The Grand Grand-Advisor Adventure
It's past 1:15am. I've run through U2's Even Better than the Real Thing and am on the fadeout of Bryan Adam's Run to You. There, the music just went on to Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel (one of my absolute favorites). It's rather unusual for me to be awake at this time, and particularly when I'm not working, but I guess I just decided to, sort of, honor today and the latter half of this week, and take a break. I think I should say more, and I will, but at this stage I'm breaking one of my personal blog rules by talking a bit about work - and, sort-of divulging my identity. Well, when I say what I have to say, it would be a lot easier for any reader of this blog to track me down, especially taken in conjunction with other things scattered over this blog. Nevertheless, here we go.
There goes Robert Miles' One and One...
Work is going on wonderfully. I'm learning a lot more - and a lot quicker. I'm trying really hard and I hope My Advisor has observed adequate (by his standards) progress in me. I've also gotten a lot more comfortable with him now that I'm sure he won't suddenly erupt upon me.
Jon Bon Jovi - It's My Life... yes, it is.
So, anyway, just in the last couple of weeks, to my delight and surprise and all sorts of other positive emotions, I discovered that My Advisor's advisor was actually a Nobel Prize Winner. (Okay, I won't go further.) I mean, I knew the person in question, he was a pioneering force in my area of science; what I didn't know was that My Advisor got his PhD under him.
Ahh... Metallica's Nothing Else Matters.
Anyway, there was a formal, predominantly scientific, gathering of people in honor of this person, this week. My advisor was on the organizing committee and I was given the opportunity to attend. Select guest list, in a way; most people being his former students (and their students), his colleagues and friends in this field, his co-pioneers and his family. People whose papers are texts in my field and people who have pushed the limits of science and engineering in my field were there, slapping each other on the back and saying how nice it was to meet each other. The fact that the gathering was small and yet distinguished gave me the opportunity to meet and interact one-on-one with some of the people I couldn't have interacted with in another larger, more formal, scientific meeting.
Scorpions, Winds of Change.
The fact that I was My Advisor's student, and, in essence, I consider the person in whose honor the gathering was held my "Grand-Advisor", sort-of gave me (as it gave some of my peers) a sort of passport to the world I hope to inhabit and contribute to, all my life. (e.g., "Oh, you're Your Advisor's student? He's a wonderful person, we were in the same lab together for our PhDs" was common. Lucky me!)
Seal, Kiss from a Rose - an all-time favorite, I still don't understand why.
So, anyway, I saw many wonderful people and was fortunate enough to interact with a few. I heard all the talks and, between understanding the more intuitive parts of the take-home messages and wondering about the next steps in those fields and trying to unconfound my rather saturated brain (no pun intended - you'll understand what this means if you're in my field), I also had enough energy to start a parallel thought process marveling at the way these people run their lives, their dedication to their science and all the mutual interactions between individuals from the different fields that make this science so truly multidisciplinary, and quickly growing.
Sting, Desert Rose.
I also learnt a lot about the man himself (My Grand-Advisor): his free-flowing imaginative mind, his upright personality and ethics, his sense of humor, and his dedication to his family. I learnt a lot about his colleagues, about the development of my field, about the vision and the imagination it took to make this happen. I learnt about the areas my field has the potential to cover, the challenges that my generation may face, and the basic tools we will need to overcome these challenges - a thorough knowledge of our science and the ability to dream.
Oooohhhh.... Mission Impossible: the theme song. Good selection for a Friday night, if I say so myself. I'm tempted to try some Guns-'n'-Roses. Ok, spent some time here rearranging the list, adding some more. Something to lighten it up before we 'get into it'. Wooden Heart. I doubt it's by Elvis, though. Doesn't sound like his voice.
I think the best part, though I couldn't admit it to my advisor when asked, was the travel. Myself and my colleague, let's call her Q, travelled together with my advisor to and from the symposium.
Coldplay, Talk. Ok, don't ask me why I seem to be 'regressing'. This is probably the only one released after 2000 in this compilation. Forgive me. But I like this one.
Anyway, so, initially, I have to admit I was a bit scared about the travel. The last time I'd traveled with an advisor (the "Ex"), I'd been screamed at till I pulled the skin off my fingers. Yes, they bled for days, I needed more than one Band-Aid on each hand. In case you haven't realized, enclosed in a car, there's nowhere to run!
So we drove. And we talked. Both Q and I were a bit nervous on the outset, but My Advisor has a way of, well, being nice. He started by talking about My Grand-Advisor and described his experience as a grad student. (Always a good melting point for advisor-student relations.) He talked about who would be at the symposium and told us what talks to watch out for.
Cranberries' Zombie. Those who know me will realize I'm testing myself on this one. My fingers have started trembling already, as I type. Let me continue.
We talked a little about our research, of course. It was a good time to catch up on the work we'd been doing since the last Tuesday meeting. We talked of meeting with other groups at the institution we were headed towards. (The symposium was held at our sister school, located about two and a half hours away. There, ...now if you didn't get my co-ordinates, you're blind. Sorry.) And so the two-plus hours wore on.
Guns-'n'-Roses, Civil War. I seem to converge on this one every time I decide it should just be one.
The ride back was even more thrilling for me. For one, I'd absorbed all this information that I was longing to classify, and I had done some tiny bit of thinking, so, this time a lot less nervous, I was looking forward to my advisor's opinions on this and that topic. Q was really tired after the conference so she slept off in the back seat. (I admire her - I'm still too wary of "Advisors" in general to sleep off when I'm around one. I ought to say I'm sorry to My Advisor at this point. But never mind, we're getting there. Asymptotically. But that's better than nothing.) I was talking to My Advisor about this and that, as my head had previously arranged it. I'm trying to describe the feeling of those two-plus hours. I'm trying to describe the wonderfulness of talking about all these advances in my field with someone who I know would understand and appreciate them even more than I do. I'd like to describe how it is talking about all these topics with someone who knows much better than you, but still takes the time and the effort to teach you (with one hand on the wheel) when you're a bit off a concept. Most of all, I'd love to describe how it was to talk about all these things with someone who has the experience to visualize where the field is headed, and talk about his (even more highly developed) vision of the future of the field.
Ok, and if I'm in this particular mood, then the second song is Sweet Child o' Mine. Love the guitaring.
Then, the conversation headed (predictably) to the speakers. My Advisor has accumulated years of historical perspective on the advances and the people. We did the familiar "who's who" and then treaded a topic in the history of my field that people consider fairly sensitive, not just because it is a question of patents and therefore, finance, but also because it is an active topic of ethical debate. I have to remember to talk to my Pigglett about this - as a lawyer she will have her perspective that may differ a bit from mine, but it promises to be a good discussion.
Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman. Just like that.
Anyway, the upshot of this conversation was that, I believe I may have to take a side if I grow in this field. (I've been on the diplomatic fence for several years now. Time to hop off.) And I wouldn't have missed this conversation for the world.
Billy Joel's Uptown Girl. On the Pretty Woman track, I guess. Took some time off to rearrange and append to the tracks again. So now it's Chris Isaak's Wicked Game. Dangerous. Reminds me of Frisco and a really different life. Guess I have to build up immunity. Let's go.
Q got up soon after and the conversation drifted for a while to less academic channels. Balancing work with family (family being 'baby'). Sleep schedules. I don't know why I'm talking of these mundane topics on such a public forum but I think that's because I'm still really excited that I didn't have to worry even once about the "nowhere to run" problem in five hours of enclosed space. I really should get used to this.
Europe, The Final Countdown. It is. Read on.
Then something weird happened. I saw the top of the Sears Tower. And I thought, boy, am I glad to be home.
Children, by Robert Miles.
Yes, that should be the relationship between grad student and advisor. I welcome the brickbats if they help me learn but then it is only fair to give me the bouquets as well. Another former student of My Grand-Advisor was recounting the one and only time in all his grad school years that he was reprimanded. It was when he was writing a manuscript, and he described something in his results as 'good'. I believe My Grand-Advisor said, 'Good' is not a scientific word. True. And a good example of constructive criticism as well. That's my idea of a Good Advisor. :-) And no, the last time I checked, general creative writing did not require 'good' to be quantified.
Good Night!
There goes Robert Miles' One and One...
Work is going on wonderfully. I'm learning a lot more - and a lot quicker. I'm trying really hard and I hope My Advisor has observed adequate (by his standards) progress in me. I've also gotten a lot more comfortable with him now that I'm sure he won't suddenly erupt upon me.
Jon Bon Jovi - It's My Life... yes, it is.
So, anyway, just in the last couple of weeks, to my delight and surprise and all sorts of other positive emotions, I discovered that My Advisor's advisor was actually a Nobel Prize Winner. (Okay, I won't go further.) I mean, I knew the person in question, he was a pioneering force in my area of science; what I didn't know was that My Advisor got his PhD under him.
Ahh... Metallica's Nothing Else Matters.
Anyway, there was a formal, predominantly scientific, gathering of people in honor of this person, this week. My advisor was on the organizing committee and I was given the opportunity to attend. Select guest list, in a way; most people being his former students (and their students), his colleagues and friends in this field, his co-pioneers and his family. People whose papers are texts in my field and people who have pushed the limits of science and engineering in my field were there, slapping each other on the back and saying how nice it was to meet each other. The fact that the gathering was small and yet distinguished gave me the opportunity to meet and interact one-on-one with some of the people I couldn't have interacted with in another larger, more formal, scientific meeting.
Scorpions, Winds of Change.
The fact that I was My Advisor's student, and, in essence, I consider the person in whose honor the gathering was held my "Grand-Advisor", sort-of gave me (as it gave some of my peers) a sort of passport to the world I hope to inhabit and contribute to, all my life. (e.g., "Oh, you're Your Advisor's student? He's a wonderful person, we were in the same lab together for our PhDs" was common. Lucky me!)
Seal, Kiss from a Rose - an all-time favorite, I still don't understand why.
So, anyway, I saw many wonderful people and was fortunate enough to interact with a few. I heard all the talks and, between understanding the more intuitive parts of the take-home messages and wondering about the next steps in those fields and trying to unconfound my rather saturated brain (no pun intended - you'll understand what this means if you're in my field), I also had enough energy to start a parallel thought process marveling at the way these people run their lives, their dedication to their science and all the mutual interactions between individuals from the different fields that make this science so truly multidisciplinary, and quickly growing.
Sting, Desert Rose.
I also learnt a lot about the man himself (My Grand-Advisor): his free-flowing imaginative mind, his upright personality and ethics, his sense of humor, and his dedication to his family. I learnt a lot about his colleagues, about the development of my field, about the vision and the imagination it took to make this happen. I learnt about the areas my field has the potential to cover, the challenges that my generation may face, and the basic tools we will need to overcome these challenges - a thorough knowledge of our science and the ability to dream.
Oooohhhh.... Mission Impossible: the theme song. Good selection for a Friday night, if I say so myself. I'm tempted to try some Guns-'n'-Roses. Ok, spent some time here rearranging the list, adding some more. Something to lighten it up before we 'get into it'. Wooden Heart. I doubt it's by Elvis, though. Doesn't sound like his voice.
I think the best part, though I couldn't admit it to my advisor when asked, was the travel. Myself and my colleague, let's call her Q, travelled together with my advisor to and from the symposium.
Coldplay, Talk. Ok, don't ask me why I seem to be 'regressing'. This is probably the only one released after 2000 in this compilation. Forgive me. But I like this one.
Anyway, so, initially, I have to admit I was a bit scared about the travel. The last time I'd traveled with an advisor (the "Ex"), I'd been screamed at till I pulled the skin off my fingers. Yes, they bled for days, I needed more than one Band-Aid on each hand. In case you haven't realized, enclosed in a car, there's nowhere to run!
So we drove. And we talked. Both Q and I were a bit nervous on the outset, but My Advisor has a way of, well, being nice. He started by talking about My Grand-Advisor and described his experience as a grad student. (Always a good melting point for advisor-student relations.) He talked about who would be at the symposium and told us what talks to watch out for.
Cranberries' Zombie. Those who know me will realize I'm testing myself on this one. My fingers have started trembling already, as I type. Let me continue.
We talked a little about our research, of course. It was a good time to catch up on the work we'd been doing since the last Tuesday meeting. We talked of meeting with other groups at the institution we were headed towards. (The symposium was held at our sister school, located about two and a half hours away. There, ...now if you didn't get my co-ordinates, you're blind. Sorry.) And so the two-plus hours wore on.
Guns-'n'-Roses, Civil War. I seem to converge on this one every time I decide it should just be one.
The ride back was even more thrilling for me. For one, I'd absorbed all this information that I was longing to classify, and I had done some tiny bit of thinking, so, this time a lot less nervous, I was looking forward to my advisor's opinions on this and that topic. Q was really tired after the conference so she slept off in the back seat. (I admire her - I'm still too wary of "Advisors" in general to sleep off when I'm around one. I ought to say I'm sorry to My Advisor at this point. But never mind, we're getting there. Asymptotically. But that's better than nothing.) I was talking to My Advisor about this and that, as my head had previously arranged it. I'm trying to describe the feeling of those two-plus hours. I'm trying to describe the wonderfulness of talking about all these advances in my field with someone who I know would understand and appreciate them even more than I do. I'd like to describe how it is talking about all these topics with someone who knows much better than you, but still takes the time and the effort to teach you (with one hand on the wheel) when you're a bit off a concept. Most of all, I'd love to describe how it was to talk about all these things with someone who has the experience to visualize where the field is headed, and talk about his (even more highly developed) vision of the future of the field.
Ok, and if I'm in this particular mood, then the second song is Sweet Child o' Mine. Love the guitaring.
Then, the conversation headed (predictably) to the speakers. My Advisor has accumulated years of historical perspective on the advances and the people. We did the familiar "who's who" and then treaded a topic in the history of my field that people consider fairly sensitive, not just because it is a question of patents and therefore, finance, but also because it is an active topic of ethical debate. I have to remember to talk to my Pigglett about this - as a lawyer she will have her perspective that may differ a bit from mine, but it promises to be a good discussion.
Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman. Just like that.
Anyway, the upshot of this conversation was that, I believe I may have to take a side if I grow in this field. (I've been on the diplomatic fence for several years now. Time to hop off.) And I wouldn't have missed this conversation for the world.
Billy Joel's Uptown Girl. On the Pretty Woman track, I guess. Took some time off to rearrange and append to the tracks again. So now it's Chris Isaak's Wicked Game. Dangerous. Reminds me of Frisco and a really different life. Guess I have to build up immunity. Let's go.
Q got up soon after and the conversation drifted for a while to less academic channels. Balancing work with family (family being 'baby'). Sleep schedules. I don't know why I'm talking of these mundane topics on such a public forum but I think that's because I'm still really excited that I didn't have to worry even once about the "nowhere to run" problem in five hours of enclosed space. I really should get used to this.
Europe, The Final Countdown. It is. Read on.
Then something weird happened. I saw the top of the Sears Tower. And I thought, boy, am I glad to be home.
Children, by Robert Miles.
Yes, that should be the relationship between grad student and advisor. I welcome the brickbats if they help me learn but then it is only fair to give me the bouquets as well. Another former student of My Grand-Advisor was recounting the one and only time in all his grad school years that he was reprimanded. It was when he was writing a manuscript, and he described something in his results as 'good'. I believe My Grand-Advisor said, 'Good' is not a scientific word. True. And a good example of constructive criticism as well. That's my idea of a Good Advisor. :-) And no, the last time I checked, general creative writing did not require 'good' to be quantified.
Good Night!
posted by Summer Showers at
1:15 AM
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