I'm often asked, "What? Are you nuts???" I must admit, corn and soybeans as far as the eyes can see in every direction, for miles and miles...and miles...Sorry, it's kind of mesmerizing (for the uninitiated, if it's tall, it's corn, otherwise it's soybeans). It's hard to compare a twenty-foot man made hill to a glacier covered mountain, or the ocean to the boneyard (basically a drainage ditch), so I won't. I recall at orientation those many years ago being told, "Believe it or not, you're not at the end of the world...that's down the road a mile." I've also heard the administration is telling new graduate students, "The average mean temperature is 65° F, that's the same as San Jose, California." If you average enough 95° F and 90% humidity days with the right number of -20° F 30 mph wind chill days, than I suppose it could be so. After you accept the fact that it's not a matter of IF you will ask "What was I thinking?", but rather WHEN you will ask yourself that question, then you'll be okay.
You might be tempted to think with so few distractions, I would see a lot of movies, but I don't. A pity really since for students they are relatively cheap and even on the opening night of a first-run blockbuster, you don't have to get to the movie theatre until 15 minutes before showtime to get a good seat. I do go out to eat every once in a while with friends when my grad student budget can afford it. A few of our favorite dining establishments are Yin Jing, Papa Del's pizza, the Courier Cafe (you should try the brownie special...yum) and Jarling's Custard Cup (Wednesday is fresh strawberry custard day...mmmm). There are other things to do in Champaign County and in Champaign-Urbana , but most of the time we just spend time with friends. If not for them, I think we would all go running screaming into the night.
Most of the time I'm working on my research. I use x-ray diffraction to study surfaces and interfaces of different metal and semiconductor surfaces and interfaces. My proposed thesis project is transmission x-ray diffraction and my research project as well as a copy of my prelim paper (sin figures and equations...sorry) are on-line (recommended for the stout of heart only, or those with a quick finger on the BACK button of your browser). For those still undaunted (since the synchrotron scattering community isn't that large, I probably know who you are...are you frightened? I am), an overview of the projects that I've actively participated in is available on the CNL x-ray scattering page. A qualitative summary of x-ray diffraction is also provided for those less familiar with the subject. A link back to this page is provided at the end of each document so you don't have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way back. :) <---computer smile
I'm still trying to figure out what I did to get cast out of paradise, but at least with the "information superhighway," I can still keep in touch with home from a local's perspective or the local papers. As a native Pacific Northwesterner (although my webs are shriveling), I'm still a die-hard fan of the undisputed leader in commercial aviation and the growing Microsoft empire. You can even see Emperor Bill's Palace. One day, when I've done enough penance, I'll return to paradise (probably via American Airlines which produces a pretty good in-flight magazine called American Way).
Until then, I'll keep up my spirits by watching a great sci-fi mini-series, B5. It's creator can even be found sometimes on the Babylon 5 Newsgroup. If you're a fan of Deep Space Nine or Star Trek Voyager, you can check out their upcoming air schedules although I think you really should check out what you're missing on Babylon 5. If Sci-Fi is not your thing, then check out what the TV networks ABC, NBC and CBS are up to? If you're only interested in what's on the tube tonight, those schedules for ABC, NBC and CBS are also available.
Perhaps you're only interested in today's news summary from Reuter's, or the top headlines from The Seattle Times.
If you like to travel, why not try out the people at Internet Travel Network (Secure). If you prefer to drive, then perhaps you need directions or a map?
The internet is really useful for finding information, like a zip code or those dreaded tax forms. I can even look up information about the state of Washington at the state's web site in Olympia the state capital.
Here are a couple links for those of you interested in business and finance.