Lecture and tutorial demos

This week there were lecture demos for the search for a replacement for boss M's position as Genetics lecturer. I went to sit for some. So I heard the sickle-cell and malaria example and Hardy-Weinberg law several times (as well as koalas, kookaburas and possums, very Australian hehe). Not bad, I need to be reminded about teaching styles as I might give demos in the next few weeks myself.

Yesterday afternoon I started to write up answers for sample problems for two undergraduate courses: Vector Calculus and Complex Variables. I found myself breezing through the first few problems, but later on got stumped on several ones. On some items I knew how to answer them, but the theory got lost.

Went to the library to harvest dusty textbooks to backtrack on theorems to justify my solutions in these problems. I suddenly felt nostalgic, felt how much I missed teaching, and the process of preparation for lectures.

I am certain I want to teach in a university again.

Couples, partners, incest and such.

(Source: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd012809s.gif)

This blog is turning out to be a commentary/reaction on phdcomics.com. What can I do, almost each comic strip strikes a chord.

I suppose "incestuous departments" occur not just in academia. But, having hardly worked (less than a year) outside academia I haven't enough data to support that claim hehe.

I met my husband in the university, and we both became instructors there. Some (if not most) of our colleagues in the department also met their spouses in the university or in the department. So I can say that our department is also incestuous.

I only know of one couple in my current university who work in the same department. Yep, they are also in Maths. Fancy that. Ah, there is also another couple in Biological Sciences, but they started out as a professor-student relationship. There are also a number of those from all over I'd imagine. I know I've seen a lot.

I've met some couples in a conference, who work in the same university. It's kinda tricky spotting them. I find out only after speaking with them that they are partners, coz they say so. I've met only one couple so far who share the same surname. It's not something I'm accustomed to, coz most couples in my country take their husband's surname.

It's interesting to note that some universities encourage couples to work "together", meaning that if they hire one of them, the university would try to hire the partner. Even not in the same department. It like a "hire one, get two" situation.

A blue form

So about item (3) in this list, I'm being summoned to the other school to fill out a blue form. Ok so that other school is the Maths and Stats school. It gets me excited to think that I can experience tutoring in an actual Maths school here. Two reasons:

(1) I'm not in a maths school at the moment. Though I am sorta doing maths-related research.
(2) I used to teach maths. In fact I taught maths for a while after graduating from a maths degree.

I'll stop counting eggs before they hatch for now. No jinxing!!

A dilemma of priorities

(Source: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd012609s.gif)

Ah, Jorge Cham continues to write the story of my life. This strip shall be me in our next research meeting, scheduled for February.

I need to come up with my plan for a last paper to publish. One agreement I have with boss M is to publish one more, and I haven't quite decided which idea I'm going to pursue for it.

At the moment I have three options:

(1) An extension of a previous paper, entailing that I design and perform synthetic experiments. This will enable me to perform tests on a methodology I had presented before, and report an evaluation on its performance. Difficulty: relatively easy. Publication probability: not likely for a really good journal, likely for a journal of lesser impact factor.

(2) The simulations in option (1) can be used for a different report altogether. This means using the same code I can write for (1), but keep track of different quantities for analysis. The analysis would require me to learn some more theories. Difficulty: moderately hard. Publication probability: less likely to get published soon coz of the fewer options for theoretical journals.

(3) A different methodology that I have yet to finish developing. This would be the most interesting of all options, as I expect most of our peers in the field to find it useful. Difficulty: Very hard. Publication probability: Very likely in a nice journal.

With only months to go, I am left with a prioritisation problem. I want to do all three plans (and some other side projects that merit attention) but I also have to think which will help me best for the thesis.

Less than two weeks to think long and hard about this.

Whip-crackin'

I admit I had been procrastinating on writing for my thesis for the past months. I've not been totally unproductive. I've managed to push some papers out in the past year. But I still think I can do better. I know I could. And I hope I will.

It's far from being the home stretch, as I don't hand in the thesis 'til late this year. But I do feel the enormous pressure now that time is dwindling away so fast.

If I'm cranky at some times, I apologise. If I am neurotic, know that I could also be normal, when I try. And most of all, if I fail in many respects to be present as a friend, please understand that this is my childhood dream I'm hoping to fulfill. I take it to be my last shot for the moon.

There's something I ask: I'm gonna need a lot of support to keep me sane.

January at an end.

It's almost February, and I have not done anything significant for the thesis. I've done a little reading, but there are more urgent things to attend to before I can get my foot into the door of motivation:

(1) Debug code. There has been a flurry of emails from users of our website, and how there are errors arising.

(2) Answer emails. Aside from those websiteusers, there are some emails I have yet to reply to.

(3) Apply for tutoring position. Despite boss M's discouraging, I think I'll push through with this one. I have yet to speak again to the admin in the other school, but I have a couple of weeks to decide.

(4) Organise. I have a wall calendar for 2009 now in my bedroom. I've been marking important dates the other night, but the deadlines for myself are still unclear until I get to speak with boss M again.

(5) Read. I've got a pile of papers (articles) I have yet to read AGAIN. I've gone through them once last November 2008, but I have to go over them again to refresh my memory.

(6) Contact F. I have plans to work on a project with this person this first quarter of 2009. I haven't made contact since I came back yet. I'm not ready. Have to read material and compile some ideas first.

Sheesh, even this list is not well-written. I have so much to think and write about, that even this list needs overhauling next time.

Blogging about the last year of my phd.

Started this blog, to chronicle my journey towards the end of my degree. I am set to finish before February of 2010. Let's see how far I go, and if I can pull this off.