What is PV inversion? - PhD Watch #1 | Summary and Q&A
TL;DR
PhD student discusses the significant changes and challenges faced in their research journey, including adjusting research techniques and preparing for a presentation in Vienna.
Key Insights
- 🧑🎓 The journey of a PhD student can involve unexpected changes in research direction and techniques.
- 💦 Overhauling previous work is often necessary to align with mainstream practices in the field.
- 🥺 Embracing change and learning new skills can lead to faster progress in research.
Transcript
hello and welcome to PhD watch this is the series where I'll be talking about my PhD in theoretical atmospheric physics at the University of Exeter and in this first episode I'm going to talk about the fact that oh god everything's changed we've seen some dramatic scenes I say we I mean I in my PhD recently here's actual footage when the inside of ... Read More
Questions & Answers
Q: How did the student's research direction change, and what were the factors behind it?
The student's research direction changed due to the suggestion of a second supervisor, who recommended using a mainstream technique instead of the initially proposed new index. This change aimed to align the research with what others in the field were doing.
Q: How did the student adapt to the changes in their research direction?
The student embraced the changes and started fresh, learning new skills like coding in Python. They also acquired analytical problem-solving skills, which will expedite future research.
Q: What is PV inversion, and why is it crucial for the student's research?
PV inversion is the process of determining wind patterns based on the distribution of potential vorticity (PV) in the atmosphere. It is important for the student's research as it helps them understand how the wind, combined with another variable, influences weather patterns in the troposphere.
Q: What are the student's goals for the upcoming presentation in Vienna?
The student aims to present their research idea and, if possible, demonstrate some generated data at the conference. They consider it an ambitious goal, but one that motivates and pushes them to achieve significant milestones.
Summary & Key Takeaways
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The PhD student shares the experience of dramatic changes in their research direction and approach, highlighting the need to align with the mainstream techniques in their field.
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Despite having to start fresh, the student learns valuable skills, such as coding in Python and analytical problem-solving, which will speed up future research.
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The student introduces the concept of PV inversion, explaining its complexity and how it relates to their research objective of determining wind patterns based on PV distribution.