I Know What Science Doesn’t

Chapter 003

When the meeting ended, Dr. Vance brought Daniel Hayes downstairs.

Once they left the room, a thin graduate student chuckled and said, "He actually claimed our preliminary experiment had problems?"

This was Leo Bennett, a doctoral student under Walter Graham.

Another doctoral student chimed in, "He's really young. Early twenties, doesn't know anything, and he's just spouting nonsense."

"When we're looking for problems, anyone can speak freely," Richard Croft said dismissively, then turned to Walter Graham with a puzzled expression. "A doctoral student that Dr. Vance supervised... from Aldridge University? Why would he want to join the project? Graduate students from Aldridge University aren't usually eligible, are they?"

"I know about this," Walter Graham said with a smile. "Dr. Vance told me yesterday. He's coming here to pursue his doctorate."

"Transfer schools? The paperwork must be complicated."

"He was expelled."

Everyone froze. A doctoral student in his early twenties, expelled? It could not have been for exceeding time limits.

Walter Graham explained, "I'm telling you this, but don't spread it around. It was over an experimental paper. Aldridge University believed the paper's data was fabricated, so they decided to expel him outright. But Professor Vance thinks very highly of this student."

"If you ask me, Aldridge University really does have talented people. A physics doctorate in his early twenties!"

He shook his head as he spoke.

The conversation returned to the preliminary experiment. Everyone trusted it, but later validation and analysis did not align. Most still suspected the stanene cultivation experiment, either its procedure or testing, but they reached no conclusion.

Meanwhile, Dr. Vance brought Daniel to his office downstairs.

"Have a seat."

Dr. Vance pulled over a chair. He dropped into his office chair, raised his arms, and stretched with a long yawn before sighing. "Been busy all morning. The experiment isn't meeting expectations, and I still don't know where the problem is."

He suddenly turned to Daniel. "You said earlier that the preliminary experiment had issues. Do you have any specific thoughts?"

Daniel scratched the back of his head and smiled. "I only caught the general idea. But normally, if the experimental predictions don't match the results, either the experiment itself has problems, or the preliminary experiment or analysis does. The experiment itself has been done very carefully, right? So it can only be the preliminary experiment."

"You have a point," Dr. Vance said, considering it before shaking his head. "But the preliminary experiment took a long time. It's the biggest achievement since the project started, the experiment itself and the analysis included. The entire team has validated the results."

Daniel replied earnestly, "No one wants to deny an achievement, but right is right and wrong is wrong. I think we should go through it carefully from beginning to end. Maybe then we'll find the problem."

He left it at that.

He had not joined the research yet and knew only the broad strokes, so he could not pinpoint the flaw.

Dr. Vance sat in thought for a moment, then dropped the subject of the experiment and turned to enrollment matters.

Expulsion meant involuntary withdrawal, so Daniel would enroll at Kingsley University as a new doctoral student.

"Enrollment is in March. I've applied to the university for two spots. When the time comes, you just need to handle the paperwork." He paused. "After you enroll, you'll follow me on the new project. The project focused on metamaterials. I don't need to introduce it much. The difference lies in the direction, mainly thermoelectric materials and stanene."

Daniel listened. He was familiar with both directions.

Thermoelectric materials convert thermal energy directly into electricity. Stanene is a single-atom-thick tin material and a topological insulator whose conductive edges might one day replace graphene in electronics.

Dr. Vance handed him a stack of materials. "Read these first. They cover the project's research, theory, and mathematical foundations."

"Two of them are research papers from abroad. Pay special attention to those. There's also the experimental calculation and analysis section. I hope you can understand that part more thoroughly." He added, "Professor Croft's group is specifically responsible for calculations."

"I want you to work with the others to perform computational verification on the results they provide. That way, we'll have double assurance on the data."

Daniel took the materials, glanced through them, and nodded. "I'll go over them carefully."

"You said earlier that the preliminary experiment had problems," Dr. Vance said with a teasing smile. "If you can find data issues in the preliminary experiment through calculations, that would be definitive proof."

He was just joking.

Richard Croft's group was highly capable. The data calculation and analysis portion of the preliminary experiment had been verified multiple times. It was almost impossible for there to be errors.

Daniel had solid mathematical skills, but finding the problem through calculations seemed far-fetched. Still, he took it seriously. If the preliminary experiment was flawed, the problem most likely lay in its data calculation and analysis.

Dr. Vance looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled and changed the subject. "Don't think about it for now. If AcademiBase won't retract the paper, then so be it. I asked this morning. Aldridge University will issue a public statement. Don't dwell on it. Once the buzz dies down, no one will care anymore."

He was still a little worried.

Daniel faced both online attacks and a public expulsion from Aldridge University. He was young and had faced few setbacks, so no one knew how well he could withstand the pressure.

Daniel listened carefully, then said sincerely, "Dr. Vance, thank you. Don't worry, I've thought it all through. Anyway, I can still pursue my doctorate under you. There's nothing to worry about."

He smiled easily.

Dr. Vance smiled too. "That's good. Seeing you like this, I'm not worried anymore. By the way, do you have any financial pressures? They won't arrange dormitory housing here right away. You'll have to rent off campus. If you run into any problems, you can come to me."

He was referring to money.

Daniel understood. He stood up and patted his pockets. "I don't eat much or spend much. I don't have a lot of money, but it's enough."

Dr. Vance nodded. "That's good. After you enroll, you can also help ease my teaching load. Lecturing students is my weak point."

Daniel thumped his chest. "No problem. Leave it to me."

Having Daniel help with teaching would also let Dr. Vance give him an additional stipend, another way to look after him.

After his conversation with Dr. Vance, Daniel left the Applied Electromagnetics Laboratory. The first thing he did was find a place to live.

He could not stay at the youth hostel, and with tight finances, he looked for shared housing.

Between morning and noon, he visited several places. Either the rent was too high, the environment unbearably dirty, or the roommates were intolerable.

At five in the afternoon, he went to another place. It was located on the east side of the university, near the faculty apartments. The phone call said it was a three-bedroom. The other two rooms were occupied by female tenants.

The landlady was one of the female tenants.

One man, two women. Living together might be awkward, but he just wanted a place to sleep. It shouldn't be a problem.

The door opened. Both women were home.

One woman had fair skin and a fuller figure. With her hair pulled into a ponytail, she looked like an urban professional. The other was slightly shorter, wore square-framed glasses, and dressed in a trendy combination of capri pants and a short top.

"You're the one, right? Physics graduate student?"

"Yes, I am."

Daniel nodded, feeling their scrutiny. It felt like he was going through a job interview.

He gave a light laugh and spoke up. "Master's from Aldridge University. I'm coming here in March to pursue my doctorate. Physics department, electromagnetics track. You said on the phone you're looking for someone studying at Kingsley University, preferably a graduate student. I haven't enrolled yet, but I will soon. Should that meet your requirements? Or are you only looking for women?"

The two women exchanged a glance.

The fuller woman spoke. "Either is fine."

Daniel nodded and continued. "Then I qualify. Can you let me in to take a look? I don't know if the place meets my expectations."

The woman in capri pants felt the rhythm was off. She hesitated, then looked at the fuller woman.

The fuller woman said, "Come in."

Daniel entered and looked around. The apartment was a standard three-bedroom with one living room. The small room near the door was only about eighty square feet. Inside was a single bed and a wardrobe.

The room was small, but fairly clean and sanitary. There was just enough space beside the bed to squeeze in a small desk.

Considering the rent and environment together, it was actually quite decent.

"Not bad."

Daniel nodded with satisfaction. "A bit small, but pretty clean."

As he commented, he also asked, "What about you two? What do you do? I need to understand my future roommates. Let's introduce ourselves."

The two women exchanged another glance before introducing themselves.

The fuller woman was Sylvia Monroe, twenty-seven years old, a doctoral student in law. The woman in capri pants was Claire Whitaker, twenty-five years old, a doctoral student in mathematics.

Daniel understood and nodded with satisfaction. "That's about right. I'm fairly satisfied with the place. What about you two? Any other questions?"

The two women looked at each other and shook their heads together.

"All right then. Do you have a rental contract? Is the rent one month's deposit plus three months upfront, or paid directly? I can move in anytime, right? Oh, and are there any private agreements to follow? For example, no bringing boyfriends or girlfriends back. When you're sharing a place, it's better to say these things upfront so no one gets embarrassed. Also..."

Daniel rattled off questions, and Sylvia and Claire answered. Only after seeing off their "future new roommate" did they recover enough to look at each other.

"Finding a male roommate... weren't we supposed to be interviewing him? How did it feel like we got interviewed instead?"

"How did we just agree to that? Wait, he said he's going to pursue a doctorate in physics? A doctorate? He doesn't look that old, does he? Feels like he's only in his early twenties. At that age, already working on a doctorate? He's not lying to us, is he?"