this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2025
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Self Improvement

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I studied physics, turns out people only want that for mining, gambling, banking, and weapons. Understandably I burned out hard.

Well, creeping disability has given me the push I need to go back and try follow my one regret of never having done grad school. Serendipitously I mentioned looking for projects to someone I met and he hooked me up with his mate. Now I'm going back, big field change. Conservative and ecology stuff, water remediation.

I am finally going to learn how to do something actually good for the world!

I've quit smoking, drinking is a WIP but the occasional relapse is a marked improvement from daily day drinking. Exercise is now a regular part of my life, home sitch is way more stable than my 20s.

If I fail this time then I will have failed having done my best and set myself up for success, and if that happens I won't have regrets.

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[–] insurgentrat@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

What switching from physics to ecology? or going back to grad school?

The project is pfas remediation so that's neat and highly topical in my area. You're a fellow inmate in aus right?

[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ahhhh. The artesian well my family would regularly get water from as long as I could remember, was shut down recently for contamination with PFAs lol.

Shoutout to you for fighting the good fight. I’m excited for you to keep us posted on the latest developments :)

Do they do phytoremediation by you? I lucked into working in a research lab in my formative years- so that’s my niche remediation interest

doggirl-smart

[–] insurgentrat@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

It's using plants ya. Bioaccumulation don't want to dox myself but it's like seeing if native plant species incorporated into artifical habitats can bioaccumulate pfas and other harmful shit, then be harvested to concentrate the waste for handling.

[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Fuck yeah- I love that. Np - that gives me enough background to find a niche-ass web of journals to recommend :)

[–] insurgentrat@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Sent a couple colleagues research groups publication pages via dm

[–] FedPosterman5000@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Okie dokie :) will follow up to this

[–] Dirt_Owl@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Going back to grad school and doing ecology. I am waaaay too dumb for physics lol

And yeah I'm stuck in Aus lol

I also did a short assignment on pfas last year, this paper might be of some use. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08698-5

[–] insurgentrat@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I always maintained physics is for stupid people. All you need to know is that:

  • The universe keeps track of how much stuff is spinning
  • The universe keeps track of how much stuff is stuff
  • You can't win with energy
  • You can't break even with energy

Thanks, will read. I've gotta start chewing through the lit. Realistically nothing in undergrad is too hard, the breadth is what makes it take so long, but getting up to speed on the basics will still be a couple of months of crying at the keyboard :p

[–] Dirt_Owl@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

Sounds like you're pretty on top of things, you'll be fine!