Connor studies hard condensed matter. This is a branch of physics that might not take centre stage in the media, but is at the heart of nearly every technology you interact with daily.

Despite all of the useful things that have come from this area of physics, Connor studies "fundamental" questions. That is, he tries to solve problems that don't necessarily have no applications, but are at least not application-driven. And that is not just "Ok", that's absolutely necessary for science to work . Connor tells us why he does what he does.

Here is a nice description of hard condensed matter.

https://physics.georgetown.edu/research/hard-condensed-matter/

Matt's website:

http://www.mbphd.ca

B U R N O U T

Definition: 

How to tell: 

Matt Berry: To treat burnout you will need to stop working. Rest. Seek counseling and/or medical help. You need to lower your expectations of yourself and virtually eliminate what others expect from you. Find activities that relax you and being you joy and focus on those for a start and detach yourself from work if you can. Ultimately, because work is about expectations (either self-imposed or set by others), I believe that you can continue working and recover from a burnout slowly over time (it is not a quick fix). But eventually you will be able to manage it all again. You got this, I believe in you. Take it easy on yourself.Activity: if you're anxious or depressed and have a hard time getting your work done split it up and tackle it. Make a list of things from 1-100 of what you need to accomplish and start tackling them. Pick one or two big things like a paper or presentation and split it up into 100 little pieces to finish. No piece is too small. When you're done you won't have just done one thing you will have done 100! You got this!Modules:

https://www.ntnutechzone.no/en/2017/03/overcoming-burnout-when-a-phd-takes-its-toll-and-how-to-move-past-it/

http://www.psychiatrycpd.co.uk/learningmodules/managingstressandavoidingb.aspxhttp://www.psychiatrycpd.co.uk/learningmodules/managingstressandavoiding-1.aspx

Adam put together a podcast! Random Walk is a podcast about interesting stuff Adam finds that doesn't quite fit into the format of The AlmaMAC. In this episode, Adam had a chance to interview Dr. Joe Kim, wherein they discuss the theory of "multiple intelligences", the myth of "learning styles", and how Dr. Kim applies research-based techniques to his first year course.

Follow Dr.  Kim on Twitter here

and Adam here.

Matt talks to co-host and PhD candidate Adam Fortais about the experimental physics research he does. 

Adam studies "soft condensed matter", or, squishy things. Specifically, he is working with thin elastic fibers (10x thinner than a human hair) to understand how everything from undersea cables, to DNA, to your headphone cables respond to different stresses. 

This is a video of Adam's supervisor describing the exploratory work they do in the lab.

Adam talks about DNA supercoiling, one of the major inspirations for his current work. This is a short (bio-heavy) description.

And finally, while all this looping is cool, it can damage your cables if you aren't careful. Here is some practicle advice on how to avoid damaging cables (not actually Adam).

You can follow Adam on Twitter here or check out his blog at www.fortais.com

Adam and Matt talk to recent graduate Shay Freger about Arthur, the Amorphophallus Titanum, aka, the Titan Arum, aka, the Corpse Plant. This plant, a roughly 6-foot behemoth, typically blooms only once every 7 or so years... and guess what! It's blooming right now!

You can watch a nice, succinct description of the Titan Arum by NPR here.

If you want to dig deeper, Wikipedia has a very good intro to to Titan.

There is an extremely long video of a plant blooming "live" from a while ago here. Fast forward to hours 73-119.

If you would like to visit the green house at McMaster or volunteer (anyone from the community is welcomed), the hours and location are posted here. And be sure to follow the greenhouse on Facebook and Instagram to hear about upcoming events and plant sales.

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Be sure to tune in Thursdays at noon at 93.3 CFMU or at http://cfmu.ca/shows/57-the-almamac to hear the show LIVE!