Science resolutions at a PUI

Happy last day of 2010!

Some of you might be super happy to see it go, while others had a fabulous year (hmm...I smell a blog roundup/carnival?).

Now is the time when we make our resolutions for the upcoming year.  My life is split up into three main categories, Teaching, Research, and Life.  (I'll save how they each make up my day for a later post...I don't want to freak out any of you considering PUI positions....it is the holidays, after all.)  Because of this, I always make resolutions for each area of my life.

In past years, my teaching resolution has been let's just get through this.  Now that I'm more established, I feel like I can start focusing on specific areas.

For research, I just want some damn publications.  To get publications, you have to just suck it up and write up your stuff.  While this might sound very easy, particularly to those of you at research institutions, I assure you it is not.  Doing research at a PUI brings in many new issues with respect to publishing.*  The pace of research is much, much slower.  Funding is a huge issue.  Just getting your institution to agree to matching funds can be a giant hurdle.  And how are you going to write a grant when you have two new preps?  Something I didn't expect was how intimidating it would be to submit publications under my new institution rather than LargeU.  Call me crazy, but work done at small PUI is viewed differently than work completed at Big Name Research U.

For Life, I usually resolve to keep a better balance between life and work.  Ha.  For 2011, I'm going to keep it more attainable.  I am going to read more (Any!!) non-work books.  I have a number in my head that I'd like to reach by Dec 2011, but I'm going to keep it there, for now.


Have you made any resolutions for 2011?



*while perhaps these issues aren't specific to PUIs, I never encountered them as a grad student.  Maybe this is because I wasn't the PI, but I believe it has more to do with institution reputation and the emphasis on research at R1s.

My winter break gift to you

I know you have been curious.  "Whatever will UR give us this year?" You wondered.

Here it is, my friends.  My 2010 gift to you: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ 


I laugh so hard I cry.  I hope you do the same.

You guard so hard!

"Dr. Reaction guarded the class too hard."


Ah, course evaluations.


The time of year when we get to see our students' perceptions of our teaching.  Personally, I find course evaluations extremely useful.

But really what I live for are the typos.  Students fill these suckers out at the end of the semester.  They are exhausted, so occasionally the wrong word gets substituted.  Even better when this changes the meaning of the sentence.

So yes, apparently I guarded the class a bit much this semester.  I had a feeling building that moat was a mistake.



What was your best eval response for 2010?

28 is the magic work number

You can take the workaholic out of the office....

For as long as I can remember, December 28th has always been The Day.  

The Day that I start getting twitchy about not doing work.  The Day that I can no longer justify sleeping 10 hours a night because "I need to catch up from the semester."  The Day that I crack a textbook/paper/whatever to try to make some (teeny tiny) progress towards my massive winter break to-do list.

In college this typically consisted of working on essays for summer research applications.  In grad school it varied, depending on the year.  Some December 28ths I needed to study for prelims, others I worked on a paper. On one Very Special December 28th, I worked on job talks.

Now my December 28ths generally consist of picking at syllabi.  I really do enjoy the syllabus writing process, so it isn't that bad.  This December 28th I am working on a new prep.  This class promises to be very, very fun, so I am greatly enjoying picking out course readings and suggested problems.

N.A., of course, thinks I'm insane, but he has learned not to question my need for December 28th.  His magic work number typically falls some where between Jan 2 and 6th, depending on the year.

Do you have a magic work number?

Best lab decorations ever: conference poster snowflakes!

Have you seen the snowflakes made out of old conference posters? There's a great example over at Better Posters. I believe Dr. Becca originally tweeted a picture of it.


I guess I need to take my undergrads to some more conferences. Once we can replace the posters currently on the walls, just imagine the possibilities. Large-scale origami cranes with references on their wings. Paper dolls made out of data. Graph-filled snowflakes.  


Do you think my dean will use "I need more snowflake material" as a good reason to fund my travel requests?

Happy..uh...Merry....ah, screw it.

What do you greet people with this time of year?

Some people argue that Jesus is the reason for the season.  "Merry Christmas all the way," they say. Others emphatically state that we all must stick to the politically correct "happy holidays."

What to say in the classroom?  I completely skirt the issue by sending my departing students off with a "happy winter break!"

After all, I believe that a month off from students is the reason for MY season.

The syllabus stands alone

When a problem arises with a class, very frequently it can be traced back to the syllabus.  Without crystal clear course and grading policies, there can be wiggle room for students to complain about an eye-boggling array of course-related issues.

Some of my colleagues rely on syllabus amendments.  At some schools, you must have a class vote to make modifications to your syllabus.  Other institutions require department head or dean approval.

I don't make changes to my syllabi.  I ensure that they are air-tight by running them past colleagues, the head of the department, and faculty outside of my department.

I've learned from my syllabus mistakes from the past, and I haven't had any syllabus-related problems in the last year.  With some new preps for me on the horizon, we'll see if I can maintain that streak.

An end-of-the-semester tradition

We all have our end-of-the-semester routines.


Some of my colleagues clean their offices, dumping unneeded papers into the shredder with glee.

Others gladly share their gourmet gifts from students in the office kitchen (side note: why don't I ever get semester gifts from students?).

My end-of-the-semester tradition?  I sleep for 12 hours straight.

This started in college.  Once my finals were done, I would bid goodnight to my roommates and only emerge 12 hours later.  In grad school, I would go home for the holidays for about a week.  My family knew not to mock my excessive first night of sleep.

I thought this would change once I became a prof.   On the contrary, it seems to have become even more of a necessity.  N.A. thinks my semester's end pseudo-hibernation is cute.  Bless him.



So I apologize if I don't get caught up on your wonderful blogs right now-- I've got some sleeping to do!

Why do students do THAT?

I do not understand why my students insist on calculating what minimum grade they need on the final to get X grade in my class.

Is this really motivating?

Does it actually help to know you need a 106% to get a C in the class?  If you only need an 86% to get an A, will you only study an 86% worth?  If you know there is no chance to pass/get an A/whatever, are you still going to be motivated to study?


Why do students do that?

'Twas the night before the exam...

It's less than twelve hours until the exam.

I shouldn't have checked my email.  It's the end of the semester; my blood pressure just can't handle it.



Prof. Reaction,


I'm sick so I can't take the exam tomorrow.  When can I re-take it?  I think I will feel better by Thursday.


Undergrad



I did what I suspect many of you would have done:  I logged out of my email, shut my laptop, and poured myself another glass of wine.


Cheers to the end of another semester!

You won't like all of your students

Perhaps this isn't shocking to you.

But when I was first told this at my first faculty orientation meeting, I was doubtful.  Sure, I had experienced unpleasant moments with students in the past, but I certainly didn't dislike any of them.  I am completely objective!  How could I dislike my students?  I will be the picture perfect fair and balanced professor.  I want to teach!  I live for teaching!  I will adore all of my students, and they will adore me!!


Ha.


Fast forward a few semesters.

Call me Professor Cranky, but there are several students that hang around the science complex that I just don't like.  The funny thing is that none of them are currently in my classes.  I guess that is fortunate.

I have no doubts that if I were to have some of these "special personalities" in a future class that I would be completely objective.  But I certainly won't complain if some of these kids hurry up and graduate.

At clothing capacity?

This past weekend, something happened for the first time since October.

I finally got to the bottom of the laundry hamper.

I do laundry every weekend.  I start with two to three loads of NA's laundry, then one for Puppy's bedding, one for towels, and one for sheets.  By the time I get to my laundry, I usually stop after two loads.  There are the random clothes at the bottom of the hamper that can't quite make a full load.  Will I need those flannel PJ bottoms before the next weekend?  Am I going to wear that handwashable item this week?   The answer (until yesterday) was no.

And so at the bottom of the hamper, the random clothes remained.

But this past weekend, I finally made the time to do that last half-load of laundry.  As I hung up the (finally) washed clothes in my closet, I made a startling discovery: I'd unknowingly bought two of the same navy blue, long sleeved shirts in the last three months.

If my overflowing hamper wasn't telling me, I suppose now it is confirmed: it's time to stop buying clothes.