why does my research matter?
rather, it doesn't matter very much.
very few things in life actually matter much at all.
why is it interesting?
sometimes it bores me too, but not enough that i give it up.
what do i like about teaching?
..
still thinking.
well, sometimes research drives me nuts,
and it's nice to do something else for a little while.
i used to have no problem writing about mathematics. after all, how often have you readers been subject to my math-y rants? maybe it's the non-voluntary nature of this task, to write about math for mathematicians that is trying my wit and patience.
i don't know.
sometimes i feel like i've had far too few conversations about my work with other mathematicians. at this point, it might as well be a foreign language to them, and it's my own fault, really. i don't think anyone understood my talk last month and besides, i didn't get to anything interesting.
i'm constantly astonished at some mathematicians i know, and how much they love their mathematics. they will talk about it all the time, even at social events. forgetting social convention or etiquette, this indicates something.
it really matters to them: what they study, what they learn, what they want to know.
i wonder what that says about me.
6 comments:
Think of some math talk you gave recently, preferably to a wide audience. Your research statement should be structured similarly to that talk: at the beginning, everyone should understand what's going on, in the second half you should state a couple of theorems. You don't have to write the statement from line 1 to line N in order. If you begin by writing the theorems that you want to include, they will call for some preliminary explanation and motivational part, which naturally form a section of the statement (Subelliptic PDE or Geometric Analysis).
I would not expect a teaching statement to make much difference in applications for postdocs. Just describe your experience with reformed calculus at UM. Nobody cares. (If you also apply to SLACs, that's another matter, but I'm not qualified to give any advice on that.)
Incidentally, I spent most of today on mathjobs (39 applications so far). However, we are not quite in the same market.
Leonid -- what's a SLAC?
Stanford Linear Acceleration Center.
Either that, or a selective liberal arts college.
Just came across this in a job ad:
"Solid evidence of excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level is preferred to a statement of teaching philosophy."
A bright idea, indeed.
Nothing like looking for jobs to get you out of the mood for math. Once you land something, you should have a spark. If this doesn't happen, maybe then you should think of getting out. Sometimes the trouble is the lack of connection with a bigger picture. If you don't feel that your work can have a global effect someplace, for the solution of a big problem, or as a new point of view on a subject, then it's really difficult to stay motivated.
I'm searching online right now to find out ways to get a boost. Some of us aren't able to simply spin a web of mathematics as naturally as breathing, although it seems that sometimes this is what is needed for a successful career, an almost religious need to continue writing mathematics. I'll let you know if I find anything!
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