#maynoothuniversity — Public Fediverse posts

Further Thoughts of Retirement…

What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make and end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.

from Little Gidding, Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot.

The start of teaching for 2026/7 is approaching at an alarming rate. new and continuing students are registering and today we had a staff meeting in the Department of Physics about arrangements for the new term. This all made me think again about retirement.

About three years, while I was in Barcelona on sabbatical , I posted an item about looking forward to retirement. Here is an excerpt from that piece:

The fact of the matter is, though, that I can’t afford to retire yet. I have a mortgage to pay and I’ve only had five full years of pensionable service in the Irish system, so won’t get much of a pension. I have the frozen residue of my UK pension, of course, but that is subject to an actuarial reduction if I take the benefit before I’m 65, which is also the standard retirement age for academic staff in Ireland. I can’t be made to retire here until I’m 70, in fact, but I think I’ll be well beyond my best-before date by then and am not keen to overstay my welcome.

So it looks like I’ll have to stay until I’m 65 at the earliest. In fact I won’t be able to collect the State Pension (SPC) until I’m 66, so I’ll probably have to stay until then. That means that when I get back from sabbatical I will have four or five years left until I can retire.

Since I posted this I made a firm decision that I will retire as soon as I’m able, which should be in June 2028. Having sold my old house in Cardiff some time ago, I have paid off my Maynooth mortgage which makes the financial situation much simpler. I am now quite confident that I can afford to retire before I’m 66.

I know many academics don’t like the idea of retiring. I suppose that’s because they’re afraid they won’t know what to do with their time. I’ve never felt like that. I’ve always had plenty of outside interests, but now there’s another factor. As I alluded to in an earlier post, and contrary to all my expectations of three years ago, there is another person involved. That person, whose name I won’t reveal, graduated this summer from an unnamed university, and is just about to embark on a two-year Masters degree (in a subject not to be disclosed) in a location I won’t tell you about. He will be finishing that course in the summer 2028.

For the next two years things for us will be pretty much as they are now: not living together, but spending as much time in each other’s company as possible at weekends and holidays. That arrangement suits us both very well in the current circumstances but we have already started discussing plans beyond the two-year horizon. Some of these are not at all serious, but amusing to think about. Others would be fantastic if they turned out to be possible. We have the best part of two years to decide what to do. In any event, I find it exciting to be able to think seriously of retirement as a beginning as well as an end.

A Little Light Relief…

I thought I’d pass on a little amusement arising from last week’s Eclipse Event in Maynooth. I gave a very short and non-technical talk about the famous 1919 Eclipse Expeditions which I have mentioned many times on this blog. As you probably know there were two expeditions, one to Sobral in Brazil and the other to the island of Principe, off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. Here’s a nice and very informative old graphic (from the London Illustrated News) about the expeditions, showing the two locations:

I finished my talk and had one or two questions but we had to move on to the next speaker, who happened to be giving the last talk of the day.

After the session finished I was packing up some things to take back to the office before heading to the pub when a little boy came up to me and asked: “So which expedition were you on, the one to Brazil or the one to Africa?”

Oh how I laughed.

Maynooth Eclipse Weather Watch

As I mentioned last week, the Department of Physics at Maynooth University will be hosting an Eclipse Event, this week on Wednesday August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. In the last few days we have been featured prominently in articles in the Irish Times and The Journal and on the RTÉ website. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. I’ve been checking the forecast on the Met Éireann app quite regularly. As of last week it wasn’t very good, with cloud and rain likely but since then it has improved. In the light of my recent post that one can’t really trust Irish weather forecasts more than three days in advance, I thought it would be fun to track the forecast until the big event to see how stable it is.

Here are the summaries for yesterday (Saturday, when it only gave a prediction every three hours for Wednesday), and today (Sunday, where there is an hourly forecast). The peak of the (partial) eclipse is around 7pm (19.00 hours) in Maynooth.

As you can see, the Sunday forecast predicts the temperature on Wednesday to be rather high, with little chance of rain, though with more cloud than the Saturday forecast. I’ll update on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to see how it progresses…

Update: Wednesday 12th, 7.30am. As you can see from the above the forecast for the eclipse is quite good. There is quite a lot of rain out to the west, but it is tracking noreth-eastwards and most of it is forecast to miss Maynooth.

P.S. In the Irish language, “eclipse” can be either urú or éiclips. The former is interesting as it is also the name for a form of initial mutation that occurs certain grammatical situations in Irish, the change at the beginning of a word, where a new letter is placed in front of the original consonant, so that the new letter’s sound replaces (or “eclipses”) the old one.

Maynooth Eclipse Weather Watch

As I mentioned last week, the Department of Physics at Maynooth University will be hosting an Eclipse Event, this week on Wednesday August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. In the last few days we have been featured prominently in articles in the Irish Times and The Journal and on the RTÉ website. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. I’ve been checking the forecast on the Met Éireann app quite regularly. As of last week it wasn’t very good, with cloud and rain likely but since then it has improved. In the light of my recent post that one can’t really trust Irish weather forecasts more than three days in advance, I thought it would be fun to track the forecast until the big event to see how stable it is.

Here are the summaries for yesterday (Saturday, when it only gave a prediction every three hours for Wednesday), and today (Sunday, where there is an hourly forecast). The peak of the (partial) eclipse is around 7pm (19.00 hours) in Maynooth.

As you can see, the Sunday forecast predicts the temperature on Wednesday to be rather high, with little chance of rain, though with more cloud than the Saturday forecast. I’ll update on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to see how it progresses…

Update: Wednesday 12th, 7.30am. As you can see from the above the forecast for the eclipse is quite good. There is quite a lot of rain out to the west, but it is tracking noreth-eastwards and most of it is forecast to miss Maynooth.

P.S. In the Irish language, “eclipse” can be either urú or éiclips. The former is interesting as it is also the name for a form of initial mutation that occurs certain grammatical situations in Irish, the change at the beginning of a word, where a new letter is placed in front of the original consonant, so that the new letter’s sound replaces (or “eclipses”) the old one.

Maynooth Eclipse Weather Watch

As I mentioned last week, the Department of Physics at Maynooth University will be hosting an Eclipse Event, this week on Wednesday August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. In the last few days we have been featured prominently in articles in the Irish Times and The Journal and on the RTÉ website. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. I’ve been checking the forecast on the Met Éireann app quite regularly. As of last week it wasn’t very good, with cloud and rain likely but since then it has improved. In the light of my recent post that one can’t really trust Irish weather forecasts more than three days in advance, I thought it would be fun to track the forecast until the big event to see how stable it is.

Here are the summaries for yesterday (Saturday, when it only gave a prediction every three hours for Wednesday), and today (Sunday, where there is an hourly forecast). The peak of the (partial) eclipse is around 7pm (19.00 hours) in Maynooth.

As you can see, the Sunday forecast predicts the temperature on Wednesday to be rather high, with little chance of rain, though with more cloud than the Saturday forecast. I’ll update on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to see how it progresses…

Update: Wednesday 12th, 7.30am. As you can see from the above the forecast for the eclipse is quite good. There is quite a lot of rain out to the west, but it is tracking noreth-eastwards and most of it is forecast to miss Maynooth.

P.S. In the Irish language, “eclipse” can be either urú or éiclips. The former is interesting as it is also the name for a form of initial mutation that occurs certain grammatical situations in Irish, the change at the beginning of a word, where a new letter is placed in front of the original consonant, so that the new letter’s sound replaces (or “eclipses”) the old one.

Maynooth Eclipse Weather Watch

As I mentioned last week, the Department of Physics at Maynooth University will be hosting an Eclipse Event, this week on Wednesday August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. In the last few days we have been featured prominently in articles in the Irish Times and The Journal and on the RTÉ website. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. I’ve been checking the forecast on the Met Éireann app quite regularly. As of last week it wasn’t very good, with cloud and rain likely but since then it has improved. In the light of my recent post that one can’t really trust Irish weather forecasts more than three days in advance, I thought it would be fun to track the forecast until the big event to see how stable it is.

Here are the summaries for yesterday (Saturday, when it only gave a prediction every three hours for Wednesday), and today (Sunday, where there is an hourly forecast). The peak of the (partial) eclipse is around 7pm (19.00 hours) in Maynooth.

As you can see, the Sunday forecast predicts the temperature on Wednesday to be rather high, with little chance of rain, though with more cloud than the Saturday forecast. I’ll update on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to see how it progresses…

Update: Wednesday 12th, 7.30am. As you can see from the above the forecast for the eclipse is quite good. There is quite a lot of rain out to the west, but it is tracking noreth-eastwards and most of it is forecast to miss Maynooth.

P.S. In the Irish language, “eclipse” can be either urú or éiclips. The former is interesting as it is also the name for a form of initial mutation that occurs certain grammatical situations in Irish, the change at the beginning of a word, where a new letter is placed in front of the original consonant, so that the new letter’s sound replaces (or “eclipses”) the old one.

Maynooth Eclipse Weather Watch

As I mentioned last week, the Department of Physics will be hosting an Eclipse Event, this week on Wednesday August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. In the last few days we have been featured prominently in articles in the Irish Times and The Journal and on the RTÉ website. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. I’ve been checking the forecast on the Met Éireann app quite regularly. As of last week it wasn’t very good, with cloud and rain likely but since then it has improved. In the light of my recent post that one can’t really trust Irish weather forecasts more than three days in advance, I thought it would be fun to track the forecast until the big event to see how stable it is.

Here are the summaries for yesterday (Saturday, when it only gave a prediction every three hours for Wednesday), and today (Sunday, where there is an hourly forecast). The peak of the (partial) eclipse is around 7pm in Maynooth

As you can see, the Sunday forecast predicts the temperature on Wednesday to be rather high, with little chance of rain, though with more cloud than the Saturday forecast. I’ll update on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to see how it progresses…

P.S. In the Irish language, “eclipse” can be either urú or éiclips. The former is interesting as it is also the name for a form of initial mutation that occurs certain grammatical situations in Irish, the change at the beginning of a word, where a new letter is placed in front of the original consonant, so that the new letter’s sound replaces (or “eclipses” the old one).

Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa

Today, Monday 3rd August 2026, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank Holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland. It has been a nice morning weather-wise, but in true Bank Holiday fashion we’re promised heavy rain later on, with a chance of thunderstorms.

As I mentioned on Saturday, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Two years ago at this time I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago! When I resumed teaching, in September 2024, I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. I am doing both of these again so resumption of teaching in September won’t be as challenging, although I will be changing a few things in the light of last year’s experience. Lectures start on Monday 22nd September.

After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 5th. The first paper for which I have responsibility is on Friday 7th, but I won’t be able to get the scripts until Monday 10th so I have a bit of time to do other stuff before I start marking. I am not expecting many scripts, actually, so it shouldn’t be too onerous a task to get them done promptly.

Next week also sees the deadline for the dissertations for our MSc course. I have been supervising a student this year and will probably be asked to give comments on the final draft of his report. Then the MSc students have their presentations on Friday 14th August. They have all completed the taught component of the course so the only thing left to assess are these projects. Students will get their final results later this month, along with the resitting undergraduate students.

In between all this we have our Eclipse Event on August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. The event was advertised quite a bit in the local media, e.g. here. The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

Anyway, after the repeat examinations and project assessments are done, the marks uploaded, and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examination Boards have done their work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 21st August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year (which, if all goes to plan, will be my penultimate…)

Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa

Today, Monday 3rd August 2026, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank Holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland. It has been a nice morning weather-wise, but in true Bank Holiday fashion we’re promised heavy rain later on, with a chance of thunderstorms.

As I mentioned on Saturday, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Two years ago at this time I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago! When I resumed teaching, in September 2024, I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. I am doing both of these again so resumption of teaching in September won’t be as challenging, although I will be changing a few things in the light of last year’s experience. Lectures start on Monday 22nd September.

After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 5th. The first paper for which I have responsibility is on Friday 7th, but I won’t be able to get the scripts until Monday 10th so I have a bit of time to do other stuff before I start marking. I am not expecting many scripts, actually, so it shouldn’t be too onerous a task to get them done promptly.

Next week also sees the deadline for the dissertations for our MSc course. I have been supervising a student this year and will probably be asked to give comments on the final draft of his report. Then the MSc students have their presentations on Friday 14th August. They have all completed the taught component of the course so the only thing left to assess are these projects. Students will get their final results later this month, along with the resitting undergraduate students.

In between all this we have our Eclipse Event on August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. The event was advertised quite a bit in the local media, e.g. here. The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

Anyway, after the repeat examinations and project assessments are done, the marks uploaded, and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examination Boards have done their work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 21st August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year (which, if all goes to plan, will be my penultimate…)

Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa

Today, Monday 3rd August 2026, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank Holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland. It has been a nice morning weather-wise, but in true Bank Holiday fashion we’re promised heavy rain later on, with a chance of thunderstorms.

As I mentioned on Saturday, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Two years ago at this time I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago! When I resumed teaching, in September 2024, I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. I am doing both of these again so resumption of teaching in September won’t be as challenging, although I will be changing a few things in the light of last year’s experience. Lectures start on Monday 22nd September.

After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 5th. The first paper for which I have responsibility is on Friday 7th, but I won’t be able to get the scripts until Monday 10th so I have a bit of time to do other stuff before I start marking. I am not expecting many scripts, actually, so it shouldn’t be too onerous a task to get them done promptly.

Next week also sees the deadline for the dissertations for our MSc course. I have been supervising a student this year and will probably be asked to give comments on the final draft of his report. Then the MSc students have their presentations on Friday 14th August. They have all completed the taught component of the course so the only thing left to assess are these projects. Students will get their final results later this month, along with the resitting undergraduate students.

In between all this we have our Eclipse Event on August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. The event was advertised quite a bit in the local media, e.g. here. The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

Anyway, after the repeat examinations and project assessments are done, the marks uploaded, and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examination Boards have done their work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 21st August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year (which, if all goes to plan, will be my penultimate…)

Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa

Today, Monday 3rd August 2026, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank Holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland. It has been a nice morning weather-wise, but in true Bank Holiday fashion we’re promised heavy rain later on, with a chance of thunderstorms.

As I mentioned on Saturday, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Two years ago at this time I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago! When I resumed teaching, in September 2024, I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. I am doing both of these again so resumption of teaching in September won’t be as challenging, although I will be changing a few things in the light of last year’s experience. Lectures start on Monday 22nd September.

After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 5th. The first paper for which I have responsibility is on Friday 7th, but I won’t be able to get the scripts until Monday 10th so I have a bit of time to do other stuff before I start marking. I am not expecting many scripts, actually, so it shouldn’t be too onerous a task to get them done promptly.

Next week also sees the deadline for the dissertations for our MSc course. I have been supervising a student this year and will probably be asked to give comments on the final draft of his report. Then the MSc students have their presentations on Friday 14th August. They have all completed the taught component of the course so the only thing left to assess are these projects. Students will get their final results later this month, along with the resitting undergraduate students.

In between all this we have our Eclipse Event on August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. The event was advertised quite a bit in the local media, e.g. here. The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great. Although it is officially full, there may be a few returns, so it is worth checking on the day to see if we can fit you in.

Anyway, after the repeat examinations and project assessments are done, the marks uploaded, and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examination Boards have done their work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 21st August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year (which, if all goes to plan, will be my penultimate…)

Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa

Today, Monday 3rd August 2026, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank Holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland.

As I mentioned on Saturday, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Two years ago at this time I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago! When I resumed teaching, in September 2024, I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. I am doing both of these again so resumption of teaching in September won’t be as challenging, although I will be changing a few things in the light of last year’s experience.

After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 5th. The first paper for which I have responsibility is on Friday 7th, but I won’t be able to get the scripts until Monday 10th so I have a bit of time to do other stuff before I start marking. I am not expecting many scripts, actually, so it shouldn’t be too onerous a task to get them done promptly.

Next week also sees the deadline for the dissertations for our MSc course. I have been supervising a student this year and will probably be asked to give comments on the final draft of his report. Then the MSc students have their presentations on Friday 14th August. They have all completed the taught component of the course so the only thing left to assess are these projects. Students will get their final results later this month, along with the resitting undergraduate students.

In between all this we have our Eclipse Event on August 12th. This sold out very quickly so we expect a good turnout. The event was advertised quite a bit in the local media, e.g. here. The viewing of the eclipse will of course depend on the weather, but we have talks lined up indoors and a pop-up planetarium so I hope people will turn up even if the weather isn’t great.

Anyway, after the repeat examinations and project assessments are done, the marks uploaded, and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examination Boards have done their work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 21st August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year (which, if all goes to plan, will be my penultimate…)

Boards of Examinations

Over the last few days we have been having our annual meetings of the Board of Examiners in the Department of Physics at Maynooth. This process began last Friday with a preliminary meeting of those involved in the theoretical side of the Department, continued on Monday with another preliminary meeting for the experimentalists, continued yesterday with a final meeting with both sides of the house and a visit by two External Examiners, and ended this morning with a meeting I couldn’t attend with feedback. This is the first time since the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics merged that we have run the process like this. I think one of the primary purposes of the merger was to streamline the bureaucracy, but it seems to have had the opposite effect, with everything taking much longer. It was ever thus.

Still, at least I got a nice dinner with the Externals.

Since we have reached the end of the academic year, we looked yesterday at the final grades of those students who are completing their studies this year in order to consider the classification of their degrees. Another (pleasant) duty of our Examination Board was to award prizes for the best performance, not just for finalists but for students at every stage, including the first year. These will be announced in due course.

But that’s not quite the end of it – there is an overall University Examination Board that covers all courses in the University to formally bring an end to the examination process. It is not until after all the Boards have done their business that the students get their marks. If all goes to plan, students will receive their final marks onThursday 25th June, a couple of weeks from now.

In previous years this would have been followed by a Consultation Day on which:

Staff will be available in all Departments to discuss results with students. Students are entitled to see their examination scripts if they wish, these will be generally available on this day or at another mutually convenient time.

In its drive to scrap everything that could possibly be useful to students, however, Maynooth University has now ditched the formal Consultation Day. Well, you can’t expect a University running an €11M surplus to put any resources into processes for advising students can you?

If I had my way we would actually give all students their marked examination scripts back as a matter of routine. Obviously examination scripts have to go through a pretty strict quality assurance process involving the whole paraphernalia of examination boards (including External Examiners), so the scripts can’t be given back immediately but once that process is complete there doesn’t seem to me any reason why we shouldn’t give their work, together with any feedback written on it,  back to the students in its entirety. I have heard it argued that under the provisions of the Data Protection Act students have a legal right to see what’s written on the scripts – as that constitutes part of their student record – but I’m not making a legalistic point here. My point is purely educational, based on the benefit to the student’s learning experience, so this is unlikely to be adopted.

So that’s my internal examination duties here at Maynooth done and dusted. In a month or so I have to travel abroad to be an external examiner at another institution.

Boards of Examinations

Over the last few days we have been having our annual meetings of the Board of Examiners in the Department of Physics at Maynooth. This process began last Friday with a preliminary meeting of those involved in the theoretical side of the Department, continued on Monday with another preliminary meeting for the experimentalists, continued yesterday with a final meeting with both sides of the house and a visit by two External Examiners, and ended this morning with a meeting I couldn’t attend with feedback. This is the first time since the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics merged that we have run the process like this. I think one of the primary purposes of the merger was to streamline the bureaucracy, but it seems to have had the opposite effect, with everything taking much longer. It was ever thus.

Still, at least I got a nice dinner with the Externals.

Since we have reached the end of the academic year, we looked yesterday at the final grades of those students who are completing their studies this year in order to consider the classification of their degrees. Another (pleasant) duty of our Examination Board was to award prizes for the best performance, not just for finalists but for students at every stage, including the first year. These will be announced in due course.

But that’s not quite the end of it – there is an overall University Examination Board that covers all courses in the University to formally bring an end to the examination process. It is not until after all the Boards have done their business that the students get their marks. If all goes to plan, students will receive their final marks onThursday 25th June, a couple of weeks from now.

In previous years this would have been followed by a Consultation Day on which:

Staff will be available in all Departments to discuss results with students. Students are entitled to see their examination scripts if they wish, these will be generally available on this day or at another mutually convenient time.

In its drive to scrap everything that could possibly be useful to students, however, Maynooth University has now ditched the formal Consultation Day. Well, you can’t expect a University running an €11M surplus to put any resources into processes for advising students can you?

If I had my way we would actually give all students their marked examination scripts back as a matter of routine. Obviously examination scripts have to go through a pretty strict quality assurance process involving the whole paraphernalia of examination boards (including External Examiners), so the scripts can’t be given back immediately but once that process is complete there doesn’t seem to me any reason why we shouldn’t give their work, together with any feedback written on it,  back to the students in its entirety. I have heard it argued that under the provisions of the Data Protection Act students have a legal right to see what’s written on the scripts – as that constitutes part of their student record – but I’m not making a legalistic point here. My point is purely educational, based on the benefit to the student’s learning experience, so this is unlikely to be adopted.

So that’s my internal examination duties here at Maynooth done and dusted. In a month or so I have to travel abroad to be an external examiner at another institution.

The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe

Meanwhile, back in the world of research, I see that Maynooth University has issued a news item about a new paper by colleagues in the Department of Physics, Daxal H. Mehta, John A. Regan and Lewis Prole. The story has also been picked up by the Irish media, e.g. here.

You may find the paper behind a paywall, as it is published in Nature Astronomy, in which case you will just have to make do with the abstract:

And here’s a pretty picture from one of the simulations used in the paper:

#blackHoles #DaxalMehta #DepartmentOfPhysics #JohnRegan #LewisProle #MaynoothUniversity

The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe

Meanwhile, back in the world of research, I see that Maynooth University has issued a news item about a new paper by colleagues in the Department of Physics, Daxal H. Mehta, John A. Regan and Lewis Prole. The story has also been picked up by the Irish media, e.g. here.

You may find the paper behind a paywall, as it is published in Nature Astronomy, in which case you will just have to make do with the abstract:

And here’s a pretty picture from one of the simulations used in the paper:

#blackHoles #DaxalMehta #DepartmentOfPhysics #JohnRegan #LewisProle #MaynoothUniversity

The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe

Meanwhile, back in the world of research, I see that Maynooth University has issued a news item about a new paper by colleagues in the Department of Physics, Daxal H. Mehta, John A. Regan and Lewis Prole. The story has also been picked up by the Irish media, e.g. here.

You may find the paper behind a paywall, as it is published in Nature Astronomy, in which case you will just have to make do with the abstract:

And here’s a pretty picture from one of the simulations used in the paper:

#blackHoles #DaxalMehta #DepartmentOfPhysics #JohnRegan #LewisProle #MaynoothUniversity

The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe

Meanwhile, back in the world of research, I see that Maynooth University has issued a news item about a new paper by colleagues in the Department of Physics, Daxal H. Mehta, John A. Regan and Lewis Prole. The story has also been picked up by the Irish media, e.g. here.

You may find the paper behind a paywall, as it is published in Nature Astronomy, in which case you will just have to make do with the abstract:

And here’s a pretty picture from one of the simulations used in the paper:

#blackHoles #DaxalMehta #DepartmentOfPhysics #JohnRegan #LewisProle #MaynoothUniversity

The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe

Meanwhile, back in the world of research, I see that Maynooth University has issued a news item about a new paper by colleagues in the Department of Physics, Daxal H. Mehta, John A. Regan and Lewis Prole. The story has also been picked up by the Irish media, e.g. here.

You may find the paper behind a paywall, as it is published in Nature Astronomy, in which case you will just have to make do with the abstract:

And here’s a pretty picture from one of the simulations used in the paper:

#blackHoles #DaxalMehta #DepartmentOfPhysics #JohnRegan #LewisProle #MaynoothUniversity

Back to Teaching and Coping with GenAI

Summer is well and truly over: it’s a chilly day in Maynooth; the Autumnal Equinox takes place tomorrow; and tomorrow I return to teaching at Maynooth University. So begins my antepenultimate academic year as a university teacher.

I’ve often remarked how the academic year at Maynooth is largely defined by the astronomical phenomena of the equinoxes and solstices. This year demonstrates this perfectly: Semester 1 lectures for undergraduates begin tomorrow (22nd September), the day of the Autumnal equinox; they end on Friday 19th December with the Winter Solstice on 21st. The half-term study break coincides with Samhain, a cross-quarter day. It’s all refreshingly pagan.

This time last year, having been away on sabbatical the year before, I was preparing to teach two new modules. I have those two again this year so this year should be a bit easiest than last year. I still have to get everything sorted out, though, including setting up my Moodle pages and preparing the materials, which is what I’ve been doing today.

The timetable for my Engineering Mathematics (EE206 Differential Equations and Transform Methods) module has not changed, so my first lectures on that (a double session) are not until Tuesday. I’m also doing MP469 Differential Equations and Complex Analysis for 4th Year Mathematical Physics students again, but the lecture times for that have changed. That is because, as a consequence of the merger of the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics to form a single Department of Physics, times have been coordinated as far as possible to ensure that Physics students can have flexibility in their choice of theoretical or experimental-based modules. The Engineering Mathematics module has not changed because the times for those lectures are such as to fit with the needs of the Department of Engineering, rather than Physics.

The upshot of all this is that my first lecture of the new term is for MP469, tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and my second is also MP469, at 11am on Tuesday. This means that I have three hours of lectures on Tuesdays this term, but at least that makes it possible to have a day without teaching (Wednesday).

You will notice that both the modules I am teaching this term are mathematical in nature. I have been concerned about the integrity of the coursework element of these modules in the light of improvements in Generative AI. Only a couple of years ago GenAI could not solve the sort of problems I set for homework, but now it generally can – especially for EE206. I don’t altogether object to people applying artificial intelligence to solve mathematical problems, but the issue is that it does make mistakes. Moreover, instead of saying “sorry I can’t solve that problem” it will generally present a superficially plausible but incorrect solution. Although students will probably use GenAI for problem-solving, I think it is important that they learn to do such problems themselves, otherwise they won’t know whether the solution coughed up by the algorithm is correct or not. That way lies disaster.

The only way to learn mathematics is by doing it. If students get GenAI to do the mathematics for them, then they won’t learn it. In the past we have given marks for coursework (usually 20% of the module mark) mainly to encourage students to do them. Students who don’t bother to do these exercises generally do badly in the final exam (80%).

For these reasons I am moving the assessment from weekly homework sheets – which could be tackled with AI – to supervised in-class tests for which students can use notes on paper, but not laptops or phones, just like they would in the final examination. I will of course give examples for the students to have a go at themselves, and I will give feedback on their attempts, but they will not contribute to the module score. Another advantage of this approach is that students won’t have to do so much work against deadlines outside of class.

Anyway, that’s the approach I am going to try. I’d be interested to hear what others are doing to deal with GenAI. The Comments Box is at your disposal.

P.S. There is a rumour circulating that The Rapture will occur on Tuesday 23rd September, but it is as yet unclear whether this will happen before, during, or after the lectures I am due to give on that day.

#departmentOfPhysics #genai #generativeAi #mathematics #maynoothUniversity

Back to Teaching and Coping with GenAI

Summer is well and truly over: it’s a chilly day in Maynooth; the Autumnal Equinox takes place tomorrow; and tomorrow I return to teaching at Maynooth University. So begins my antepenultimate academic year as a university teacher.

I’ve often remarked how the academic year at Maynooth is largely defined by the astronomical phenomena of the equinoxes and solstices. This year demonstrates this perfectly: Semester 1 lectures for undergraduates begin tomorrow (22nd September), the day of the Autumnal equinox; they end on Friday 19th December with the Winter Solstice on 21st. The half-term study break coincides with Samhain, a cross-quarter day. It’s all refreshingly pagan.

This time last year, having been away on sabbatical the year before, I was preparing to teach two new modules. I have those two again this year. The timetable for my Engineering Mathematics (EE206 Differential Equations and Transform Methods) module has not changed, so my first lectures on that (a double session) are not until Tuesday. I’m also doing MP469 Differential Equations and Complex Analysis for 4th Year Mathematical Physics students again, but the lecture times for that have changed. That is because, as a consequence of the merger of the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics to form a single Department of Physics, times have been coordinated as far as possible to ensure that Physics students can have flexibility in their choice of theoretical or experimental-based modules. The Engineering Mathematics module has not changed because the times for those lectures are such as to fit with the needs of the Department of Engineering, rather than Physics.

The upshot of all this is that my first lecture of the new term is for MP469, tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and my second is also MP469, at 11am on Tuesday. This means that I have three hours of lectures on Tuesdays this term, but at least that makes it possible to have a day without teaching (Wednesday).

You will notice that both the modules I am teaching this term are mathematical in nature. I have been concerned about the integrity of the coursework element of these modules in the light of improvements in Generative AI. Only a couple of years ago GenAI could not solve the sort of problems I set for homework, but now it generally can – especially for EE206. I don’t altogether object to people applying artificial intelligence to solve mathematical problems, but the issue is that it does make mistakes. Moreover, instead of saying “sorry I can’t solve that problem” it will generally present a superficially plausible but incorrect solution. Although students will probably use GenAI for problem-solving, I think it is important that they learn to do such problems themselves, otherwise they won’t know whether the solution coughed up by the algorithm is correct or not. That way lies disaster.

The only way to learn mathematics is by doing it. If students get GenAI to do the mathematics for them, then they won’t learn it. In the past we have given marks for coursework (usually 20% of the module mark) mainly to encourage students to do them. Students who don’t bother to do these exercises generally do badly in the final exam (80%).

For these reasons I am moving the assessment from weekly homework sheets – which could be tackled with AI – to supervised in-class tests for which students can use notes on paper, but not laptops or phones, just like they would in the final examination. I will of course give examples for the students to have a go at themselves, and I will give feedback on their attempts, but they will not contribute to the module score. Another advantage of this approach is that students won’t have to do so much work against deadlines outside of class.

Anyway, that’s the approach I am going to try. I’d be interested to hear what others are doing to deal with GenAI. The Comments Box is at your disposal.

#DepartmentOfPhysics #GenAI #generativeAI #mathematics #MaynoothUniversity

Back to Teaching and Coping with GenAI

Summer is well and truly over: it’s a chilly day in Maynooth; the Autumnal Equinox takes place tomorrow; and tomorrow I return to teaching at Maynooth University. So begins my antepenultimate academic year as a university teacher.

I’ve often remarked how the academic year at Maynooth is largely defined by the astronomical phenomena of the equinoxes and solstices. This year demonstrates this perfectly: Semester 1 lectures for undergraduates begin tomorrow (22nd September), the day of the Autumnal equinox; they end on Friday 19th December with the Winter Solstice on 21st. The half-term study break coincides with Samhain, a cross-quarter day. It’s all refreshingly pagan.

This time last year, having been away on sabbatical the year before, I was preparing to teach two new modules. I have those two again this year. The timetable for my Engineering Mathematics (EE206 Differential Equations and Transform Methods) module has not changed, so my first lectures on that (a double session) are not until Tuesday. I’m also doing MP469 Differential Equations and Complex Analysis for 4th Year Mathematical Physics students again, but the lecture times for that have changed. That is because, as a consequence of the merger of the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics to form a single Department of Physics, times have been coordinated as far as possible to ensure that Physics students can have flexibility in their choice of theoretical or experimental-based modules. The Engineering Mathematics module has not changed because the times for those lectures are such as to fit with the needs of the Department of Engineering, rather than Physics.

The upshot of all this is that my first lecture of the new term is for MP469, tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and my second is also MP469, at 11am on Tuesday. This means that I have three hours of lectures on Tuesdays this term, but at least that makes it possible to have a day without teaching (Wednesday).

You will notice that both the modules I am teaching this term are mathematical in nature. I have been concerned about the integrity of the coursework element of these modules in the light of improvements in Generative AI. Only a couple of years ago GenAI could not solve the sort of problems I set for homework, but now it generally can – especially for EE206. I don’t altogether object to people applying artificial intelligence to solve mathematical problems, but the issue is that it does make mistakes. Moreover, instead of saying “sorry I can’t solve that problem” it will generally present a superficially plausible but incorrect solution. Although students will probably use GenAI for problem-solving, I think it is important that they learn to do such problems themselves, otherwise they won’t know whether the solution coughed up by the algorithm is correct or not. That way lies disaster.

The only way to learn mathematics is by doing it. If students get GenAI to do the mathematics for them, then they won’t learn it. In the past we have given marks for coursework (usually 20% of the module mark) mainly to encourage students to do them. Students who don’t bother to do these exercises generally do badly in the final exam (80%).

For these reasons I am moving the assessment from weekly homework sheets – which could be tackled with AI – to supervised in-class tests for which students can use notes on paper, but not laptops or phones, just like they would in the final examination. I will of course give examples for the students to have a go at themselves, and I will give feedback on their attempts, but they will not contribute to the module score. Another advantage of this approach is that students won’t have to do so much work against deadlines outside of class.

Anyway, that’s the approach I am going to try. I’d be interested to hear what others are doing to deal with GenAI. The Comments Box is at your disposal.

#DepartmentOfPhysics #GenAI #generativeAI #mathematics #MaynoothUniversity

Back to Teaching and Coping with GenAI

Summer is well and truly over: it’s a chilly day in Maynooth; the Autumnal Equinox takes place tomorrow; and tomorrow I return to teaching at Maynooth University. So begins my antepenultimate academic year as a university teacher.

I’ve often remarked how the academic year at Maynooth is largely defined by the astronomical phenomena of the equinoxes and solstices. This year demonstrates this perfectly: Semester 1 lectures for undergraduates begin tomorrow (22nd September), the day of the Autumnal equinox; they end on Friday 19th December with the Winter Solstice on 21st. The half-term study break coincides with Samhain, a cross-quarter day. It’s all refreshingly pagan.

This time last year, having been away on sabbatical the year before, I was preparing to teach two new modules. I have those two again this year so this year should be a bit easiest than last year. I still have to get everything sorted out, though, including setting up my Moodle pages and preparing the materials, which is what I’ve been doing today.

The timetable for my Engineering Mathematics (EE206 Differential Equations and Transform Methods) module has not changed, so my first lectures on that (a double session) are not until Tuesday. I’m also doing MP469 Differential Equations and Complex Analysis for 4th Year Mathematical Physics students again, but the lecture times for that have changed. That is because, as a consequence of the merger of the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics to form a single Department of Physics, times have been coordinated as far as possible to ensure that Physics students can have flexibility in their choice of theoretical or experimental-based modules. The Engineering Mathematics module has not changed because the times for those lectures are such as to fit with the needs of the Department of Engineering, rather than Physics.

The upshot of all this is that my first lecture of the new term is for MP469, tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and my second is also MP469, at 11am on Tuesday. This means that I have three hours of lectures on Tuesdays this term, but at least that makes it possible to have a day without teaching (Wednesday).

You will notice that both the modules I am teaching this term are mathematical in nature. I have been concerned about the integrity of the coursework element of these modules in the light of improvements in Generative AI. Only a couple of years ago GenAI could not solve the sort of problems I set for homework, but now it generally can – especially for EE206. I don’t altogether object to people applying artificial intelligence to solve mathematical problems, but the issue is that it does make mistakes. Moreover, instead of saying “sorry I can’t solve that problem” it will generally present a superficially plausible but incorrect solution. Although students will probably use GenAI for problem-solving, I think it is important that they learn to do such problems themselves, otherwise they won’t know whether the solution coughed up by the algorithm is correct or not. That way lies disaster.

The only way to learn mathematics is by doing it. If students get GenAI to do the mathematics for them, then they won’t learn it. In the past we have given marks for coursework (usually 20% of the module mark) mainly to encourage students to do them. Students who don’t bother to do these exercises generally do badly in the final exam (80%).

For these reasons I am moving the assessment from weekly homework sheets – which could be tackled with AI – to supervised in-class tests for which students can use notes on paper, but not laptops or phones, just like they would in the final examination. I will of course give examples for the students to have a go at themselves, and I will give feedback on their attempts, but they will not contribute to the module score. Another advantage of this approach is that students won’t have to do so much work against deadlines outside of class.

Anyway, that’s the approach I am going to try. I’d be interested to hear what others are doing to deal with GenAI. The Comments Box is at your disposal.

P.S. There is a rumour circulating that The Rapture will occur on Tuesday 23rd September, but it is as yet unclear whether this will happen before, during, or after the lectures I am due to give on that day.

#departmentOfPhysics #genai #generativeAi #mathematics #maynoothUniversity

My first official day back at work after a year-long sabbatical coincides with the first official day of a new Department of Physics at Maynooth University:

I knew this was happening, of course, and it should have happened years ago. Having two separate Physics Departments at Maynooth was not just an oddity. It required the relatively small number of academic staff across the Departments to undertake a huge amount of duplication in teaching thereby wasting resources and increasing workloads. Even combined together, the total complement of 15 academic staff means that we’re still a very small Department.

There are, therefore, potential benefits in this merger but they will take time to accrue. At the moment it only exists on paper, and staff in the two ex-Departments will have to work out what to do next in terms of coordinating teaching and research. In my opinion this all should have been planned and agreed before going ahead, but here we are. We just have to make the best of the situation presented to us by The Management.

For the time being the New Department is just the two Old Departments in a single wrapper. We were already located side-by-side in the same building, the Science Building so there are no large-scale relocations of staff, at least not yet. All existing courses remain the same as before, too. That’s just as well, really, as we start teaching in three weeks!

That’s not to say that nothing has changed. The number of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Theoretical Physics has been growing and there was consequently a drastic shortage of office space. My return from sabbatical has involved me being granted an elevated status in the new Department: I’ve been moved upstairs out of the old Theoretical Physics Department to an office in the old Experimental Physics Department.

Here’s a question, though. My contract of employment says that I am employed in the Department of Theoretical Physics. Since that Department no longer exists, do I need a new contract or have I been made redundant?

P.S. I wrote this blog at home before going to the office as this blog remains banned on Maynooth University campus.

https://telescoper.blog/2024/09/02/a-new-department-of-physics/

#DepartmentOfExperimentalPhysics #DepartmentOfPhysics #DepartmentOfTheoreticalPhysics #MaynoothUniversity

My first official day back at work after a year-long sabbatical coincides with the first official day of a new Department of Physics at Maynooth University:

I knew this was happening, of course, and it should have happened years ago. Having two separate Physics Departments at Maynooth was not just an oddity. It required the relatively small number of academic staff across the Departments to undertake a huge amount of duplication in teaching thereby wasting resources and increasing workloads. There are, therefore, potential benefits in this merger but they will take time to accrue. At the moment it only exists on paper, and staff in the two ex-Departments will have to work out what to do next in terms of coordinating teaching and research. In my opinion this all should have been planned and agreed before going ahead, but here we are and we just have to make the best of the situation presented to us by The Management.

For the time being the New Department is just the two Old Departments in a single wrapper. We were already located side-by-side in the same building, the Science Building so there are no large-scale relocations of staff, at least not yet. All existing courses remain the same as before, too. That’s just as well, really, as we start teaching in three weeks!

That’s not to say that nothing has changed. The number of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Theoretical Physics has been growing and there was consequently a drastic shortage of office space. My return from sabbatical has involved me being granted an elevated status in the new Department: I’ve been moved upstairs out of the old Theoretical Physics Department to an office in the old Experimental Physics Department.

Here’s a question, though. My contract of employment says that I am employed in the Department of Theoretical Physics. Since that Department no longer exists, do I need a new contract or have I been made redundant?

P.S. I wrote this blog at home before going to the office as this blog remains banned on Maynooth University campus.

https://telescoper.blog/2024/09/02/a-new-department-of-physics/

#DepartmentOfExperimentalPhysics #DepartmentOfPhysics #DepartmentOfTheoreticalPhysics #MaynoothUniversity

My first official day back at work after a year-long sabbatical coincides with the first official day of a new Department of Physics at Maynooth University:

I knew this was happening, of course, and it should have happened years ago. Having two separate Physics Departments at Maynooth was not just an oddity. It required the relatively small number of academic staff across the Departments to undertake a huge amount of duplication in teaching thereby wasting resources and increasing workloads. Even combined together, the total complement of 15 academic staff means that we’re still a very small Department.

There are, therefore, potential benefits in this merger but they will take time to accrue. At the moment it only exists on paper, and staff in the two ex-Departments will have to work out what to do next in terms of coordinating teaching and research. In my opinion this all should have been planned and agreed before going ahead, but here we are. We just have to make the best of the situation presented to us by The Management.

For the time being the New Department is just the two Old Departments in a single wrapper. We were already located side-by-side in the same building, the Science Building so there are no large-scale relocations of staff, at least not yet. All existing courses remain the same as before, too. That’s just as well, really, as we start teaching in three weeks!

That’s not to say that nothing has changed. The number of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Theoretical Physics has been growing and there was consequently a drastic shortage of office space. My return from sabbatical has involved me being granted an elevated status in the new Department: I’ve been moved upstairs out of the old Theoretical Physics Department to an office in the old Experimental Physics Department.

Here’s a question, though. My contract of employment says that I am employed in the Department of Theoretical Physics. Since that Department no longer exists, do I need a new contract or have I been made redundant?

P.S. I wrote this blog at home before going to the office as this blog remains banned on Maynooth University campus.

https://telescoper.blog/2024/09/02/a-new-department-of-physics/

#DepartmentOfExperimentalPhysics #DepartmentOfPhysics #DepartmentOfTheoreticalPhysics #MaynoothUniversity