Q: Is the CfA what you expected?

A: More or less. I visited the CfA twice briefly before I started the predoctoral program. I knew there would be many talks every week, and many astronomers working on a wide variety of projects.

Q: Did you come to the CfA knowing the course of your research or is this something that you found when you got here?

A: I came to the CfA knowing what I would be working on. I started the predoc program in the last year of my PhD, and my research plan was already well in place before I arrived (but I don't think that this is so common). I suspect if I had wanted to change directions, this would not have been too much of an issue.

Q: What is your funding situation?

A: I am fully funded by my home institution (New Mexico State), and to a lesser extent through my PhD advisor's grants. However, my case is not usual. In particular, I knew what I wanted to work on at the CfA and who I wanted to work with, whether there was funding available or not (it turns out that there was not). My home institution allowed me to carry out the last year of my PhD as a SAO predoctoral fellow at the CfA, though I do not receive any funding from SAO or Harvard.

Q: What is a typical day like for you?

A: It varies a bit, but generally I get in to the office sometime between mid- and late-morning (usually grab a coffee), check some e-mails and then get to work on the priority item of that day. I try to keep a rough 'schedule' of what I need to get done in order to stay on track. What I work on in a day includes (or can include) doing science (analyzing my model data/making plots etc.), working on a paper, referee report, proposal, reading papers, discussing research (usually via e-mail or phone) with collaborators like my PhD advisor. My SAO advisor and I try to meet at least a few times a month. Once in a while, I'll go to an afternoon talk, and maybe once or twice a month, I'll join other pre/postdocs to have lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. I usually stay at work until mid- or late-evening.

Q: How much interaction have you had with other divisions throughout the CfA?

A: I have not had too much interaction with other divisions in terms of working on projects together. I have taken advantage of some of the expertise which scientists in other divisions have, but aside from the Supernova Group, I do not meet with them on a regular basis. Most of my contact with people from other divisions has been with other pre/postdocs who happen to be in other divisions.

Q: What's been your impression of the social life at the Center?

A: It is quite good! There are a lot of people here - it is likely that someone could find a sub-group of people with similar interests. However, because the CfA is so large, finding a group of people to hang out with can be a bit tricky at first. People will not necessarily seek you out; you sometimes have to go out of your way to meet people. This is not so difficult, as there are weekly coffee meetings for all of the predocs, and everyone is very friendly. There is also a Social and Recreation Club at the CfA, where you (or you and a group of friends) will have the chance to, among other activities, purchase tickets to various events such as professional basketball or hockey games. There are plenty of opportunities to meet people here.

Q: How would you rate the the range of seminars offered at the CfA?

A: I think there is quite a large range, though the High Energy division has the largest number of scientists, thus many of the talks are high energy-related (though other divisions also have their weekly talk series, and everyone is free to attend whichever talks they wish). There are a number of both theoretical and observational talks. There are web pages in place where one can check the schedule for various seminars and colloquia ahead of time, since it's not really possible to attend most of the talks! There are simply too many.

Q: Have you enjoyed living and working in the Boston area?

A: Yes, I enjoy it very much. I live in Somerville, very close to Cambridge. The Boston area has a large number of universities/colleges, so it has a real 'university town' feel. In my experience, the transit system is good, too. There are also plenty of museums, and the harbour area is a nice place to explore in the summer. I am from a 'small big city' myself, and I enjoy the large (but not too large) size of Boston. And I don't mind the winter weather too much.

Q: What would you say to prospective applicants about what they could expect from the overall experience at the CfA?

A: I think it is a great opportunity to be able to spend a year (or more) working at the CfA. The personal experience which someone has can depend somewhat on what one hopes to gain from being here, and the expectations of the SAO (as well as the applicant's home institution) advisor(s). I think that if the applicant does not have a clear idea of what they would like to focus on for their thesis, the CfA is an excellent place to gain experience in other areas of interest that may be pursued in the future. However, it is also a great place to be if you already have a good idea of what you would like to work on, and would like to be more independent.