By Ed Baranosky

The first time I met Natalie Rowland was at a board meeting in our corporate offices in New York. My name is Frank Barnes I’m an executive producer of ads for a major television network. Ms. Rowland is the advertising VP of a national cosmetic company. At our meetings in New York I found her to be intelligent, articulate and a stunningly beautiful black woman.

A strategy meeting was set up at their Durham, North Carolina office to go over the details of a seven-figure contract for a TV commercial to kick-off the spring introduction of a new cosmetic product created specifically for women of color.

I flew into Raleigh picked up my rental car and drove to the Ramada Hotel where I was going to stay.

I checked in, went to my room, unpacked my suit and draped it on a hanger. I hadn’t eaten since I left New York and it was already 6 p.m. I decided to go to the hotel dining room for dinner.

I was sliding my keycard into the door-lock when I heard the phone ringing in my room. It was Ms. Rowland asking if I could come to her condominium. She had a few details she would like to go over before our meeting tomorrow. I said “yes.” She then gave me directions to her residence.

The condominium was not far from the hotel where I was staying. I drove to the address, picked up my briefcase and rang the bell. When the door opened she greeted me with a pleasant smile.”

She was wearing red silk pajamas with pants that flared out at the bottom. As she led me into the living room. I could not help but notice how the silk followed every movement of her body. In the living room she said “I’m going to have a glass of Sangria before we get down to business. Would you like something,” I said “perhaps I’ll have one after we’re through, thank you.”

She poured her drink, took a sip put the glass on a table and came to where I was standing and said “I’ve been waiting to do this since I first met you.” She put her arms around my neck pressed her body against mine and kissed me. I could taste the Sangria on her slightly- parted lips.

I was taken completely by surprise.  It took a several moments for my brain to process the feelings that were going through my body.

I put my hands high up on her waist and pushed her away. The softness of her breasts on the back of my hands did not make it any easier.  As we parted I stammered “I’m sorry I can’t do this. I love my wife and children.”

I picked up my briefcase and said “I’ll see you in the morning at your office.” As I was leaving I could hear her crying softly.

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By John-Paul Marciano

Walking into the student lounge, I quickly scan the room for familiar faces.  There he is sitting in a stuffed chair with his feet up on an ottoman.  An unfiltered Camel cigarette is billowing smoke from an ashtray on his left.  And there’s the familiar cup of black coffee still steaming.  Every now and then, without moving his head, he raises his eye level to scan the room.  One quick scan and he returns his focus to the novel he’s been reading.

It’s a typical Friday afternoon.  Classes are done for the week so he uses the time to relax and unwind.  He likes that seat because he’s left-handed and it’s the only stuffed chair in the room with a table on the left.  As I walk past I look in the ashtray.   It must have been a low stress week.  There are only three butts and the one still going.  What a knucklehead!

I walk over to the deli and buy myself a diet iced green tea and the South Bend Tribune.  I walk back into the lounge.  The chair next to him appears unoccupied.

“Anybody sitting in this chair?” I ask.

“You,” he replies without looking up.

I ease myself into the chair and balance my drink on the right arm.  I pull out a pen and flip to the crossword puzzle.  We sit in silence for a while, him reading his novel, me doing the crossword puzzle.  I notice him dog-ear the page he was reading.  He takes out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter and lights up another smoke.

Without looking up from my crossword puzzle I say, “You know those are going to kill you, don’t you?”

“And this concerns you, why?” he asks.  He takes a long drag off his cigarette but still doesn’t lift his eyes from the novel.

I chuckle to myself and reply, “Just pointing out the obvious.” I go back to working my crossword puzzle.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem.”

After a few minutes I feel a pair of eyes staring at me.  I look up and to my left but don’t say anything.

“You look familiar,” he said to me.  “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so,” I said.

I gather my things and get up to leave.  There’s nothing I can tell him.  He wouldn’t listen even if I did.

“Enjoy your weekend,” I told him.

“Thanks.  You do the same,” he said as I walked away.

I couldn’t work up the nerve to tell him I’m just an older version of the face he sees when he looks in the mirror every morning.

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By Robert Cordery 

So, you want to be a theoretical physicist? While this advice may not seem totally original, hear me out.  Focus on the three Rs.

Physics combines mathematical theory and experimental measurement to understand how the world works.  Success in physics requires particular capabilities in reading, writing, and arithmetic. An investment in developing expertise in all three skills will pay dividends with a flourishing career.

No matter how much you read, there will always be more fascinating papers you should have read. There are more than 250 physics papers published every day. You need triage just to monitor the most relevant knowledge for your current research topics. Identify the publications that best match your needs. You must become a kind of speed reader. Skim relevant papers to extract their key ideas and integrate them with your knowledge. Rigorously analyze the arguments and results in a few of the most critical papers.  Your analysis may go as far as reproducing calculations and computer simulations. After you understand the question a paper is addressing, think about how you would approach the problem.

You need a peer network. Develop a list of physicists you follow. Build relationships with them at conferences and during university visits. The number of single author papers is declining, while collaborations are skyrocketing.  Actively seek out collaborators.

Every few years, change your research focus. You will avoid becoming stale. As you mature as a scientist, you will find creative opportunities in the fertile ground between the well-trodden paths.

Take a writing class. Train in writing grant proposals. Remember the reader. Even for a specialist audience, very few have spent a comparable effort studying the topic of your paper.  Pay special attention to the comments of editors and peer referees. They may be a majority of the people who read your work attentively.

Writing requires practice. Imitate the best features of the papers you enjoy. Write topic summaries and develop the logic of physics arguments for yourself. The effort of writing decrease, but only with practice will your quality improve. Your ability in mathematics and physics does not extend to writing.  You will have to work at it, starting now.

Over the last three millennia mankind has advanced the twin frontiers of mathematics and of our understanding of the universe in lock-step. Eugene Wigner called it “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences.” The partnership between mathematics and physics is not ending.

You can never know all the mathematics that could help you gain a deeper understanding of the universe. Pay extra attention to mathematics of symmetry. The beauty of physics is intimately tied to the symmetries and broken symmetries of the universe. The deep connections between algebra and geometry always sheds light on the nature of physics.

The days of doing mathematical physics on paper are regretfully ending. Systems that are not addressable by simple equations are routinely addressed with computer simulations. Computer languages and styles will evolve. The way of formulating problems for computer solution will improve.  But the ability to express an aspect of the world with an algorithm running on a computer will always be in demand.

After you have learned to read, write, and calculate, after you have built your network, remember this one last thing: follow the experiments.

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