Anyone from MIT here?

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sash1

sash1

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
8,896
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I am about a 2 hr. drive from MIT, and I need to get down there and use the Science Lab. I am doing my Westinghouse Scholarship project on the speed of light, and I need tools to calculate it, and a prof. to teach me what I am doing.

If you attend(ed) MIT, and could see if it is possible that a proffessor would help me out (or you if you are in this field ;)), could you send me a PM and LMK. I've looked on MIT.edu, but don't know who to contact. So even just an e-mail so I can get in touch would be greatly appeciated as well.

Thanks a lot,

`K
 
dr150

dr150

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2003
6,570
24
81
I can get you into the science lab at Devry. :p

If you only want the MIT lab, you could contact that janitor kid who cleans toilets who's supposedly a math genius. He could prolly sneak you in.
 
Maleficus

Maleficus

Diamond Member
May 2, 2001
7,682
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Originally posted by: dr150
I can get you into the science lab at Devry. :p

If you only want the MIT lab, you could contact that janitor kid who cleans toilets who's supposedly a math genius. He could prolly sneak you in.
Click to expand...

I heard he got a big movie deal and thinks he's too good for lil people like us.
 
Y

Yax

Platinum Member
Feb 11, 2003
2,866
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Originally posted by: Maleficus
Originally posted by: dr150
I can get you into the science lab at Devry. :p

If you only want the MIT lab, you could contact that janitor kid who cleans toilets who's supposedly a math genius. He could prolly sneak you in.
Click to expand...

I heard he got a big movie deal and thinks he's too good for lil people like us.
Click to expand...

Didn't his best friend end up getting engaged to JLo or something while he became a professional poker player?
 
G

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
0
i'm not at MIT, but sounds like you should look at physics dept professors and see if any of their research areas coincide with yours. or just contact the physics dept there and ask them.
 
C

CTrain

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
4,940
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0
If you're refering to the Mexico Institute of Tijuana.....yes I have been there.
Its right down the road from San Diego.
 
sash1

sash1

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
8,896
1
0
Hmm. Maybe I sould just drive down there this weekend and see what's up? That may be best...

`K
 
Einz

Einz

Diamond Member
May 2, 2001
3,139
0
76
Hey, I'm currently a sophomore at MIT. I can't really help you there, as I'm a chemE major and not a physics major. I'd say go to MIT's website like you did and look up a few professor's emails. I'd say go here, http://web.mit.edu/physics/ and look around. I don't really know who to contact either. Sorry :(
 
G

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
0
Originally posted by: Kauru
Originally posted by: gopunk
i'm not at MIT, but sounds like you should look at physics dept professors and see if any of their research areas coincide with yours. or just contact the physics dept there and ask them.
Click to expand...
tell me, what exactly am I studying and who do I want to contact? :confused: :p
Click to expand...

uh, you're the one who's supposed to know what you're studying....

as for who you want to contact, once you figure what you're studying, click on each one of those names to get to their personal home page, which will inevitably tell you what their research is on. once you find a match, go ahead and email them
 
sash1

sash1

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
8,896
1
0
Well tomorrow during my independent study I'll ask my teacher who he thinks I should contact. Then I'll probably head down there this weekend.

Until then, there must be someone on ATF that attends MIT!

`K
 
C

CanOWorms

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
12,404
2
0
Why does it only have to be MIT? Most professors don't even have time to have one-on-one teaching time with an undergrad... I wonder if they would even care about a highschooler (are you in highschool?), especially an MIT professor.
 
sash1

sash1

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
8,896
1
0
Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Why does it only have to be MIT? Most professors don't even have time to have one-on-one teaching time with an undergrad... I wonder if they would even care about a highschooler (are you in highschool?), especially an MIT professor.
Click to expand...
I never said it has to be MIT. But I was talking to one of the teachers at my school who taught at MIT herself, and she said teachers there do that. However, the few she knows from MIT have all retired, so she couldn't offer me much.

And MIT's science lab is by far the best. I don't know many places around me that would have have access to facilities in which I could measure the speed of light and other things I want to do. As well as provide a proffessor that knows what he is doing and could explain what I am studying.

`K
 
E

eLiu

Diamond Member
Jun 4, 2001
6,407
1
0
What about light are you doing? Are you designing a new method to measure it or something?
 
C

CanOWorms

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
12,404
2
0
Originally posted by: Kauru
Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Why does it only have to be MIT? Most professors don't even have time to have one-on-one teaching time with an undergrad... I wonder if they would even care about a highschooler (are you in highschool?), especially an MIT professor.
Click to expand...
I never said it has to be MIT. But I was talking to one of the teachers at my school who taught at MIT herself, and she said teachers there do that. However, the few she knows from MIT have all retired, so she couldn't offer me much.

And MIT's science lab is by far the best. I don't know many places around me that would have have access to facilities in which I could measure the speed of light and other things I want to do. As well as provide a proffessor that knows what he is doing and could explain what I am studying.

`K
Click to expand...

Sorry, I just assumed that since you only inquired about MIT. MIT definitely has top-notch facilities but I'm not sure if they would even let someone use their facilities if they're not a student or associated somehow with the university. Maybe they would since it is for your Westinghouse Scholarship. But asking for a professor to give you a lot of one-on-one time might be asking for too much.

BTW, I wouldn't think that other university's professors don't know what they're doing. Where you get your phd is very important in academia, so most of them are from MIT, Stanford, etc. anyways :)
 
sash1

sash1

Diamond Member
Jul 20, 2001
8,896
1
0
Originally posted by: eLiu
What about light are you doing? Are you designing a new method to measure it or something?
Click to expand...
I am attempting to prove what matters can achieve greater speeds than that of light (c). Basically, what matter can go from one place to another in zero time. Doing this more for myself and to learn about this, seeing as unless you prove your hypothesis, you won't win anything in the WestingHouse Scholarship. But that isn't really my goal.

`K
 
H

HokieESM

Senior member
Jun 10, 2002
798
0
0
Originally posted by: Kauru
Originally posted by: CanOWorms
Why does it only have to be MIT? Most professors don't even have time to have one-on-one teaching time with an undergrad... I wonder if they would even care about a highschooler (are you in highschool?), especially an MIT professor.
Click to expand...
I never said it has to be MIT. But I was talking to one of the teachers at my school who taught at MIT herself, and she said teachers there do that. However, the few she knows from MIT have all retired, so she couldn't offer me much.

And MIT's science lab is by far the best. I don't know many places around me that would have have access to facilities in which I could measure the speed of light and other things I want to do. As well as provide a proffessor that knows what he is doing and could explain what I am studying.

`K
Click to expand...

Actually, measuring the speed of light isn't all that difficult. And MIT isn't necessarily the "best" at everything--its an excellent school... but people do excellent research at a lot of places. For astrophysics and the like, actually Caltech and Cornell are top-notch.

What exactly do you have in mind for your project? Keep in mind that measuring the speed of light has been done many many times (hell, its in an UNDERGRADUATE lab at most major universities) to varying degrees of accuracy. So unless you have some new/novel idea for measuring it, you might want to rethink. The one problem I see is that your math/physics background (unless you're a highly highly atypical high school student who is taking graduate level mathematics courses) will be downright primitive to consider the physics behind measuring the speed of light (other than the "mirror methods" which, while easy to explain, don't give incredibly good results).

Just a friendly recommendation: educate yourself a bit in modern physics before you get into a conversation about this... particularly with a professor who specializes in this area. If you reveal yourself to be totally ignorant, you stand nearly zero chance of getting him to help you professionally. Look into a entry-level "modern physics" textbook (undergraduate level) and go from there.

Best of luck to you!
 
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