FAQs for Jimenez Group

For Grad Students: Which Courses Should I Take?

• Independent of Department you are in
  • CHEM-5181: Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography (Jimenez)
  • CHEM-5151/ATOC-5151: Atmospheric Chemistry (typically Tolbert, Volkamer, or Jimenez)
  • Computer Science: Introduction to Programming (Freshman Undergrad Course)

• Especially if you are in Chemistry:
  • CHEM-5161: Analytical Spectroscopy (Rainer Volkamer)
  • Reaction Dynamics

• Especially if you are in ATOC (Atmospheric Sciences)
  • Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics
  • Clouds and Aerosols (Brian Toon)
  • Remote Sensing
  • Radiative Transfer

• Engineering Courses of Interest:
  • Aerosol Dynamics (Shelly Miller)

Computing FAQs

Can I use a Mac or Linux computer?

Some of the software we use is Windows-specific, so a Mac or Linux-PC would not work, sorry. There are also many subtle incompatibilities when trying to share files betwen a Mac and a PC, and finally Macs do not work with some hardware I have encountered in the field (e.g. we found that Macs could not connect to certain network hubs or printers, and those were the only units available at the field site). This choice does not imply that we have positive opinion of the role of Bill Gates or Microsoft in the computer (or the wider) world, it is just a practical necessity. We use exclusively Windows PC computers (mostly XP with a few Vista computers as of June 2009).

Which software do we use?

In the group we use a pretty standardized set of software packages to do the different things we do. This is not to say that these packages are the best, I am sure we could do the same work with a completely different set of programs. However standardizing is very useful to be able to help each other learn and use the software and work effectively. These packages are:

• CU antivirus
• Igor Pro (data analysis and graphing)
• Skype (fast communication) -- you are required to be logged into Skype during working hours
• Powerpoint (presentations)
• Excel (simple data analysis)
• Word (papers)
  • Microsoft Office is downloadable from here (CU campus license)
• Adobe Acrobat (PDF making)
• Viceversa Pro (backups)
• This Wiki (web pages)
• CU VPN (accessing CU resources remotely)
• WinSCP (secure FTP program)
• Google Docs (shared documents on web, some papers)
• Google Spreadsheets (shared spreadsheets, field study organization)
• Google Desktop (searching your own computer)
• Google Reader (keeping track of the literature with RSS feeds)

• There are other programs which can do the same function (e.g. Latex instead of Word, OpenOffice, Matlab...), however there is a great benefit on using the same set of programs as we can learn from each other and share files easily. Therefore for group work you are expected to use the standard programs above.

• There is no standard email or web browser for the group, you can use whichever you prefer.

How do I connect to the CIRES printers?

• The code for the door in the CIRES printer room is the same as for the kitchen. If you need access contact Rob Schubert*
• IP addresses:
  • CIRES 2: 128.138.136.13
  • CIRES 4: 128.138.136.18

• adding a printer with vista (coming soon)

• adding a printer with Windows XP
  • start ->
  • printers and faxes ->
  • add a printer ->
  • local printer attached to this computer ->
  • (bottom of window) create new port ->
  • standard tcp/ip port ->
  • printer IP 128.138.136.xx
  • hp 4600 (you should have the driver already because its the same as the driver of our existing printer). ->
  • keep existing driver ->
  • name it something appropriate ->
  • you don't need to share it

What are the rules for instrument use?

• J-Group instruments will have a notebook (either on the computer in the case of MAB-AMS, or hardcopy for the Lab-AMS) to keep track of changes, maintenance, use, etc. This is separate from individual experiment or campaign notebooks.
  • 1. You use the AMS, then it's 100% your responsibility to make sure that it's working BEFORE you use it and 100% your responsibility to make sure it's in mint condition AFTER you used it. Any problems you create, you are responsible for fixing.
  • 2. Anytime you CHANGE something on the AMS (swap cables, up the MCP setting, add light scattering, upgrade software, etc.), please write it in the notebook.
  • 3. Anytime you decide to REMOVE something from the AMS, and not leave it in perfect working order, it gets cleared by the instrument 'owner' first by an email, a text, a phone call, whatever. (eg., Delphine for Lab-AMS, Carly for MAB-AMS, Mike for HIAPER, etc.)
  • 4. If anyone breaks the rules and thinks that they can get away with just taking a cable and not writing it down, then they can lose instrument privileges at the discretion of the instrument 'owner'.

What are the group rules for attending conferences?

• Attending conferences with all expenses paid by research funds is a privilege, not a just an automatic right, just for being in the group.
• A typical attendance level is 1-2 conferences per person per year. It assumes submitting and publishing AT LEAST ONE paper in the year prior to the abstract deadline
• Most of the group tends to go to (one or several of): the AAAR Annual Conference, the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, the AMS Users Meeting.
• Other conferences such as the Annual Conference of the ASMS, ACS National Meetings, the Gordon Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry, the Annual Meeting of the EGU in the Spring (Vienna typically), etc., are possible if there are suitable sessions.
• Higher levels of productivity (>1 paper per year) or special needs (e.g. special sessions where the group needs to be represented) may lead to people attending more 1-2 conferences per year
• Lack of productivity (e.g. not paper submission over the last year) may lead to not attending any conference that year. The fact that this rule is often not strictly applied doesn't preclude that it may be in the future.
• In general the results to be presented need to be fully cooked by the abstract deadline. Exceptions to this rule are on a case-by-case basis
• External funds (conference grants, certain fellowships) may allow additional conference attendance. Note however that funding agencies (e.g. NSF, NASA, EPA) often explicitly consider fellowships as an extension of the funding that they provide to the group, and they reduce our grants accordingly.
• Local conferences (in Boulder or Denver) generally don't count in this regard as the expenses are much smaller
• Conferences abroad (especially in Europe) tend to be much more expensive and many grants cannot be used for foreign travel. Therefore attendance of conferences abroad is less frequent, although possible.
• Final decisions combine all of these factors and in case of disagreement will be made by Jose

How much vacation do we have in the group?

• The CU official policy is two weeks a year of vacation for graduate students.
• Postdocs and research scientists have a separate system in which they accrue vacation days with time. The CIRES human resources people can explain the details of this system.
• Please put the days you'll be away in the Group Google Calendar, so that we can organize around it.
• Note that Spring Break is only a break from classes, and it is NOT a vacation period from research.
• Field studies can be very draining, with continuous 12-hr workdays for several weeks and no weekends. Obviously one needs to recover after these, and the periods right after field studies are good to take time off.
• Conversely, please do not schedule vacations within a month of an important deadline (two months if possible). Examples include an upcoming field study, a conference you may be presenting at (AAAR in October and AGU in December are the main ones), a paper deadline, etc. Experience shows that these periods are very intense and your continuous presence is needed. For the same reason, scheduling your vacations AFTER a deadline (conference, etc.) is generally a very good idea.

Can I borrow a _____ from the group for personal use?

In general the answer is YES, but pls write it on the board which is attached to the door of the lab BEFORE the item leaves the lab. For more expensive or critical items (e.g. GPS) please ask the group first via email, and/or ask Jose.