Hubble Legacy Archive

http://hla.stsci.edu/

Time awarded for Hubble Space TElescope

http://www.stsci.edu/hst/proposing/#results

NSF Fellowships

https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do

For next year

Pierre Auger Observatory, Chicago

http://www.auger.org/

KEEP THIS IN MIND- 2001 ASTRONOMY JOB REPORT

 http://xxx.lanl.gov/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0301/0301061v1.pdf
48% of the positions
were targeting ‘theory’, 32% were targeting ‘observation’, and 20% were tar-
geting ‘instrumentation’. In terms of research areas, 56% were looking for
cosmologists of one sort or another, 25% were looking for planetary scientists,
11% were looking for high energy astrophysicists, and 8% were looking for
stellar astronomers.

On-Line solar physics book

http://www.springerlink.com/content/q61644/#section=427585&page=1&locus=13

National virtual observatory

http://www.us-vo.org/

Galaxy Zoo-Cool way to get invovled with astronomy

http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

astronomy background in looking up UW research

quasars- faint, point source, very active AGN

Routine for checking for viruses

README


Written by Mason Keck, 12-28-2011


GENERAL INFO:


The System Fix virus moved links to the TEMP folder, which is located at

C:/Users/Mason/AppData/Local/Temp










1. use most updated security software


2. automatically run:

Windows Update (it appears auto.)

securia patch updater (it automatically set itself to do it once a week)

microsoft software essentials (once a month? see recommendation of program)

kapersky labs scan (once every 3 months? it takes 4 hours)

microsoft safety scan (download and run most recent http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx)


2. BACKUP

-every 3 months, backup all windows and linux files
-Save files in folder named "BACKUP (insert month, year)"


   A. Windows
      1. Run Microsoft Backup

   B. Linux
      2.  Save Mason Folder to external hardrive



3. if suspected virus:


   a. if system fix:

Rkill (named iExplore and uSeRiNiT)



in general:


TDSS killer

Microsoft Malicious software search

interesting: 'Welcome to the MSDN Library, an essential source of information for developers using Microsoft® tools, products'

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms123401.aspx

http://www.osnews.com/story/22691/Activate_Windows_7_s_Hidden_God_Mode_

look into iCloud

http://www.apple.com/icloud/.

System Fix Removal Log 12-28

The Kaspersky scan of the C drive gave one trojan virus, located in AppData.  I thought I would be able to save the log, but this did not happen.

The Malwarebytes scan gave 4 threats, but they all seem legitimate, so I did not delete them. Keep this in mind if the computer still has problems. 

See the virus_log directory on the C: drive for a report on this scan.

My computer still does not let the TDSS killer software run.


I finally got TDSS killer to work, though due to a link from the site mentioned in the 'very helpful...' post from yesterday.




Things seem pretty clean, but

http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=212719http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=212719 

It found no rootkits, so the kapersky antivirus software I ran must have done the job.

NOTE: I searched for  FBapqcwc1aEov8 at HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, but I could not find it, so hopefully it is completely gone.

I ran SECURIA and it found 5 insecure programs: adobe flash player, adobe reader, java, itunes, and something else. I updated them all, although 2 programs are not indicating this yet.

I installed Microsoft Security Essentials

Here is the microsoft security website, it looks like it has good links to free malware and virus removal programs

http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx

Create an automatic virus scan routine, with 

Rkill (if necessary)
TDSS killer (if necessary)
Microsoft Security Essentials
Malwarebytes
Securia

So I can do this more quickly, and regularly.

Information about system registry

System configuration information is stored centrally in a hierarchical database called the registry. You can use Registry Editor to add and edit registry keys and values, restore the registry from a backup or to default values, and to import or export keys for reference or backup.
You can also print the registry and control which accounts have permission to edit the registry.
For more information about the registry, including registry concepts and securing the registry, go to the Windows Server TechCenter (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=53495).

Microsoft releases a malicious software tool every month:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=9905

I ran a quick scan with a microsoft malicious software remover; it foundn othing.

TDSS killer still only runs for the last version I downloaded, which seems suspicious

12:34pm My computer, control panels, and other options still do not come up on the start menu. Only noticeable difference right now. Computer seems to be running  better.

6:21 pm

Microsoft Security Essentials found nothing after a full scan of 1.5 million things, so I am going to run the backup process tonight. I probably won't reinstall windows because I don't know what the implications on the Linux side this would have.

TODO:
I still need to get the links to my computer, control panels, etc. back. This link may help
http://www.2-viruses.com/remove-system-fix

System Fix Removal Log 12-27

10:45 pm

These instructions seem reliable from the website, I am following them:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-system-fix

I have run the following processes twice:

rkill
malware bytes anti-malware

but system fix is not gone yet.

I attempted to remove system fix by registering the software, following these instructions:

http://deletemalware.blogspot.com/2011/11/remove-system-fix-uninstall-guide.html

It did not seem to help, and I read bad things about spy doctor, so I did not continue these instructions.

Windows Defender found and quarantined a Trojan virus, I believe it was FBapqcwc1aEov8, which is located at HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

and has a command located at
C:\ProgramData\FBapqcwc1aEov8.exe. I deleted this command.

Looking at msconfig, this started at startup, but I disabled it. I deleted the command. The startup item still shows up on the start menu. 

DLXCATS, in startup, is for dell computers http://www.winvistatips.com/dlcxcats-process-p2949.php

You can access the Hot Keys (HK) by typing 'regedit' into 'run' from the 'start mode'




4:06 AM

I ran kaspersky virus removal software, which found 1 malicious software file:

Rootkit.Boot.SST.a

It was located at \Device\Harddisk0\DR0
Kaspersky disinfected this file.

The Kapersky scan did not look at the C, D, or Q drives before, so I will scan those with it.

TO DO:

1step 22 of  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-system-fix
2See if step 2 on this website http://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/6575-remove-system-fix is worth following

Kaspersky says it will finish in 6 hours...

Very helpful post on kaspersky forum for my situation

http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=221843

Instructions followed to remove system fix

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-system-fix

the website seems pretty trustworthy

free antivirus removal tool at kapersky labs

http://www.kaspersky.com/antivirus-removal-tool-register

microsoft malware software

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

AGN-Starburst Galaxy Conference

http://www.sciops.esa.int/index.php?project=ESACFACULTY&page=workshop_starburstAGN2011

good link from boingboing

http://www.iftf.org/futureofscience

Interesting people to work with at UW

 http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/anderson/

http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/bbinder/research.html

http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/ben/

helped me avoid a potentially very annoying problem

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/hide-text-HP005189458.aspx

finding what areas of research I want to specialize in

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.before.html

"
It helps to have a good idea of what area you want to specialize in, and preferably a couple of particular research projects you might like to work on. Look for books and current journals and conference proceedings in your area, and read through them to get an idea of who's doing what where. (You'll be doing a *lot* of reading once you start graduate school, so you might as well get used to it.) This is where advisors first enter the scene: faculty members ought to be willing to talk to undergraduates and help them find out more about research areas and graduate schools. Try to get involved in research: ask professors and TAs whether they need someone to work on an ongoing project, or start an independent research project, with guidance from a faculty member.
"

Getting financial support in Grad school (from 'How to be a Good Grad Student')

Most graduate students (at least in the natural sciences) have a source of financial support that pays their tuition and a small living stipend. Although nobody ever got rich being a graduate student, you probably won't starve either. Sources of funding include fellowships (from NSF, universities, foundations, government agencies, and industry), employer support, research assistantships (i.e., money from a faculty member's research grant) and teaching assistantships.
Start looking for money early. Many schools arrange support in the form of an RA or TA position in the first year, but after that, you're on your own. Deadlines for applications vary, and if you miss one, you'll probably have to wait another year. After you apply, it can take six months or so to review the applications and several more months to actually start receiving money.
Ask faculty members (especially your advisor, who should be helping you to find support or providing support out of his or her grant money), department administrators, and fellow graduate students about available funding. Go to your university's fellowship office or its equivalent, and look through the listings in "The Annual Register of Grant Support", "The Grant Register", "The Chronicle of Higher Education", and "Foundation Grants to Individuals". Look into NSF grants (there are several different programs). Take advantage of your status as a woman or minority if you are one (this may be the only time when it actually is an advantage). Most universities have fellowship programs that may be administered through individual departments or may be campus-wide.
If you haven't yet begun actively doing research, getting an RA position from a faculty member may be a good way to become involved in a research project. Working on an existing research project by maintaining or developing hardware or software, writing reports, and running experiments will give you a feel for what it's like to do research -- and you may even find a thesis topic. Ask around to see what's available, and go talk to professors whose work you find interesting.
For a research grant or fellowship, you will probably have to write a proposal, so the more you've thought about potential thesis topics, the better off you'll be. You may need to tailor your proposal to the interests and needs of the particular funding agency or program you're applying to, but stick to something you know about and are sincerely interested in.
Write for a general audience, since the people reviewing your application may not be in the same field. Emphasize your goals and why the project you propose to work on is important. Talk as much as you can about how you're going to solve the problem, and be sure that your proposed solution will satisfy the goals you've set forth. Follow the rules for format, page layout and length, or your application may not even be reviewed.

What every grad student should now, how to be a good grad student

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/grad.stuff.html
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.html

financial aid UCLA

http://academics.physics.ucla.edu/misc/fin_sup.php

UCLA residence info and tuition information

http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/FAQ/residencefaq.htm


http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/antexp.htm

important to note
 """
Please note that you should not expect any financial support from UCLA unless you have been officially notified, in writing, of such an award by the department or by the Graduate Division. Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Student Researcher appointments, fellowships, and stipends, as well as tuition fellowships, are not guaranteed for the full academic year or for subsequent years of study, unless stated in writing.
It is extremely difficult for non-immigrant visa holders to find off-campus employment and to obtain permission for such employment. Spouses of F-1 visa holders, who hold F-2 visas, are not permitted to work under any circumstances.
At certain times of the year, you must have large sums of money available to cover payment of required expenses: Upon arrival, plan to spend US $13,000.00 — 15,000.00 on initial rental deposits, your first month's living expenses and the first term's tuition and fees. Tuition and fees for each term must be paid during the registration period prior to the beginning of the term, so you should plan your budget accordingly.
 """

I NEED TO LOOK UP FINANCIAL SUPPORT INFO

UCLA crime statistics

http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1000958

Expected physics and math background for Harvard

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/ast/acad/gradcourse.html


I need more background in Complex analysis,  PDE's, ODE's, Fourier Transforms than I have

R language, Astrostatistics

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~astorer/cfa.pdf
http://hea-www.cfa.harvard.edu/AstroStat/SolStat2012/#oneB

SciGPU- future of solutions to astronomical problems according to this guy

 
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~lincoln/-

solar physics reu

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/opportunities/solar_reu/

Survey telescopes Jim uses

2MASS, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), WISE

2MASS- http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/

2MASS is an infrared survey of the sky. 

"
2MASS used two highly-automated 1.3-m telescopes, one at Mt. Hopkins, AZ, and one at CTIO, Chile. Each telescope was equipped with a three-channel camera, each channel consisting of a 256×256 array of HgCdTe detectors, capable of observing the sky simultaneously at J (1.25 microns), H (1.65 microns), and K_s (2.17 microns).
"

--SDSS


It looks like SDSS is an optical survey. It has created color maps of the sky.
"
The SDSS used a dedicated 2.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory, New Mexico, equipped with two powerful special-purpose instruments.
"
"
SDSS-III will continue operating and releasing data through 2014.
Data Release 8 contains all images from the SDSS telescope - the largest color image of the sky ever made. It also includes measurements for nearly 500 million stars and galaxies, and spectra of nearly two million. All the images, measurements, and spectra are available free online. You can browse through sky images, look up data for individual objects, or search for objects anywhere in the sky based on any criteria.

"

-WISE

WISE is a near-infrared survey.
"Infrared data with WISE allows you to search for asteroids, comets, cool planets, cool stars, origin of stellar and planetary systems, and most luminous galaxies in the universe." not perfect quote

opportunities at NASA GSFC astrophysics divison

http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/student_opps/student_opps.html

good astro links

http://peggysue.as.utexas.edu/sf/links.html

We are stardust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBqodL2OJ1A

This is my graduate school guide

http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/education/applytips.html


The UT-Austin site is very good base for getting information and advice on grad school

Reading: Tomorrow's professors

http://oregonstate.summon.serialssolutions.com/search/results?q=tomorrow%27s+professor&x=0&y=0

Photometry

Aperture photometry sounds exactly like what Andy was describing with determining the X-ray counts from a region

photometry wiki

Jim's website and CV; CV, cover letter guide from University of Virginia

http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/jrad/James_R._A._Davenport.html
http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/jrad/davenport.cv.pdf

http://www.virginia.edu/vpr/postdoc/docs/CVCoverLetters.pdf

Curriculum Vitae tips-purdue owl

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/

Key ideas:

"

a good CV is one that emphasizes the points that are considered to be most important in your discipline and conforms to standard conventions within your discipline."

"Gapping is the use of incomplete sentences in order to present your information as clearly and concisely as possibly. For example, instead of writing, "I taught composition for four years, during which time I planned classes and activities, graded papers, and constructed exams. I also met with students regularly for conferences," you might write, "Composition Instructor (2000-2004). Planned course activities. Graded all assignments. Held regular conferences with students.""By using incomplete sentences here, you cut out unnecessary words and allow your reader to see quickly what you have been doing.

 

"Parallelism is also very important to a strong CV Generally, you will want to keep the structure of your phrases and/or sentences consistent throughout your document. "

"Remember that the principles guiding any decision you make should be conciseness and ease of readability."

Grad student profiles

John Barentine, 5th year grad student at Texas-Austin

http://www.as.utexas.edu/~jcb/

"""

In a previous life, I was employed as a 3.5m Telescope Observing Specialist (2001-5) for the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) and an Observer (2004-6) for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) at Apache Point Observatory in Sunspot, NM.

"""

Majored in physics, minor in astronomy at University of Arizona

Member of AAS since 2002

-------------

Sarah Ballard, 5th year grad student at Harvard

Very good website

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~sballard/CfA/Welcome.html

She produces a lot of research papers

-Advertises all her publications on her website AND CV

very impressive CV (style and content): https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~sballard/documents/Ballard_CV.pdf

Undergrad at UC Berkeley with highest distinction, 

Also does a lot of outreach, particularly with women in science

----

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~iczekala/index.html

University of Virignia grad in astronomy and aerospace

-----

Courtney Dressing

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~cdressing/

Princeton University

I also did work related to Mars research in high school...

----

Maria Drout, 1st year grad at Harvard

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~mdrout/Welcome.html

Undergrad at Iowa, Masters at Cambridge in Applied Math

She advertises the template program she uses for her research very openly The template light- and "color-curves produced in Drout & Soderberg et al. (2011), “The First Systematic Survey of Type Ibc Supernova Light-Curves,” are available here for download.  "

-------

Christopher Hayward, 6th year grad student at Harvard

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~chayward/

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~chayward/CV_pub_2010-11-01.pdf

Note the style of CV's when I make my own

REU at CERN

UMichigan undergrad, Master's at Cambridge

New model for gamma ray bursts

http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2011/1130.html

Gauge theory, gauge fixing (coulomb gauge), action

check them out on wiki!

Outlook on astronomy field

http://xxx.lanl.gov/pdf/astro-ph/0301061v1

Key excerpts

"""

The breakdown makes for interesting reading and should be
brought to the attention of prospective PhD students: 48% of the positions
were targeting ‘theory’, 32% were targeting ‘observation’, and 20% were targeting ‘instrumentation’. In terms of research areas, 56% were looking for
cosmologists of one sort or another, 25% were looking for planetary scientists,
11% were looking for high energy astrophysicists, and 8% were looking for
stellar astronomers.

"""


"""
In terms of a so-called “recipe for success” for prospective astronomy
PhD students, the following was suggested: (1) investigate the past history
of both the school and supervisor who interests you (e.g. how have their past
students fared? What is their grant history like? What are the opportunities
for external & international collaborative links?); (2) know what’s hot (both
in the near- and long-term - e.g. computational and/or theory, cosmology,
instrumentation, planetary, astrobiology); (3) get experience writing grants;
(4) be sure to network; (5) avoid excessive observing; (6) be wary of undertaking PhDs within very large teams; (7) for Australian students, move
institutes for your PhD and PDF, and be prepared to emigrate; (8) be aware
of the competition (most folks have ∼10 papers by the end of their first PDF
position)
"""

UCSD groups of interest

http://cass.ucsd.edu/heag/
http://casswww.ucsd.edu/index.php/research:Groups

Useful blog post about statement of purpose

http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3607

Harvard

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/ast/research/ism.html

Texas research of interest

http://www.as.utexas.edu/~alh/vixens.html
http://www.as.utexas.edu/~sj/#Res

UCLA faculty of interest

• Michael Rich is a member of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer science team, a UV sky survey satellite. Rich's research on GALEX addresses the study of star formation in the 0<1 range, as well as the UV properties of early-type galaxies. Rich also works on the kinematics and composition of stars in the bulge and halo of M31, and on the search for black holes in globular clusters.
• Shoko Sakai's research focuses on two areas: (1) determining the star formation rate in the current universe and examining the star formation properties of various morphological types of galaxies by imaging nearby clusters of galaxies, and (2) investigating the three-dimentional structure of the local universe by measuring accurate distances to galaxies, in order to find out how much dark matter exists on scales of a few Mpcs.
• Alice Shapley uses optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopic observations of high-redshift galaxies to understand how galaxies form, evolve, and affect their intergalactic environments. Specifically of interest are the star-formation and metal-enrichment histories of galaxies, the development of galaxy structure, and the important process of "feedback."
• Jean Turner uses the Keck, the VLA, infrared, millimeter, and sub-millimeter telescopes to study star formation in starbursts, especially super star cluster formation.

UCSD

http://casswww.ucsd.edu/index.php/students:Main

university of chicago- Giant Magellan Telesscope

http://www.gmto.org/

http://pisgm.ucolick.org/

intergalactic medium studies

X-ray background studies at Carnegie Mellon

http://astrophysics.phys.cmu.edu/potm/#012002

Cool website

http://www.as.utexas.edu/gcet/

Astronomy interests

I would currently most like to study spectral studies related to the origin and the dispersion of elements, including starburst galaxies.


http://ixo.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/goalsOriginDispersionElements.html#pageTop 

LSST- keep a check up on its data

Plans for sharing the data from LSST with the public are as ambitious as the telescope itself. Anyone with a computer will be able to fly through the Universe, zooming past objects a hundred million times fainter than can be observed with the unaided eye. The LSST project will provide analysis tools to enable both students and the public to participate in the process of scientific discovery. The work on the project is broken down into three main areas: The Camera, Telescope & Site, and Data Management. We invite you to learn more about the science of LSST.

Astronomy teaching tools (lab, hw, activites, lectures..., videos, animations...)

http://www.astro.washington.edu/courses/labs/clearinghouse/

positive outlook on astronomy

http://www.sdss.jhu.edu/~budavari/tamas/

notice the '!'

Interesting blog to check out on the study of waves

http://glafreniere.com/matter.htm

electromagnetic plane of polarization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_equation

numerical methods book

http://www.nr.com/

VERY GOOD GRAD SCHOOL REFERENCE

http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/education/applytips.html#prepare