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Welcome to my blog!
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I'm a Professor of Physics at the Rochester Institute of Technology
In the Land of Galileo
This post is about my visit to Pisa, where I gave a talk on Friday at the university. My next commitment is a visit today to the VIRGO ...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
2 days ago
Quantum versus Classical
This post is a review of The Infamous Boundary: Seven Decades of Controversy in Quantum Physics by David Wick. The book is intended to...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Jun 8
Common Mistakes Made by Postdocs
This is a post mainly for postdocs joining my group, but may be useful for hires in any organization. I have mentored about 10 postdocs...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
May 31
Queerer Than We Can Imagine
This post is a review of A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane by Samanth Subramanian....
Mishkat Bhattacharya
May 24
The Wonderland of George Gamow
This post is a review of Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland by George Gamow . Though first published in 1940, it still remains a classic of...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
May 18
Who's Better: Ranking Physicists
A favorite pastime of physicists - like that of sports fans or politics enthusiasts - is comparing prominent figures in their discipline...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
May 10
Your Resignation Will be Accepted
This is a review of the book Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson . Some readers might find the subject contentious, especially given the...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
May 4
Einstein's Legacy
This post is a short review of the book Einstein's Universe by Nigel Calder . The book came out in 1979, celebrating the 100th...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Apr 26
Realistic Interstellar Travel
Background: Earlier this week we had a visit from (possibly) the world expert on interstellar travel, Les Johnson . Johnson is doubly...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Apr 19
What Should Aliens Look Like?
This post is a review of The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens and Ourselves by Arik...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Apr 13
The Universe as a Simulation: James Gates, Jr.
This post is about James Sylvester Gates, Jr. , who visited our campus earlier this week . Jim, as he likes to be called, is a...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Apr 5
Phynance = Physics + Finance
Historically, students with advanced degrees in physics (i.e. a PhD) have rarely had the financial world in their sights. This changed in...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Mar 29
Teaching Physics: Abstract or Concrete?
Concrete In physics-teaching we try to make the subject relatable by giving concrete examples to illustrate the principles at hand. For...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Mar 23
Creativity as per the Master of Flow
This is a review of the book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi , the...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Mar 17
Spinning Stories
This post is a review of the book The Science of Spin by Roland Ennos. The book is about the role played by physical rotation in the...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Mar 7
The Life Cycle of an Academic Physicist
This post is in response to questions from various students about the typical steps in the career of an academic physicist (employed at a...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Mar 1
DNA: Watson Speaks His Mind
This is a review of the book DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution by James Watson with Andrew Berry and Kevin Davies. When I saw the...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Feb 22
Fixing the Climate with a Nuclear Bomb
Intro A few days ago I received, along with my colleagues in the physics department, an email referring to a paper posted on the...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Feb 15
On The Side: 10 Eminent Part-Time Scientists
Nowadays a scientific career is a substantial undertaking, requiring many years of training and preparation, resources from agencies, a...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Feb 8
Music and the Human Brain: Oliver Sacks
This is a review of the book Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks . It was published in 2007, but I got to it just now. That's how long my...
Mishkat Bhattacharya
Feb 1
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