OSCAR #happy

So we just finished our group meeting, and let me just say YEAY!!!! The group meeting today was really nothing else but drinking Cava and eating (a very rich) chocolate cake (all meetings should be like this ;) )...
The reason? Today it's official: the Norwegian Research Council has approved our application for new detectors at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory ❤️ We are getting 21 million NOK for replacing all of our old sodium iodide detectors (CACTUS - may you rest in peace), with new lanthanide bromide detectors (OSCAR - we welcome you!).

Read more about here (we are the "NEW GENERATION SCINTILLATOR DETECTORS FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH IN NORWAY")

This is soooo exciting - experiments in Oslo will be better in aboslutely every way! 

Physics *heart*

Alexandra often asks me "is that physics, mummy?", when I explain something to her, and very often, the answer is "yes" :) (When it's not physics, it's mostly biology related questions.)

Of course she doesn't really know what physics is - and it's not that easy to give a short and simple explanation of it; not even for grown ups...but I really like Nature's definition. I find it so correct and so beautiful:

"Physics is the search for and application of rules that can help us understand and predict the world around us. (...) Physics attempts to both answer philosophical questions about the nature of the universe and provide solutions to technological problems."

Physics is everything! <3<3<3

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This afternoon I was interviewed by Marte Spurkland in VG, for a summer version of this podcast (in Norwegian). Can't wait to hear the result...:D

Forms

As (some of) you know, I'm going to Berkeley in August. One exciting week to work on my next paper, and to do some simulations of some reactors. To do this I have to fill in forms - and I HATE forms :P (But love Berkeley <3)

I tried to do it yesterday, but did of course not have everything I needed to complete it.

The problem was my passport, which wasn't located at the same place I was... I was at my office at the University, and my passport was at home. So why didn't I just do it when I got home then? Well, I got home just after 11 PM, from dinner with the Ludvigsen committee and the minister of education, and at this time my mother was trying to sleep (she was there because of Alexandra <3), and I didn't want to wake her/keep her awake, and besides I was exhausted and didn't even remember that I was supposed to complete my form with the passport information. Luckily I remembered to bring my passport this morning, and now it's finally done.

Sorry, Berkeley people, that I'm so scatterbrained <3

 

 

Ludvigsenutvalget (bilderas)

Hei, alle sammen! Som dere vet så har jeg i snart to år sittet i Ludvigsen-utvalget - det offentlige utvalget som skulle vudere "Fremtidens skole" - og i går var den høytidelig overrekkelsen av vår rapport (NOU 2015:8 "Frmetiden skole -Fornyelse av fag og kompetanser") til kunnskapsministeren. Arbeidet for vår del er nå over, og det er opp til Kunnskapsdepartementet og ministeren å ta det videre...:)

Dagen og kvelden var super-vellykket, og alt gikk heldigvis som planlagt. Jeg tror jeg snakker for hele utvalget, og sekretariatet når jeg sier at vi er strålende fornøyde - både med gårsdagen, og ikke minst selve rapporten. Vi startet dagen med pressekonfearnse på Folkets Hus, deretter fulgte et veldig spennende fagseminar (også på Folkets Hus). Etter at vi var ferdige med den formelle delen av dagen var det tid for litt feiring for oss i utvalget og sekretariatet; først med et glass Prosecco, deretter deilig middag på Oro (NAM!). 

I dag er det middag med Kunnskapsministeren på Statholdergaarden, så det blir også veldig stas; men så blir det også deilig å være helt ferdig med denne jobben, og kun konsentrere meg om uran-analyse og Berkeley-tur :)

Egg muffins things (recipe)

Hi beautiful people, and happy happy Friday!
I love making nuclei, and I love making food <3

To be a real girly girlish blogger, sharing recipes is really important - often I share recipes for different nuclei (it's been some time since I did it, so I should probably do that again - any wishes for which nuclei I should make?), or there are actual food recipes. Today I want to share a recipe for something I made yesterday: Egg muffins - it's super easy, doesn't take too long to make, tastes super, and Alexandra loved it:) (This time it's for eating, not for nuclear experimentation - in case you were wondering ;))

Ingredients:

• chopped sweet pepper
• cheese ("normal")
• feta cheese
• fuet, dry sausage
• (or anything you like, like spring onion, tomatoes, onion, fresh coriander, chicken, spinach, bacon, or whatever :) )
• 6 egg - beaten with 6 tbsp cream, salt to taste (my daugther doesn't like the taste of black pepper, so I didn't add that)

Instructions:

• preheat oven at 200 C
• grease a muffin tin
• add vegetables of your choice along with cheese, pour beaten egg mixture on it (I also made some that were only beaten eggs for Alexandra)
• place muffin pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes 
• let the muffins cool for a couple of minutes before removing from the muffin pan

Eat immediately or let cool completely and store in plastic bag in refrigerator or freezer.

This could be a nice thing to make for breakfast during the weekend, or, served with a salad it's a simple and quick thing for dinner - enjoy, and TGIF!

Supervision

Today I spent three hours with Supervisor-Sunniva - I always feel great after supervision from her, like I understand everything (ok, maybe not everything, but I think I understand more every time), and now I have a list of stuff to fix and check before we continue tomorrow :) (I should, of course, have done the things today, after I left Sunniva, but somehow there wasn't any time...don't think I will ever understand why that happens.)

Monday again...

...and a new week and a fresh start - again :)

I'm just here to wish you all a great week, and show you my TODO-list this week; which turned out longer than I thought it would :P Anyway: here it is - I have to run to start on the list, meaning today: move from the old office, read Cecilie's article, and spend one hour on old e-mails (BIG I'm sorry to all of you that haven't received a reply!)

Berkeley baby!

It's official: Cecilie (my fantastic and talented colleague) and I are going to Berkeley, one week in August!!!

It is of course for working (but who doesn't want to go to Berekely and work there, huh?!?), so the trip basically takes away (big parts of) my summer vacation, since I have to do a lot of preparations before we go - or else I have really no reason to go, since it wont help to go there unless I have my results that I need to get more results :P On the other hand, this trip will (hopefully) enable me to write my third paper, and if so, I'll be a GIANT  LEAP (like, really) closer to my degree, so I think losing a summer vacation will definitely be worth it! 

I have some plans for that third paper (article) that I'm not yet ready to share with you - but I'll do it later, when I know more about how it will go...;)

We're flying with Norwegian, directly from Oslo to Oakland (which is even closer to Berkeley that San Francisco - where we normally fly to), and it will be so nice not to change flights somewhere. Also I'm excited about flying Norwegian on such a long-distance flight - wonder how it will be...:)

From scratch (recipe)

Yesterday we had a bunch of high school students visiting the University - that is, the ones that have applied to become a student at the faculty of mathematics and science this fall. They got the opportunity to "test"  life as a student, and one of the things we did (of course) was to make liquid nitrogen ice cream. Ice cream made with just eggs, cream, sugar and liquid nitrogen is the best EVER, and of course I want to share the joy with my readers <3 <3 <3

You need:
- liquid nitrogen (5 litres)

- gloves and goggles (recommended - liquid nitrogen is REALLY cold, and you don't want it in your eyes)

- heavy cream (3 cups)

- eggs (3)

- sugar (1 cup)

- if you want to, you can add flavour - like espresso, chocolate, strawberries, vanilla, cocoa, or whatever you want!

You can make the ice cream in two ways: 

Either mix the cream and eggs and sugar, then add the nitrogen (little by little), as you mix with a wooden spoon - this is sort of the "rough and rustic" way...

Or use a "stand mixer" (e.g., a KitchenAid mixer), with a "flat beater" blade. Pour some mix into the bowl, run the machine at low to medium speed, and slowly pour in the nitrogen. If you hear crunching sounds, slow down on the nitrogen. After a few minutes the mix should become quite thick; you may have to scrape a frozen crust off the sides of the bowl (use a wooden spoon). Keep at it until you like the consistency, which will basically be "soft ice cream." Remove the bowl, and serve with a wooden spoon :)

I'm soooo making this for Alexandra's next birthday...!

/ me and Ilan"testing" life at the University - from my Snapchat story yesterday --> follow me @ sunnivarose  :) /

So, we served ice cream from scratch; but not as from scratch as Carl Sagan's apple pie: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." BEAUTIFUL!