1: Two great things have happened thus far: the first is that I have established contacts and mentorship opportunities at one of the best research schools in the world-Caltech. The second is that I will soon have the opportunity to talk to a string theorist, which I am very excited for.
2: The Cosmic Landscape by the illustrious Leonard Susskind has been tremendously helpful-Susskind goes over a variety of interrelated topics and also relates physics concepts to fields outside the realm. The book is very clear and uses a lot of examples for very complex topics, which will be helpful when I give my two hour.
3. So far, what has worked the best for me is using primarily print resources for my research. Books work the best as it is very easy to find the content one is looking for, and they are much, much more detailed than most Web articles, which are typically too simplified to be helpful in is topic. I will be looking into science journals to help me along as well.
4. What hasn't worked is the note taking and the Working Bibliography. I am finding the WB to be very confusing due to the way I have gone about conducting my research. In addition, as I am not generally a note-taker, I can't seem to find a note-taking style that fits the requirements and will actually be helpful for me. So far, I am finding the notes to be a distraction and a waste of time.
5. The first question is a possible EQ question-what is the most important unsolved physics problem? Pursuing that will help me narrow down the field and get to a good place at the end of the year. I hope this project will lead to my writing (and perhaps publishing) my first paper. It's doable-Albert Einstein was also 17 when he published his first paper. Not that I'm comparing myself to Einstein. I can actually comb my hair. Well, I am really looking forward to talking to Professor Vatche Saharkian (the string theorist) from Harvey Mudd. Also there is a Nobel Prize winner (David Politzer) at the theory department at Caltech. I will try to sneak my way into a conversation with him when the school year starts.
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