tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578331039906786552024-03-12T21:34:39.330-07:00AA2.0-MAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-63949346516722942492017-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:002017-04-20T14:42:06.436-07:00Post 101: Why I'm Glad I Didn't Quit My Thesis!I'm part of this excellent online thesis completion group run by Dr. Dora Farkas. It comprises both master's and PhD students from around the world: anyone who's struggling to finish their thesis, whatever the roadblock they are facing: crisis of confidence, lack of support, lack of motivation, procrastination, interpersonal conflicts with supervisors, what have you. It's a long list.<br />
<br />
One question Dora recently asked us as a group is: Why didn't we quit our programs, especially when we constantly thought we would?<br /><br />I thought that questions was a useful prompt, because for almost half my degree, I thought of quitting, and was varyingly closer and further away from making that happen.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3VfNDRKquHYfMzAEeLQv5zh51jf_b1AeTaPfgq7JsT81obYXR_fSEVAbMJy9w9dP20ET5cppArmHnd5kLK6XBhkaLxYnml7qX0-Wc_EClVab538HM6ieYVhyphenhyphen4LjmycsYHRQVLwTjFZjx/s1600/IMG_3541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3VfNDRKquHYfMzAEeLQv5zh51jf_b1AeTaPfgq7JsT81obYXR_fSEVAbMJy9w9dP20ET5cppArmHnd5kLK6XBhkaLxYnml7qX0-Wc_EClVab538HM6ieYVhyphenhyphen4LjmycsYHRQVLwTjFZjx/s1600/IMG_3541.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galiano Island monkey flower (I think!). :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, first I'll go through some of my main reasons for considering quitting (good to get those out there again):<br />
<br />
1. It's hard to ask for help when you can't articulate what you're struggling with.<br />
2. Interpersonal mismatch: I know that I likely wouldn't have done well with an over-zealous supervisor, but I also in some ways struggled more than I would have if I'd had a supervisor who checked in more often, or in the way I needed. My supervisor was very hands off, and at first the independence was powerful and I loved the trust that was placed in me, but in the middle of my degree, I struggled a lot with making decisions, uncertainty, and felt like I did a lot of my problem-solving alone (though this is linked to struggle #1). Not placing blame here: I recognize my own role in not asking for help, or getting to a productive place where I could ask for help. As usual, it was complicated.<br />
3. Impostor syndrome: I've written several posts about this in the past, so I won't rehash it all here, but essentially, I've never felt more uncertain, and lacked more confidence, than during this degree, and I'm so glad that I've not let it stop me.<br />
<br />
Hmm. I think those are at least the major reasons.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG_HhFiif2cpemu6zmQ6zJVhxojOLPW7_PTFgRRrHfbDQ0i8rHn8PRgUeG6jMKr16Uf4T0Dz5Gt7_pa8bJLKV6mgjizrcVpuCOV7sfqEdbtZ5YEpQtKTMfjw9uoncZS_GeT2kKAbuLLnY/s1600/IMG_3544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG_HhFiif2cpemu6zmQ6zJVhxojOLPW7_PTFgRRrHfbDQ0i8rHn8PRgUeG6jMKr16Uf4T0Dz5Gt7_pa8bJLKV6mgjizrcVpuCOV7sfqEdbtZ5YEpQtKTMfjw9uoncZS_GeT2kKAbuLLnY/s1600/IMG_3544.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Galiano Island succulents. Definitely some of my favs! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, reasons for why I didn't quit:<br />
<br />
1. My outline of challenge #3 kind of got there already: I know that I'm a capable, somewhat intelligent person, who works hard. The lies that anxiety and impostor syndrome were telling me aren't true, much as I believed them for large portions of this degree. I didn't want them to get the better of me.<br />
2. I wanted to prove to myself that I could persist and finish a multi-year project. In the end, I think this is the most difficult project I have ever undertaken, and again, in a few weeks when this wraps up, I will be more proud of myself than I already am, for sticking with it, and keeping at it, even when the going got really, really tough.<br />
3. Finishing for finishing's sake! I like to finish projects (though I usually take on smaller ones), because I like that feeling of tying up loose ends.<br />
4. The professional recognition: if I had quit, then I'd feel like I wasted a lot of my own time and money, as well as all the time and money that my participants, my supervisor and committee member, and my funders invested in me. I didn't want to let them down.<br />
5. I didn't want to disappoint my parents and my family. This one is a tricky one, because I wasn't doing this degree for them, but I needed to finish it so I felt like I could continue to have their respect, as well as my own. In the end, I'm sure they would continue to love me either way, but it's better that I can face them having this finished, and being something that I am, in the end, proud of.<br /><br />So, there are lots of reasons why I didn't quit, even when for so long I couldn't see the end of this degree. But you, like me, can do it, and surprise yourself, and finish up! :)<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-67847475024905654962017-04-16T14:21:00.000-07:002017-04-16T14:21:05.015-07:00Post 100: The Finish Line in Sight!I have a defense date! Lovely way to start my one-hundredth thesis post!<br /><br />And have had for a few weeks now. It was a SPRINT to get the paperwork in on time, and I think I was tired just from the two days of stress about that. My supervisor was waiting for my committee member to give the go-ahead, and for confirmation from an external. This Easter long weekend got in the way, because it takes up two days of the necessary 20 business days that need to be in place to give the external fair shakes at reading and reviewing my thesis, and coming up with questions for the defense. BUT -- thanks to the amazing grad admin my program has, who worked her magic, it worked out!<br /><br />I defend on May 2, 2017.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJof1P8Gjd3PnFo2toFGvvAsPT43PS1DFEmVWAjkakRu9Jbzx7k5m4pFUfUpbxnsAViOMiRE-TzCEjXZGcconA8ZQMFqIqKz_CxYbRxw_iw20MyBF41jmABKN5u5x8bCNoc55yurA7WgGn/s1600/IMG_3540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJof1P8Gjd3PnFo2toFGvvAsPT43PS1DFEmVWAjkakRu9Jbzx7k5m4pFUfUpbxnsAViOMiRE-TzCEjXZGcconA8ZQMFqIqKz_CxYbRxw_iw20MyBF41jmABKN5u5x8bCNoc55yurA7WgGn/s1600/IMG_3540.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galiano Island succulents. :) </td></tr>
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A week ago I would have said, "I can't wait to defend." But now that the days are skipping by faster than I can keep track of, I know it'll be the kind of thing that comes waaaay too soon! It'll certainly be a challenge not to lose my nerve, because working full-time comes with the added challenge of being busy for the most productive hours of the day.<br />I'm also attending a conference mid-May, and going to visit my folks afterwards, so May will be quite packed, too.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhumSn9h0gDGiR16enYAEWXjtDmazAtYbUR_395UGSXWpGIa4ziaGcx_-5wlbH7rNJgyRXiUKpleMBxdivyoyQAC3853jZmAkMaMhN4AD6NxzJ0nozs7b8D_T5A6unFfkozThNXzeAeD9/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhumSn9h0gDGiR16enYAEWXjtDmazAtYbUR_395UGSXWpGIa4ziaGcx_-5wlbH7rNJgyRXiUKpleMBxdivyoyQAC3853jZmAkMaMhN4AD6NxzJ0nozs7b8D_T5A6unFfkozThNXzeAeD9/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Galiano Island succulents. Love these guys!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My to-do list for the rest of April looks like this:<br />
<br />
Thesis Prep (presentation, review, practice questions, print and re-read my thesis)<br />
Conference Prep (presentation)<br />
File my taxes<br />
Keep on top of cooking and meal prep<br />
Plan for my trip home<br />
Stay healthy (get enough sleep; eat good food; get exercise)<br />
Stay active (I've been biking to work lots, so that has been really good)<br />
Go climbing 1x per week<br />
<br />
And on the don't list:<br />
Stay up too late<br />
Eat chocolate<br />
Eat out too much<br />
Let my room get too messy<br />
<br />
I think regularity of schedule will also become increasingly important so I don't let my anxiety get ahead of my. My nerves have already been more tense with my thesis defense getting closer.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GeSUKRXUJK6QbaPBiE-tRcZ76NatsmjDPTsSTFryBEuJRU25bNL0SIYk2tmLFT_LcrH6rj0PYhy8JAMLZrbR29KteEyIERvoGFkps01bzWXRUcfsAMj4TL0jSTYsXJqZvgxSORJHOwim/s1600/IMG_3531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GeSUKRXUJK6QbaPBiE-tRcZ76NatsmjDPTsSTFryBEuJRU25bNL0SIYk2tmLFT_LcrH6rj0PYhy8JAMLZrbR29KteEyIERvoGFkps01bzWXRUcfsAMj4TL0jSTYsXJqZvgxSORJHOwim/s1600/IMG_3531.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right near a bench, downtown Victoria. Love the colour!</td></tr>
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But, I think what gives me courage is thinking of a celebration party later this summer, when I've had a bit of time to decompress from the stress of it all.<br /><br />Longer-term plans include:<br />
Publishing research contract articles (my own and my colleague's)<br />
Publishing my thesis research (1 article)<br />
Writing a few more posts on this blog, and then closing it down<br />
Starting up a new writing project that I can work on through the rest of the year<br />
Tackling my reading list (it's become quite long)<br />
<br />And, coming up with some trips for shared weekends with friends. I am so excited not to have the weight of this thesis on me anymore. The dream of that has been a big part of the motivation to finally finish. I wouldn't have been happy with myself if I had quit this program, despite feeling like it so many times. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegQplwk7BGBENUtbsTUB1eP52wLCyvsTNaB19YHSJkURorWd139_bxIQkc6i3CQRav7hehaT9UTiMBlpwDBIeceaw8PRa-CPN-pOMkwYLtbFuUV1DgxtW41l-oAOk-IJk4QQ3oRJLEmqB/s1600/IMG_3502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegQplwk7BGBENUtbsTUB1eP52wLCyvsTNaB19YHSJkURorWd139_bxIQkc6i3CQRav7hehaT9UTiMBlpwDBIeceaw8PRa-CPN-pOMkwYLtbFuUV1DgxtW41l-oAOk-IJk4QQ3oRJLEmqB/s1600/IMG_3502.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory cherry blossoms. They are finally here! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2017 is already a good year. <br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-65950992307603653682017-02-11T16:32:00.000-08:002017-02-11T16:34:08.006-08:00Post 99: The Short, Short Month of February, and Dealing with Tiredness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At work yesterday, an acquaintance of mine told me that it took her about 6 months after she finished her thesis, during a long and much-needed break, to wake up and not feel tired. </div>
<br />
An ah ha! moment happened for me. I'm working full time, have two part time jobs, and am trying to finish my thesis. Some days, it seems to me like I'm doing everything badly.<br />
<br />
With the snow storms over the past week and a half, I haven't been getting much exercise beyond a bit of walking, especially since I haven't felt that it's been safe enough to cycle to work. At the beginning of February I started <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioO8K653kMA">Adriene's 31 days of yoga</a>, but stopped after not even a week. I've been chiding myself for not being able to stay committed and continue on with it, but honestly, I am too <i>tired</i> to stick with it, even if it would be beneficial.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaWxcfzne69Vj_UygigVVnfRPRGqvzoNq-BV1xmGu7LGn7iyDmxPTlmR6R4xe5UU2d7rMtruLvWqyHfWzSSQSClAxK1vzWabUk0S6pSWE-BAqQX97m_Abyeps1fIhEH8J9CtE0sApwf5t/s1600/IMG_3371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaWxcfzne69Vj_UygigVVnfRPRGqvzoNq-BV1xmGu7LGn7iyDmxPTlmR6R4xe5UU2d7rMtruLvWqyHfWzSSQSClAxK1vzWabUk0S6pSWE-BAqQX97m_Abyeps1fIhEH8J9CtE0sApwf5t/s320/IMG_3371.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cute neighbourhood racoon tracks in the slush! </td></tr>
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I cycled to the library this afternoon to carry on with thesis edits. Every pedal after about half way to here made me feel increasingly tired, though the 6KM bike ride is mostly flat and not all that challenging. But, I told myself to be happy about making it this far. It's a good day when the sun is shining and I have a superb bicycle that I get to ride, and it's warm out (or at least, 5C feels very warm, compared to the -1C + windchill we had last week).<br />
<br />
So, even though I'm exhausted, even though I fantasize about the day that I can go home after work and not have the weight of <i>there's some more work you need to do</i> on me, things are still good, and I'm getting by telling myself that it's okay to be tired. :)<br />
<br />
I've written before that a thesis is more marathon and less sprint, and believe that now more than ever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7IMcVYnwS2ctvmZbTFxpA28P03zXP-kIXW0K4Tm9_45U4eHuBnp1w3TjUnHtd8EMLYDylwZZwcIr8mtm3kSS8ncjrna6f2NQS7G_-km7pVavL704vJLYEYq6VcTi6claeQli2BdD3-vj/s1600/IMG_3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7IMcVYnwS2ctvmZbTFxpA28P03zXP-kIXW0K4Tm9_45U4eHuBnp1w3TjUnHtd8EMLYDylwZZwcIr8mtm3kSS8ncjrna6f2NQS7G_-km7pVavL704vJLYEYq6VcTi6claeQli2BdD3-vj/s320/IMG_3376.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowdrops in the front garden, surfacing to bloom after the melted snow. </td></tr>
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Apologies I don't have any more resources to share currently. Just the comfort and perspective that if you're a grad student who's tired and burned out, you're not alone.<br /><br />Do what you need to do to eat well, get enough sleep, and avoid colds. :)<br />
<br />
Spring is coming, there's more daylight, and the temperatures are rising!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-36795167056827744362017-01-28T14:54:00.000-08:002017-01-29T10:53:59.118-08:00Post 98: Self-care in the Days of TrumpI've been finding myself quite anxious throughout the week, as news of Trump's newest <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/01/26/what-executive-order-and-more-importantly-how-trump-using-them/w0bEfch5Vn94gs5VdN6MDM/story.html">Executive Orders</a> rolls out across news feeds. Trump is quite antithetical to my values and ideas about what a just, fair, equitable society should be striving for. As one of my friends recently characterized: there's been a lot of "hand-wringing going on!"<br />
<br />
I can't begin to list all of the things that bother me about Trump, but there are a lot. Beyond those actions/hypocrisies/stances that I had expected:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/09/donald-trump-administration-cabinet-picks-so-far">laughably few women appointed to Cabinet</a>; </li>
<li><a href="https://mic.com/articles/166190/whitehousegov-scrubs-climate-change-lgbtq-more-issues-from-official-site-after-trump-takes-office">scrubbing all mention of climate change (and other issues) from the White House web pages</a>;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37243269">Trump's executive order to build a wall along the US's southern border</a>, shared with Mexico; </li>
<li>and <a href="http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/01/all-trump-executive-actions-000288">repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/politics/keystone-dakota-pipeline-trump.html">advancing Keystone XL</a> and other fossil fuel/fracking initiatives and reviews</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/25/national-park-service-trump-twitter-campaign-spreads">Trump's worrisome attack on science in his own administration</a>....</li>
</ul>
There are quite a few other ways in which Trump has figured out how to give left-leaning Americans, lower and middle class Americans, and the world, the middle finger, that I hadn't anticipated.<br />
<br />
Some of these include:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/27/donald-trump-existential-threat-united-nations">Causing an existential crises at the UN with significant funding cuts</a> to international aid</li>
<li><a href="http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/01/what-trump-hiring-freeze-means-000287">Issuing a hiring freeze for the US federal government</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/26/511899896/trumps-threatens-sanctuary-cities-with-loss-of-federal-funds">Threatening to cut funding to sanctuary cities</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
And I'm sure there's more to come.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwU1dH5JyKjscSWOzL19xWKAd3B8Qewb6NmdjaT-WrGtByt_OnlylSfvDDqdw851ZidNztQPimMAhta2g0-eOr7qvXGYlW9t1e13Ql5Sc8LSvEJiUKi6MY9ZJrLI1GjIqYICOv2lNZh2z-/s1600/IMG_3352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwU1dH5JyKjscSWOzL19xWKAd3B8Qewb6NmdjaT-WrGtByt_OnlylSfvDDqdw851ZidNztQPimMAhta2g0-eOr7qvXGYlW9t1e13Ql5Sc8LSvEJiUKi6MY9ZJrLI1GjIqYICOv2lNZh2z-/s320/IMG_3352.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on my walk from work!</td></tr>
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<br />
What bothers me most, as a Canadian, is the concern of watching Trump's bullying of other countries (especially Mexico), and that that will negatively influence the actions of my own country's federal government. While I've been encouraged by some initiatives to strengthen calls for Trudeau and our Immigration Minister take in refugees stranded at US airports, I'm dismayed by news that Trudeau has welcomed Keystone XL's renewed momentum, and I am holding my breath about how complicated NAFDA re-negotiations may become. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://torontolife.com/city/life/jim-estill-the-man-who-saved-200-syrian-refugees/">This story also warmed my heart today</a>, not even so much because someone with power, privilege, and money decided to use that for good, but because of how many more people and Canadians he brought together to work collaboratively on helping refugees.<br />
<br />
A discussion I listened to on the CBC this morning had one commentator arguing that Canada should keep its head down, and that the best diplomatic solution to this quandary would be to promote Canadian interests, and that's it. We/Trudeau shouldn't upset Trump by standing up for Mexico. As we know, Trump has a fragile ego...<br />
<br />
To me, however, such advice seems likely only to kick us in the butt later, should Trump decide that he wants certain things from Canada anyways, and won't accept no for an answer. I think standing strong together with our other major trade partner (Mexico), and saying, "Hey now, you don't get to bully us here, or we simply won't negotiate with you at all." is better. Strength together, not alone. I don't like Trump's attitude of "America First." That kind of narrow-minded self-interest only gets you so far, especially if you're supposed to cooperate/collaborate with other countries around the world. <br />
<br />
Anyhow. This has gone on for already much longer than I had intended. I find it upsetting. Which is why I wanted to advocate for self-care: putting boundaries around when and how much negative Trump news you take in (Read: don't look at the news right before bed. Spare yourself the nightmares.).<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QpYkm0HSHKttWt02EFhpYgDTFa0MhPkPSnYzH6HPSml753FzrQYqnzhOn1VWaDEvhKOJzaQV-tEVciJnvjGZgyEwINZHf2nkhy5nMOon15WcDShBoq295TqIzGkjydM5YYqX-0xoN5p/s1600/IMG_3345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QpYkm0HSHKttWt02EFhpYgDTFa0MhPkPSnYzH6HPSml753FzrQYqnzhOn1VWaDEvhKOJzaQV-tEVciJnvjGZgyEwINZHf2nkhy5nMOon15WcDShBoq295TqIzGkjydM5YYqX-0xoN5p/s320/IMG_3345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selkirk Trestle catching the morning sun on my walk to work. :)</td></tr>
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Also,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioO8K653kMA"> consider joining me in Adriene's 31 days of yoga</a>! Having a daily self-care practice, doing something creative and fun, like yoga, is one of the best ways you can be self-compassionate. I'm going to try my best to keep up with this, even if I'm starting it a bit late into the month.<br />
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Also, don't forget, that democracy shows up in small actions. Consider writing a letter with me to our <a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/minister/hussen.asp">Immigration Minister, the Honourable Ahmed D. Hussen,</a> asking him to raise the cap on Canadian refugees, and take in refugees that are detained/stranded at American airports, thanks to Trump. Consider donating to help a refugee family as they are welcomed to Canada <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/afamilyofthreefromeritrea-745722?fb_action_ids=10154884573102980&fb_action_types=youcaringcom%3Ashare">or America.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.coolearth.org/">Donate to the Cool Earth society</a> -- one of the coolest climate change organizations around. Volunteer at a local women's shelter, or your <a href="http://www.islandsexualhealth.org/">local sexual health society.</a> </div>
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Even though we are grad students, we don't stop being citizens of the world. Small actions make a difference. We are stronger together.<br /><br />Edited addition: I acknowledge my own simplistic skill in writing these comments; I didn't study politics or politics science. So, <a href="https://lawfareblog.com/malevolence-tempered-incompetence-trumps-horrifying-executive-order-refugees-and-visas">here's a much more articulate analysis of what went wrong with Trump's Executive Order on Immigrants and Visas. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-74755769536287102912017-01-25T23:05:00.002-08:002017-01-25T23:05:47.713-08:00Post 97: Balance, balance, balance...You were doing okay, managing work, exercise, and healthy foods and activities, and then BANG! You get the flu.<br />
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So much for that balance that you had going.<br />
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So, this time I lost about a week. Now I'm feeling like I'm somewhat back on top of being organized. I made three tupperware containers of grapes and four tupperwares of sliced cucumber tonight. I am ready for healthy snacks at work, and do have a very particularly feeling of being pleased, seeing the stacks of containers in the fridge. I recommend doing it: especially if you are inclined to be organized.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN-wvHvvTtUSgCIasV2Jm9C0xPt6-sN9sSGmt7AV-TxJR9Vz24qZ-Ko4tcprbDe7cITHtBabZD4xO0oTl1JzcZ4B1kjYvLtdWYiQ3eqyF4y2pmzV1VydrfjtfPskNVVrZw_KoSXHNUxiN/s1600/IMG_3332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN-wvHvvTtUSgCIasV2Jm9C0xPt6-sN9sSGmt7AV-TxJR9Vz24qZ-Ko4tcprbDe7cITHtBabZD4xO0oTl1JzcZ4B1kjYvLtdWYiQ3eqyF4y2pmzV1VydrfjtfPskNVVrZw_KoSXHNUxiN/s320/IMG_3332.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these sedums: stonecrop. </td></tr>
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Yesterday I was thinking that I'd better get used to anticipating losing 10-20 days a year to illness; sometimes more, sometimes less. With migraines, it's likely more than that, though the medication helps a lot. But there are always the colds, the flus, the stomach bugs, the temporary things you don't anticipate. But taking the anticipation into consideration, I might be more inclined to be more forgiving with myself. I think getting sick is a good reminder to take it easy sometimes. Give yourself a rest because you need it (and honestly, don't feel like doing much else).<br />
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And that is all okay.<br />
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But, here is my very friendly seasonally-themed PSA:<br />
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1. Wash your hands frequently, especially if you are travelling on public transit, traversing the university/a workplace that has you sharing a door handle or guard rail with more than three people.<br />
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2. Cough and sneeze into your elbows.<br />
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3. Get enough sleep.<br />
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Love,<br />
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HeikeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-51868354618197718172016-11-30T13:05:00.000-08:002016-11-30T13:05:02.481-08:00Post 96: Maintaining momentum when everything else is against you.I don't recommend to anyone to be a graduate student who needs to seek work in order to keep life trucking along. Whenever you need to be working along side school, it slows you down, even when you are an expert productive procrastinator like me. At some point, the weeks become months become a year or two, and you're tired, grumpy about the process, and you really, really want to be done.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Nob2VFnBmoIDI3zGFfJ0EI0foRpCVQPVdyNEbZcLFcoMkeg7ZLXjiE0A5OazYJtk-VXYnKBHI3fE5AvKS411SsF7sftOcfNKZYIosXCZZIyIVbk16YthoeausCWTPI1rNs7dhCrF43Fj/s1600/IMG_3088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Nob2VFnBmoIDI3zGFfJ0EI0foRpCVQPVdyNEbZcLFcoMkeg7ZLXjiE0A5OazYJtk-VXYnKBHI3fE5AvKS411SsF7sftOcfNKZYIosXCZZIyIVbk16YthoeausCWTPI1rNs7dhCrF43Fj/s320/IMG_3088.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much work to dooooo! :D</td></tr>
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I'm there. I'm definitely happy to see the end of these revisions and to get this project finished. I think that this research is important and worthwhile, and hope that it contributes to some understanding of contemporary science-policy relationships within a rapidly changing world that is trying to respond to climate change, even as it's changing the rules of the game of life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODSjuNW4FBmc7y4SEY-hV4HpqetUygVrMzZ7C0Dou-hBVygEawo1tjnio5fNZHExfwRJix2MYsZVSSHfLWMf5cKKQwEvQoKwjlFHTbuk9bVT2Ep03nVG4ExgT6zs26HJnxDNIWRd0LuIz/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODSjuNW4FBmc7y4SEY-hV4HpqetUygVrMzZ7C0Dou-hBVygEawo1tjnio5fNZHExfwRJix2MYsZVSSHfLWMf5cKKQwEvQoKwjlFHTbuk9bVT2Ep03nVG4ExgT6zs26HJnxDNIWRd0LuIz/s320/IMG_3070.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy little lemon flower and green lemon soon to ripen at a friend's place! :)</td></tr>
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So this is me writing again about self care and getting good sleep and being kind and compassionate with yourself -- these are things that I am known to struggle with: I am inclined to stay up late in order to get work done, or to have an internal negative talk with myself about not getting enough done in the down time I have (although getting work done during down time isn't exactly giving myself a break and taking down town -- sometimes I can see my own mistakes in reasoning).<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCwqCgjq19qgp2SxAd7NHDOP34bgc2YV2iXPpNiueBnJkxxb9syzXiCUzeGfLLec2YklZxs92ypuWnlaXAP-TIZKahMDTwLknHLnsbRZle36M-f6RASnZnaMlWNVXHMAyKdAfCgHDi-7/s1600/IMG_3077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCwqCgjq19qgp2SxAd7NHDOP34bgc2YV2iXPpNiueBnJkxxb9syzXiCUzeGfLLec2YklZxs92ypuWnlaXAP-TIZKahMDTwLknHLnsbRZle36M-f6RASnZnaMlWNVXHMAyKdAfCgHDi-7/s320/IMG_3077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Blueberry gyoza at The Noodle Box. Good food = happy Heike.</td></tr>
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I've recently started to use an app called "SAM" to help me process some of my unhelpful internal habits around anxiety, in particular. So far, mixed results, but I am feeling a bit better about some things. I did yoga for 40 minutes before a work meeting on Sunday, and that felt good. I'm trying to cycle to work a few days a week to build some exercise into my work routine, and honestly, given the horrendous traffic along Craigflower, Highway 1, and the Island Highway, it is faster, some days, to cycle my 20 minutes up the roads or along the <a href="https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-trails/find-park-trail/galloping-goose">Galloping Goose</a> to get home. So, biking for the win! (I will actually admit some glee to passing my commuters in their cars when I'm whizzing past on my bike. I don't have to compete for traffic, and even if it's raining, I've found it refreshing to ride.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpfonmxwgPOBBbihhRhYHh2PLIF6J9z9XJ2oMBMpETEsIfKqiSN1iB_4LdbjsfOgBQU-h2chBENjkcse358hcy0OZ7X0plRVIQAjrOZoD-eeq54fiC61e8BtPVWrIy83UXPLMBArmC5Ez/s1600/IMG_3025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpfonmxwgPOBBbihhRhYHh2PLIF6J9z9XJ2oMBMpETEsIfKqiSN1iB_4LdbjsfOgBQU-h2chBENjkcse358hcy0OZ7X0plRVIQAjrOZoD-eeq54fiC61e8BtPVWrIy83UXPLMBArmC5Ez/s320/IMG_3025.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Healthy Heike also includes lovely afternoon walks. :) </td></tr>
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In the long run, it's best take care of your health and your happiness, and keep life only as difficult as it needs to be in grad school. Long hours of sitting, not getting exercise and not balancing out enough work and fun and down time so that you get sick, overworked, burned out, or have stress injuries, won't help you get your thesis done. There is a requisite amount of time that your bum's got to stay in a chair in order to get writing and revisions done, for sure, but do, do, do keep an eye on your health and your happiness.<br />
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Self care is immensely important, and grad school is the perfect place to put your resilience to a test. Be ready for it.<br />
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Even now, when I'm close to being done, I'm working full-time, and it's a challenge to get everything done, feel like I'm putting my best foot forward, and managing to keep on top of everything, but then I think of the race between the turtle and the hare, and the turtle does, in the end, cross the finish line. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-67067901599706678282016-11-27T19:37:00.000-08:002016-11-27T19:38:02.303-08:00Post 95: New Job Update and Revisions!I've made it through my first month of work!! Yippee!<br />
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Work has been quite an adjustment to my usual schedule, and the workplace environment is different. By the end of this month I feel like I'm getting my feet under me. Meeting new people, getting into a new routine, figuring out basics like "Have I packed enough food for the day?" and a slight wardrobe adjustment have been fine -- these are simply questions and thoughts that I haven't asked anew for a little while, because of the previously established schedule. So, my take on the first month: my new colleagues are awesome, I miss campus, and yet I am excited about all the happenin' things at my new job. I have a diversity of project on the go, from a presentation on a backgrounder on mining in BC that I researched, to providing help on a few different projects my coworkers are working on, to helping out with a Division strategic plan, to building an inventory of Environmental Assessment Board decisions under the <i>Environmental Management Act</i>, with accompanying summary-analysis documents that I'll write... and lots more. I am enjoying the dynamism, for sure!<br />
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***<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvD9A16BcpDPTRgcUg2nXbEzLt1Xfvm5Mc43F8h9z3fEdvMBnC0xwGfumOINa0Nx2tRf6mamK_7vvH94_FiKP7jfEoaQakR1De3nHbEk1ht_dDAA-SpycBHiUrD4phJ2g4XtJ2slCLTKk/s1600/IMG_3044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvD9A16BcpDPTRgcUg2nXbEzLt1Xfvm5Mc43F8h9z3fEdvMBnC0xwGfumOINa0Nx2tRf6mamK_7vvH94_FiKP7jfEoaQakR1De3nHbEk1ht_dDAA-SpycBHiUrD4phJ2g4XtJ2slCLTKk/s320/IMG_3044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the Gorge at sunset on my way home from work. Gorgeous November evening.</td></tr>
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Thesis-ing continues! Amazingly, my committee member prioritized my thesis for a very quick turnaround (I am eternally grateful; I know she is immensely busy), and read the whole draft and provided comments. My committee member has a keen eye and is very skilled at getting to the heart of exactly what the issue is, and her feedback on my thesis draft was no different. So, a bit more reading, new writing, and further editing needed on what's currently there. That was to be expected.<br />
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Here is my heads up about getting feedback: getting feedback is not as easy as we would like it to be. Make yourself comfortable. Have a cup of tea at the ready. Getting feedback on revisions can be a little bit emotional, as someone else has taken a fine-tooth comb through your thesis, and is giving you constructive feedback. I always feel a bit of horror when I get feedback, because I can see all the places where I made simple errors (grammar, didn't finish a sentence, etc) that slipped by because my document is<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cute little white flowers in the neighbourhood greeted me on my walk to the bus!</td></tr>
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132 pages and I was tired...., as well as engaging with the bigger picture of, "What's your thesis doing? How are the ideas organized, explained, situated, framed?" And sometimes, too, the "What do you mean here? Clarify? Explain more." type of comments as well. <br />
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It can be a lot. I find I often feel deflated after getting feedback, and it takes a little bit to get my realist lens back on, in terms of assessing what are they asking, what needs work, what do I need to prioritize? I think it is a learned skill not to take the feedback personally, and to recognize that the work is not an illustration of your character and person.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coolest seagull, chilling on a post right by work. Sunshine break! </td></tr>
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So here's to that. My committee member's comments are really good, and very fair, and it's apparent that I have a few sections that need some more explaining. So here's to a few more hours of sitting down, reviewing articles and books and getting to a better thesis draft!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-62932175000420310022016-10-20T14:48:00.002-07:002016-10-21T09:46:39.404-07:00Post 94: My thesis adventure is starting to come to an end! I start a new job on Monday! I got hired to fill a paternity leave in the <a href="http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/environment">Ministry of Environment</a>, and I am very much looking forward to learning more about how policy work happens in our provincial government. I'll try to keep some updates coming about how my understanding of what a policy analyst does, exactly, evolves in the coming months. I've never had work like this, but it seems promising on both an intellectual and interest basis!<br />
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I lined up the job interview shortly after I arrived back from my trip home (mid-September), and by the beginning of October I had a new job lined up! Even now, thinking over the past month, I'm still struck by how quickly the whole process went!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOR7rApmoVNlChtPbWbg4TRhyHR01i2oL-viMNienyMNBRt5pwy6d9PDiHiHC5-qpELsW_grsj5bi4vHFARAQa76rshDjBq3kjjffiji4xHi53L2u1horp8ZziwEpsej9jZIWUWAjDj-h/s1600/IMG_2997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOR7rApmoVNlChtPbWbg4TRhyHR01i2oL-viMNienyMNBRt5pwy6d9PDiHiHC5-qpELsW_grsj5bi4vHFARAQa76rshDjBq3kjjffiji4xHi53L2u1horp8ZziwEpsej9jZIWUWAjDj-h/s320/IMG_2997.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rosa nutkana</i>, one of our wild rose species on the West Coast! Look at those rose hips!</td></tr>
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I really quickly had to put my thesis into an even higher gear than the pressure that I had been putting on myself prior to my trip home. BUT, so much has come together in the past few weeks! I finished a full draft of my last chapter, then I went through all the previous chapters and completed all of the edits according to feedback from my supervisor (and a few of my own revisions that I felt were necessary), put together the formatting of my thesis into the <a href="http://libguides.uvic.ca/uvicspace/etds/wordtemplate">UVic Thesis Template</a>, and sent off a full draft with a somewhat more rough introduction, missing an abstract, and an unformatted Bibliography.<br />
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What a difference it was to put the whole thing together and see it looking great!! Now I'm waiting on my committee member to have a read of the thesis and give me suggestions to strengthen and clarify the writing and the ideas. While I have some tasks in terms of cleaning up the Introduction, writing the abstract, and finishing the bibliography (I had used the <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/11/post-35-falling-in-love-with-write-and.html">write and cite function of Papers</a>, which handles all the journal articles and the grey literature and government documents that I've used, but I have some books that I need to make sure are included in there!)<br />
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Whew! What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been! Now, I'm gearing up for my new job. I attended what may well be my last lab meeting this morning, and I was definitely feeling sentimental about it. I am going to miss Eric's wonderful stories and the regular check ins with everyone, and the camaraderie that comes with a lab group. I don't think that the camaraderie will disappear simply because I'm no longer in the office, but something special happens when you get a small-ish group of people together regularly. You build rapport, and a sense of community that's hard to come by! And now it's coming to an end much faster than I had anticipated! (I didn't expect to find meaningful work so quickly, when I emailed a few friends in the late summer!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKnG0qIaPGv72qbdPhhPOccECsY6jtEFDVxC0I0KfV50pk2VOlpiUufZ1r-72NNLaES0cQlxhMMr3t9xOkC4e5Jt0IOY5U-wj9Orc22dXCFwKsow6VAHAQTBlF8tyflXKsPbj0zgI9dSI/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKnG0qIaPGv72qbdPhhPOccECsY6jtEFDVxC0I0KfV50pk2VOlpiUufZ1r-72NNLaES0cQlxhMMr3t9xOkC4e5Jt0IOY5U-wj9Orc22dXCFwKsow6VAHAQTBlF8tyflXKsPbj0zgI9dSI/s320/IMG_3003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So here I am, feeling the feels.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The coming months will be challenging: working full-time in a dynamic workplace, and trying to balance finishing up the thesis. I will be carrying on trying to finish the research contract work, which also wraps up around Christmas. Time management and scheduling my time carefully will be my best friend, I think!<br />
<br />
So here's to new beginnings and endings: I'm sitting in my office listening to <a href="https://youtu.be/GKSRyLdjsPA">Sia's "The Greatest," </a>feeling happy and excited and sad. I've loved being at UVic for so many years now. It's starting to sink in that my regular time here is coming to a close. All I can think to say now about the thesis process is that perseverance pays off.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrVUXX-RS6k6eD-zu8kzryWS89CM6yazlU812AtXM1Cegq8xVw-eMSQHguYmqbs5tLUuMiuPWnXOio9YmtcVaSQUYkQ3iMc-3VJzSXm-bE6GF3P3WgxX6mGN57mYFhqXiT3Q_XPUuM7W4/s1600/IMG_3012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrVUXX-RS6k6eD-zu8kzryWS89CM6yazlU812AtXM1Cegq8xVw-eMSQHguYmqbs5tLUuMiuPWnXOio9YmtcVaSQUYkQ3iMc-3VJzSXm-bE6GF3P3WgxX6mGN57mYFhqXiT3Q_XPUuM7W4/s320/IMG_3012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely October sky, with a ghouly ghost saying hello, too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween! I hope that I'll have a few more guest posts coming in soon! I've asked a few more people with specific topics to contribute, and we'll see if any of those can materialize.<br />
<br />
For my next post, I'll summarize the short presentation I gave about "writing in grad school" last week at our lab meeting.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-76655839253358990932016-10-06T09:42:00.001-07:002016-10-06T09:42:47.019-07:00Post 93: You Are More Than (Just) Your Thesis, and Celebrating the Small Successes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Writing a thesis is to undertake an
ultra-marathon. For many students it will be the longest and most in depth
account of research they have undertaken to date. It’ll take a lot of training
and practice to get good at the writing. It requires perseverance, <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/10/post-33-on-juggling-5-projects-where.html">good time management skills,</a> the ability to set long and short
term goals, and a commitment to follow through. It’s for this reason that I’m
very much in favour of celebrating the small successes, and undertaking shorter
term projects along the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In my case, these small projects have taken
the form of writing the occasional newspaper article, writing these relatively
short blog posts, participating in my first 5K race, and making a set of
personalized hand made cards and keeping up with my pen pals, among other
things. In some ways, even doing chores can feel like successes, as can staying
on top of doing the dishes, and doing your own cooking (which is <a href="http://frugalinvictoria.com/eats-under-eight/">also a good way to keep food costs down</a> and <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2016/05/post-81-whole-health-grad-student.html">manage your finances</a>).</span></div>
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<br /><span lang="EN-US"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2SPIi4NHJ1mfRXiRkflL0lPbXzbMpNLRJHxLEWHKzx9Y5dz1A1nK6wttPS0fJgqni1NxCi8cQ8Qg575azzVYtshxIeHKbdHSyvJ3AFqlfwyFDGLiDHTcnBj_ZAzx-rvLV2lx87vm-51c/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2SPIi4NHJ1mfRXiRkflL0lPbXzbMpNLRJHxLEWHKzx9Y5dz1A1nK6wttPS0fJgqni1NxCi8cQ8Qg575azzVYtshxIeHKbdHSyvJ3AFqlfwyFDGLiDHTcnBj_ZAzx-rvLV2lx87vm-51c/s320/IMG_2961.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the geometry of these! <3 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I submitted a draft of my last chapter on
Friday last week, and now I’m in revision mode, and it’s actually a lot of fun.
But it was really nice of my partner to help me to celebrate and recognize what
an accomplishment it was to finally finish a decent draft of that chapter,
which I’ve been working on for months now. <br />
<br />
I find that when I keep up on small projects along the way, my motivation stays
higher than when I don’t. I finish a blog post, up it goes, and I feel like
I’ve accomplished something. It hasn’t been that often that I have that feeling
with writing another paragraph of my thesis, or straightening another set of
citations. So I encourage you to do what you need to make sure that you feel
good about what you’re doing, whether it’s going to the climbing gym and
figuring out another boulder problem (climbing lingo for route), or hosting a
successful potluck with friends that you can’t make the time to see
individually, or cooking up a storm and having meals for a week. Have your hobbies!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big leaf maple (<i>Acer mycropyllum</i>) </td></tr>
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I suppose what’s behind all of this is encouragement to establish a good
work-life balance, which I struggle with, for sure. Undertaking a thesis can
seem to be all-consuming, and I think sometimes it can be difficult to feel
good about taking on other projects and non-grad school related things, but in retrospect, I'd say don’t be afraid to register for that pottery class, or join that soccer team,
or develop a writing group. These are all things that can help us realize how
important it is to support ourselves in different ways all along the way, and reinforce that we are not only our theses or grad work. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4LlVraPY1a22G41DsFY6KBbE7YN9ZJiYkszIcMa9k-ZnAjuWVV-qiYhSP3gOAd8illpPaAF3uYAdstQVQl9G9RHlT1kL0dhuyDFTQMvjq4Qykx4e8J_UKoAPImYBmDGVve3l73NabWx3/s1600/IMG_2979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4LlVraPY1a22G41DsFY6KBbE7YN9ZJiYkszIcMa9k-ZnAjuWVV-qiYhSP3gOAd8illpPaAF3uYAdstQVQl9G9RHlT1kL0dhuyDFTQMvjq4Qykx4e8J_UKoAPImYBmDGVve3l73NabWx3/s320/IMG_2979.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Gorge on a beautiful fall day!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">Of course, don't be filling up your schedule to the extent that your thesis becomes a low priority, but a bit of a mix of things is definitely good.<br />
<br />
Next I’ll write about my new job coming up, and transitioning out of grad
school! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-12083852928578497332016-09-28T10:47:00.004-07:002016-09-28T10:47:29.272-07:00Post 92: Effective Altruism and Grad SchoolBit a hiatus from the blog since my trip home—I was ridiculously busy when I was there—but now I'm back, and determined to finish this thesis. However, before I speak more directly to thesis things, I wanted to revisit my trip to Berkeley for the <a href="https://www.eaglobal.org/">Effective Altruism Global Conference</a> I attended at the beginning of August. I've been thinking quite a bit about the people and ideas I encountered there, since. (I've just noticed that a significant number of the talks are posted, so go check them out!)<br />
<br />
What's effective altruism? I won't rehash <a href="https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/">effectivealtruism.org's introductory essay</a> about EA because you can <a href="https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/#introduction">read the whole thing here</a>, but the general idea is to use evidence and reason to find the best way to make the biggest difference you can over your lifetime. If you're interested, I also recently co-wrote an introductory article to EA with Wray McOuat <a href="http://www.martlet.ca/want-to-make-a-big-difference-consider-effective-altruism/">that you can check out here</a>.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAh-tLI-Rg0CT9Z3kKYqW4LI9PoMaC7dK-TZZsIzjLZb99grz1bMS8VNPcMLO6MAU7kjD9SFG4nAC4S8qgTmR3cg0ecPKxaD1MvV_3QervOH1JNaptRZvXrWisIjm3yXn-60WZMWi2kzG/s1600/IMG_2635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAh-tLI-Rg0CT9Z3kKYqW4LI9PoMaC7dK-TZZsIzjLZb99grz1bMS8VNPcMLO6MAU7kjD9SFG4nAC4S8qgTmR3cg0ecPKxaD1MvV_3QervOH1JNaptRZvXrWisIjm3yXn-60WZMWi2kzG/s320/IMG_2635.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous bougainvillea on a street in Berkeley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So how is EA relevant for grad students? Well, we're pursuing training in a particular kind of skillset (research, teaching, critical thinking) that we will likely work to make a difference in whatever field we go into, so I actually think there's a lot of compatibility with pursuing careers (and an educative experience that emphasizes learning critical thinking, applying reason, and assessing different kinds of evidence for different causes).<br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">A few words about the conference: as with
attending conferences, it was an easy way to very quickly learn a whole lot,
meet fascinating people, and test out my ideas—I also really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i> that the conference explicitly encouraged
participants to seek out people with (on the face of it) opposing ideas, and to
chat them out. Because of the conference I have radically changed my opinion
about the effectiveness of giving money; previously I’d always held the idea that it’s
better to donate time or creativity or energy in some way, but of course
money is a representation of all of those things, applied in a particular way. At some point when your career is taking off, your ability to generate a decent income in a
developed country can significantly outweigh the time and energy you may volunteer to a cause. And, if you're working full-time, you might not have the energy or time left over to donate. So, donating money can be a really good way to contribute to a cause that you
support. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvyU9Ujm4RNl2SSPd-3SrqCFuRf4L3FusKz2uy4qPLRmfwRF8I-eYd1NtQ-lI320kamKhhKf580UHOWqShLw-k6l1nT_gKoupGjLaQD6WVLpPoKJgQuvieuOo4pU-2T2QArzw31Qtqr2-/s1600/IMG_2675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvyU9Ujm4RNl2SSPd-3SrqCFuRf4L3FusKz2uy4qPLRmfwRF8I-eYd1NtQ-lI320kamKhhKf580UHOWqShLw-k6l1nT_gKoupGjLaQD6WVLpPoKJgQuvieuOo4pU-2T2QArzw31Qtqr2-/s320/IMG_2675.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand University of California, Berkley, campus architecture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">Having only once, for a brief period of time, made enough of an income to be classified above the poverty line, I have never thought of myself as being in a position where I could donate much, and so I don't think I had seriously considered it as an option, and my donating happened sporadically, to causes that I have come to believe are important (and still are), but I wasn't thinking about evaluating their effectiveness as much. The little bit that I gave, I did so because "it felt good." And I generally preferred to go volunteer my time or skills instead. Meeting a few people
who were well into their careers and who didn’t have the extra time to
volunteer, and who were proponents of such a method of doing good caused me to
examine my beliefs about that matter. And then of course, the key is donating so to causes that are maximally effective. BUT -- I am still thinking about what this means for me, and I will revisit this in a future post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubZLrafq8Krb35ny95fMd7RFy_96PuL04YCjKep736fxzZPNWCDiuBoBfrFAdkS1o29pC57kmbG7vC5O62tVxyKpY1e71CGqfQ8LZCPL4GF0HuRcN_JSs-uVERiciVylZiwsMMpCamsC4/s1600/IMG_2704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubZLrafq8Krb35ny95fMd7RFy_96PuL04YCjKep736fxzZPNWCDiuBoBfrFAdkS1o29pC57kmbG7vC5O62tVxyKpY1e71CGqfQ8LZCPL4GF0HuRcN_JSs-uVERiciVylZiwsMMpCamsC4/s320/IMG_2704.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Max Tegmark delivering his talk via Blue Jeans, about 10 AI Safety Myths.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">Further,
what I think was particularly unique about this conference compared to others
that I have attended, is that I found both very like-minded people, who
described themselves as being altruistic and now working on the “effective”
part, and also people who were very dissimilar to me: artificial intelligence
researchers, philosophers, tech start-up founders, people who worked for various governments, or for
charities and development organizations. People from the UK, from Australia, from the US, and all over. Such a diverse set of people! </span><span lang="EN-US"><br /><br />
And, Berkeley was beautiful as well. Overall, it was a phenomenal conference
and I am very glad that I attended. Getting <a href="http://www.tobyord.com/">to talk to Toby Ord</a>, an ethicist at
the<a href="https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/"> Future of Humanity Institute </a>(Oxford) and really brilliant person, was spectacular. I
had several discussions with Andy Fallshaw, CEO of Belroy, and am convinced he's one of the most generous people I have ever met: bright, charismatic, caring, and more than happy to make reading recommendations. On his advice, I'm currently looking at <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles-Business/dp/1118539273">Douglas W. Hubbard's "How to Measure Anything,</a>" which I hope to discuss with my sister, soon. I definitely wish him well. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZByaC12OCUxryp0fKKdhvDjryGy2Va6iheYNkX_il-vWpAx9BCGJdwzZPWj3D2Ll5nCAxOaAZ8QjZHJQocs8NrK7jinPqVKYPWk_WkIBP_ciLFAHoJgmRlu5BBusArSAN2JspIJlRzuG/s1600/IMG_2655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZByaC12OCUxryp0fKKdhvDjryGy2Va6iheYNkX_il-vWpAx9BCGJdwzZPWj3D2Ll5nCAxOaAZ8QjZHJQocs8NrK7jinPqVKYPWk_WkIBP_ciLFAHoJgmRlu5BBusArSAN2JspIJlRzuG/s320/IMG_2655.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hike up to the Lawrence Hall of Science, which was really the coolest! </td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">I met several other tech start-up
folks (EA is hoppin' in San Fran and has considerable overlap with the ambitious folks and business culture
in the Bay Area), and the sense of ambition, vision, and possibility there was
intoxicating for a little while. I didn’t get to speak with <a href="http://www.williammacaskill.com/">Will MacAskill in</a> person, but hearing him talk was great, and there were free copies of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Doing-Good-Better-Effective-Difference/dp/1592409105">his recent book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doing Good </i><i>Better</i> available</a>. I devoured
it on my return trip, and also learned a lot more about EA. If you're interested, I definitely recommend it as an introduction to effective altruism. There were a few awkward
conversations, of course, because I found it difficult to maintain social grace
at all times as an introvert, especially when I frequently found my energy
bucket running on empty, but it was a good time overall. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy7Ui_csDkut124kvVaYB-xi_VkEUkM3J3VFBE1x7TrlhlmCq9j2-DiCTYxbZMF930ontq3u0bqgjOFA3KPYB225v84wSDn9M6nP57O7Sz73i2BlNJIjcbxmuYE1CSCkkHp84fagVDnDc/s1600/IMG_2666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy7Ui_csDkut124kvVaYB-xi_VkEUkM3J3VFBE1x7TrlhlmCq9j2-DiCTYxbZMF930ontq3u0bqgjOFA3KPYB225v84wSDn9M6nP57O7Sz73i2BlNJIjcbxmuYE1CSCkkHp84fagVDnDc/s320/IMG_2666.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">From the Lawrence Hall of Science: A display of early cyclotrons: the things that smash atoms together. :D</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">Overall, I feel that the methodology and approach of EA is
really a good one—and one to be applied more broadly than simply to EA. Using evidence and reason to figure out how to do the most
good in the world appeals to me and speaks to my values. While I think there are still ideas to be worked out with how to
measure and compare the effectiveness of different charitable interventions,
the complexity behind undertaking such measurements is not without difficulty,
and I am content that it is being worked on. Something to keep an eye on in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Happy September! Happy fall!<br />
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In my next post, I'll discuss the value of small successes along the way, to help build momentum and motivation during grad school.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-30444461739408641602016-08-16T16:25:00.000-07:002016-08-16T16:46:00.871-07:00Post 91: September Coming: A Few To-Dos, including GTIOP, our new TAC, and the TA Conference!I know I said I'd write about my experiences of the <a href="http://eaglobal.org/">EA Global conference</a> as my next post, but a few important things have come up between, and I'm still working on that post. :)<br />
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I'm leaving for my trip home tomorrow, and I've been populating a list of things to do before I leave. One of those was remembering that the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/vpfo/accounting/resources/grad-student-income-offset-plan.php">Graduate Student Tuition Income Offset Plan</a>, which sets up a preauthorized electronic debit (PAD) with the university for 4 equal monthly payments of your tuition, instead of having you pay all of your tuition at the beginning of the semester. <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/09/post-32-making-finances-easier-graduate.html">I've written about it previously here</a>, and have found it immensely useful for keeping up on my financial well-being, and organizing my finances more generally. The deadline to submit the form so you're set up for the year is 15 September.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbJdM6GQ5g87OTpMj715DWvOU4sqH_iZor7Ny-Q-HXrQpaSkdDW6xJBJas0WYKIogdwI95wF3dX-YXEPqYUJhxwVto76BT2m7wG2f-mcGs4RtZyRpAJOxWCGS064qHIo721RaLU-AEnom/s1600/IMG_2578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbJdM6GQ5g87OTpMj715DWvOU4sqH_iZor7Ny-Q-HXrQpaSkdDW6xJBJas0WYKIogdwI95wF3dX-YXEPqYUJhxwVto76BT2m7wG2f-mcGs4RtZyRpAJOxWCGS064qHIo721RaLU-AEnom/s320/IMG_2578.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute neighbourhood succulent #1! <3</td></tr>
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Dr. <a href="http://www.bucknell.edu/x84901.xml">Anita Girvan left for a prestigious year long position at a Bucknell University</a> in Pennsylvania after she finished her PhD last year (yay!), and the position of Teaching Assistant Consultant for the School of Environmental Studies has remained open over the past year. I'm glad to say that now the lovely <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/environmental/graduate/profiles/index.php">Ms. Kristen Walsh</a> has filled that position!<br />
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As our new TAC, she's been working hard to complete the training that comes with the position. I bumped into her last week at UH4 where she made a few comments about the work involved. I hadn't anticipated there to be so much training, but it makes a lot of sense! Thinking back to Anita, she put quite a lot of effort into the resources and sessions she provided us as teaching assistants (TAs), and there's quite a lot to think about if it's your first time TAing. I'm sure the training would also cover how to talk to TAs that are teaching for the first time, and for the students that already have a class or two in their TA roster.<br />
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I remember having the thought that the leap from being an undergraduate student to two years later suddenly being in the position of grading students' work (especially when it seemed to me that I was little more qualified than when I had been a student myself) felt a little bit concerning. Between the training provided by Anita, and the TA conferences I attended, I felt much much more prepared to do a good job as a new TA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5bLR4JlENWEW9eWpSYr048JZMfpGGqjmbu-9ElH8t0b_Po0stOn45bWa9q8uF-BgOjM-YcliK0qbiEUVtlP_qWYDRMV3GREPWazONePHyCstDl8B3wUzPz9ghDpVK_wVzz_PPdZy6qL-/s1600/IMG_2579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5bLR4JlENWEW9eWpSYr048JZMfpGGqjmbu-9ElH8t0b_Po0stOn45bWa9q8uF-BgOjM-YcliK0qbiEUVtlP_qWYDRMV3GREPWazONePHyCstDl8B3wUzPz9ghDpVK_wVzz_PPdZy6qL-/s320/IMG_2579.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute neighbourhood succulent #2! <3</td></tr>
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Speaking of: the TA Conference is coming up again! Plan out your schedule for it this year. The beginning of the semester is always a busy one, not the least of which is because there are welcome events, the Fall TA Conference and training, and for new graduate students, other orientations as well. <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/learningandteaching/home/home/news/current/ta-conference.php">But, the TA Conference</a> is one that I highly, highly recommend. <br />
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This year the conference is being held Tuesday 6th September to Friday 9th September.<br />
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I've written about my enthusiasm and experiences at <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/09/post-29-okay-ta-conference-is-fantastic.html">the conference previously here</a>, <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/09/post-31-final-ta-conference-workshop.html">and here</a>, and while I'll be away for the conference this year, I'll definitely be thinking about it! For those of you who can't make the conference in the fall, no fear! There is also the Spring TA conference that happens early January. (No link provided currently because there's only 2016 information posted.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66xXBncGazkvLYiUmbUeD7I0lvlB1NIGOKdTCHJzfWTMOovDkP6zSJGl22e7FSXA1eaXv6Qxcyizx-PI8nvhet-Xzh4GcTDWH-w7xvylCSvtJ9I2lIR5j7QzLr96hpH4eZ6DE6aPkgmfR/s1600/IMG_2581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66xXBncGazkvLYiUmbUeD7I0lvlB1NIGOKdTCHJzfWTMOovDkP6zSJGl22e7FSXA1eaXv6Qxcyizx-PI8nvhet-Xzh4GcTDWH-w7xvylCSvtJ9I2lIR5j7QzLr96hpH4eZ6DE6aPkgmfR/s320/IMG_2581.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And cute neighbourhood succulent #3! <3</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-50962882759087336742016-08-03T14:05:00.000-07:002016-08-03T14:05:01.411-07:00Post 90: Family Planning and Resources -- Considerations for Grad Students<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is another guest post with my lovely friend and colleague <a href="http://researchers.usask.ca/garrett-richards/biography.php#Education">Dr. Garrett Richards!</a>! The idea for this post came up during a catch-up the two of us had a few weeks ago, following the announcement that he and his wife would be expecting their first child in November. (So exciting!) So, here goes our post on parental leave and family resources on campus: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As Garrett writes: "</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Early-career researchers (e.g. graduate students, postdoctoral fellows) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">tend to belong to the age group in which many people have their first </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">child. As such, they may have to navigate the difficulties of parental </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">leave and childcare without the standard benefits that apply to "typical" </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">full-time employees. My partner and I will be having a baby in November. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What follows are some of my thoughts on parental leave, based on my </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">experiences as a postdoctoral fellow. I hope other early-career </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">researchers might find the information useful. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous jasmine from the back deck! :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Parental leave means getting some time off so that you can be with your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">new child and manage the transition, usually one year in total for each </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">birth or adoption (i.e. having multiple children at once doesn't increase </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the time period). The parents can split this time however they like. For </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">example, one partner could take a year off while the other remains at </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">work, they could both take six months off at the same time, or they could </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">each take six months off at different times to total one year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">You should </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">inform your supervisor of your plans several months ahead of time. For </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">many graduate students, this will be a fairly simple request, unless your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">research is heavily integrated with that of someone else in your lab. You </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">will generally need to get approval from both your university and anyone </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">else that may be paying you. Check with your corresponding union to see if </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">there are any particular provisions or procedures you should be aware of. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">By the way, it is a good idea for men to take some parental leave, since </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">it helps break down the stereotype that only women make career sacrifices </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">for their family. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The far more complicated factor is parental benefits, which means getting </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">paid while you are on parental leave, since you obviously cannot accept </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">your normal stipend or scholarship while you are off work. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTcC2Y22oi4jOKvaKiQhZ6cA1BY5Veho22J1u1LRGTsc9BAc-lwPbp328u7ehDi3GH193N-VkIEoxde6pt4eGX0Hgxymmuu6nEP_u4NyDo-rfq4yCiuiqNhTiXlrlyuhM04nk255VlpsD/s1600/IMG_2556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTcC2Y22oi4jOKvaKiQhZ6cA1BY5Veho22J1u1LRGTsc9BAc-lwPbp328u7ehDi3GH193N-VkIEoxde6pt4eGX0Hgxymmuu6nEP_u4NyDo-rfq4yCiuiqNhTiXlrlyuhM04nk255VlpsD/s320/IMG_2556.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mystery flower down in Cadboro Bay.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Unions, again, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">are a good place to start your investigation on this, keeping in mind that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">you may belong to multiple unions. However, provisions for early-career </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">researchers generally seem to be pretty scant. When I checked the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">collective agreement for sessional lecturers at my university, there was </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">only a section on parental leave, not parental benefits (and when I phoned </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the union directly, they said no one had ever asked about that before, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">which I found surprising). Make sure to examine the provisions of your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">stipend or scholarship too, if you have one. For example, SSHRC </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">fellowships (for both doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows) have a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">parental benefits program.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Although you should definitely look into these various avenues, your best </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">chance of parental benefits is probably through employment insurance and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the federal government. For information, head to the "Having a Baby" </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">section of the Canada Service website </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/baby.shtml&source=gmail&ust=1470078344412000&usg=AFQjCNGN0Ul_iUKZ4bjGsE4F6sT7Zsk0RA" href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/baby.shtml" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.servicecanada.gc.<wbr></wbr>ca/eng/lifeevents/baby.shtml</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">). While this </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">page is a fountain of general information, you'll want to examine the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"Maternity and Parental Benefits" link in particular </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/ei/maternity_parental/index.page&source=gmail&ust=1470078344412000&usg=AFQjCNE3nPmGZWukcykvMnI88BxXFqfU8A" href="http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/ei/maternity_parental/index.page" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/ei/<wbr></wbr>maternity_parental/index.page</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">)</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. Here, you can </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">read about eligibility for parental leave. In general, if you have worked </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">at least 600 insurable hours in the 52 weeks prior to the start of your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">leave, you can receive 55% of your insurable weekly earnings during the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">leave period. A good way to check on your accumulated insurable hours is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">to register for a "My Service Canada" account </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/msca/index.page&source=gmail&ust=1470078344412000&usg=AFQjCNHZg0JD4_XCR3sL5dbdUOzfWCOrWA" href="http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/msca/index.page" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/<wbr></wbr>msca/index.page</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">), keeping in mind that they will </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">have to send you an access code through the mail, which could take a few </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">weeks.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUlWJSR7yINIboewkXt5gsb9CdpVYedua3RtqCzfAdsWNDswuwQrlFsYuuOuaITpJzb0C-Iq1ZBXLOAx46w92Zfh5hb9RbGJ3SXs0iLIUQpedTQ-5lJA-Fx8hyDipb_F5bUM2MgFG2Yw2/s1600/IMG_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUlWJSR7yINIboewkXt5gsb9CdpVYedua3RtqCzfAdsWNDswuwQrlFsYuuOuaITpJzb0C-Iq1ZBXLOAx46w92Zfh5hb9RbGJ3SXs0iLIUQpedTQ-5lJA-Fx8hyDipb_F5bUM2MgFG2Yw2/s320/IMG_2618.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely summer hydrangea, their colours starting to fade out. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The trickiest part of all this is that the main work done by early-career </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">researchers generally does not qualify as insurable hours (after all, you </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">are probably getting "paid" through a scholarship, not a salary). Only the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">work you do as a TA, RA, or sessional lecturer will count, and in my </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">experience it's pretty rare for an early-career researcher to amass 600 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">hours of such work in a given year. This means that planning is very </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">important when it comes to having a child at this stage of your career. I </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">was fortunate in a few ways. First, since my partner and I are splitting </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the leave, and my half won't start until next May, I had some extra time </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">to figure everything out. Second, I have a SSHRC fellowship, which will </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">cover my parental benefits (although, interestingly enough, I have to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">decline those benefits if I am eligible for any others, which means I have </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">to make sure I *do not* work 600 insurable hours in the 52 weeks prior to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">my leave). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In reality, I think a lot of early-career researchers make do without </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">parental benefits. Aside from the financial implications, it can actually </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">be a pretty good time to have a child, given its flexibility. The best </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">thing you can do is make sure you know what options are available to you. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In short, check with your union, your funding, and the government. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Finally, it's never too early to start thinking about childcare options, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">which are often available on university campuses if you put your name on </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the waiting list early enough."</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyVoJkMD4K7VAtiQiyn_I7AtLWlB12mr9yo4isIRs0DgzqjoRS8XW21a8S0ZdYiC72baIjj3ZWPPLxhrbWgM4dL91E7EfKIIK5fnoKwlo-irF7P6D98xzuiLRFUPar4n7XyWrktf17Ovy/s1600/IMG_2498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyVoJkMD4K7VAtiQiyn_I7AtLWlB12mr9yo4isIRs0DgzqjoRS8XW21a8S0ZdYiC72baIjj3ZWPPLxhrbWgM4dL91E7EfKIIK5fnoKwlo-irF7P6D98xzuiLRFUPar4n7XyWrktf17Ovy/s320/IMG_2498.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very cool looking but very dead bug on the sidewalk that ants were fighting over.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Garrett did a really good job (above) covering some of the general information and considerations for taking parental leave and the resources you should look at in Canada. I did some poking around about what other kinds of resources there are for child care on campus, and <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/services/childcare/home/enrolment/index.php">UVic's Childcare Services information can be found here</a>. For childcare, there are, as Garrett points out above, <i>very</i> lengthy wait-times: a minimum of 2 years for children under the age of three, and between 3 and 5, it's about a year and a half. I also highly recommend checking out the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/services/childcare/home/fees/index.php">program fees for said childcare</a>, because <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2016/05/post-81-whole-health-grad-student.html">keeping on top of your finances is also part of your health as a grad student</a>.<br /><br />As a grad student, you can also apply to <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/residence/family/accommodations/index.php">live in family housing right on campus</a>, which is pretty great. There's both apartment or townhouse style accommodation available.<br /><br />UVic's Residences Services <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/residence/family/resources/index.php">Family Resources page</a> also provides information on public schools that are close by to campus (one elementary, two secondary, and one French immersion elementary school), and the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/familycentre/">Family Centre also provides information for a variety of things</a>, including to health care resources on campus, connecting with the Family Centre, their programs, and fun things like their Welcome Back barbecue. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Wishing all those out there planning families and with families under way lots of love! You have supports you can draw on, and I hope this post can help illuminate a few you may not have know about right off the bat. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">**Quick note: My next post will be covering my time at the <a href="http://eaglobal.org/">Effective Altruism Global Conference</a> in Berkeley, California this weekend. Keep your eyes open for it! :) </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-41147631720941907592016-07-31T11:46:00.003-07:002016-07-31T12:00:02.967-07:00Post 89: Summer Endings, Beginnings, and TCG at UVicJuly is ending! Another month done again. Sometimes I really can just sit back and wonder where the time has gone. For me this July passed with the birthdays of at least six family and friends, a lake-swim, lots and lots of work, and most recently, the conclusion of my Thesis Completion Group (TCG).<br />
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The wonderful, stylish <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/law/facultystaff/staffdirectory/janetsheppard.php">Dr. Janet Sheppard</a> (see photo below!) who has been a long-time counsellor at UVic, ran the TCG for years now, and there were always long waitlists for graduate students wanting to get into the two weekly groups, which I think speaks to the value and need for a resource for grad students such as this. The format of the TCGs were face-to-face, discussion-style group sessions, with there being an average of about 3-8 members in the groups. It's been a little quieter over the summer, which I've very much enjoyed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VPgyjlD_CA9R9FGhb2kVLbpYSbLOraHatfhtImK71MaPDE4FEu-Fvme3dz7o5Oo6a5WWasg0WWu93uo388zp7gVm_by507G0Mo3eHOXrqHtsTlcX3wZbyVs_Mb6JUUEOWPWWPkGjzlJ_/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VPgyjlD_CA9R9FGhb2kVLbpYSbLOraHatfhtImK71MaPDE4FEu-Fvme3dz7o5Oo6a5WWasg0WWu93uo388zp7gVm_by507G0Mo3eHOXrqHtsTlcX3wZbyVs_Mb6JUUEOWPWWPkGjzlJ_/s320/IMG_2602.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet and I at our last TCG meeting! I was feeling very sentimental about the goodbye.</td></tr>
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Students attending the group would report on their thesis work: progress made, barriers encountered, worries, concerns, personal and professional relationship/communication stalls, committee trials and successes—everything. Janet guided the discussions, creating a safe space to talk about all of these things, asking pointed, insightful questions, and reminding students like myself to think about not only work-related goals, but also health related goals. And, we all definitely benefitted from the wisdom of the group, with numerous students chiming in with their own experiences, advice, and resources. We'd leave one week's discussion with those goals in mind, and revisit them the following week, checking in about how they went, how the <i>process</i> of being in graduate school was going. I loved it. It hasn't really sunk in that these weekly meetings are ending.<br />
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Participating in the group really turned around my perspectives about my thesis experience. It was immensely valuable to learn that the struggles I was facing are universal among graduate students; that the uncertainties and lingering questions and doubt about my abilities were part of the impostor syndrome; that talking about my fears and worries made me feel loads better, and better able to cope with those concerns; that by discussing concerns about graduate research, I would open myself up to the kindness and generosity and insight of my colleagues in the TCG; and, that by participating in the group, I would be able to get excited with, cheer on, and root for students who actually finished their degrees!! In turn, finishing became an achievable goal for me again, which for a while there, I wasn't able to see, anymore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBPH4WrGWAx54YWT1wb05w6EwnTd9hNVCD7lhS1_GH-3SDREgbkT_9xyASL8Czqx3_7mvhYC2vpLVclWbelIK9r56I4V4G22cCnWB9Bbty2AyX7mk9Swpafk4FPOSiPe0RoVRe7XrN6Je/s1600/IMG_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBPH4WrGWAx54YWT1wb05w6EwnTd9hNVCD7lhS1_GH-3SDREgbkT_9xyASL8Czqx3_7mvhYC2vpLVclWbelIK9r56I4V4G22cCnWB9Bbty2AyX7mk9Swpafk4FPOSiPe0RoVRe7XrN6Je/s320/IMG_2606.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mystery tree down in Beacon Hill Park. So beautiful! :)</td></tr>
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If I think about it, a lot of my blog posts were motivated by some of the discussions had during the TCG. Certainly, the discussions, shared insights, advice, and kindness of my fellow students have been indispensable for turning my graduate school experience into a productive one. While I'm sad that the group is ending, I'm happy that Janet is making choices to find ways to continue with her passions in a different capacity now. She is a very special person, who's found a way to apply her leadership, skills, training, and insights in a unique application that fits an important niche in higher education. A major force behind organizing the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/graduatestudies/home/home/news/current/thesis-boot-camp.php">thesis-writing bootcamps</a> that have taken place in the past year, and running the TCGs, I'll miss Janet and her wisdom, and I'm also now so glad that I've kept every one of her weekly list-serve emails. They were always chockablock full of resources, her enthusiasm and encouragement, and of course, everyone's weekly goals and progress. A one-line acknowledgment in my thesis doesn't seem like it's enough to say, THANK YOU for everything. So, on top of an in-person goodbye, I'm writing this post, so my thank you can live a little bit longer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaU9sXCXXz3x5H-6-6Tw63AGoJ3nq4cAtfaVxc7AAVuEGdNkl0HpaqQ1dKefKEFwhvXq78xjUkz_D2WoyxuZzRPgVhe20BdLJYhFvLc36d-scSxP48_mG6SRPqrmCX5qe4wS8q8rHwYUp1/s1600/IMG_2621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaU9sXCXXz3x5H-6-6Tw63AGoJ3nq4cAtfaVxc7AAVuEGdNkl0HpaqQ1dKefKEFwhvXq78xjUkz_D2WoyxuZzRPgVhe20BdLJYhFvLc36d-scSxP48_mG6SRPqrmCX5qe4wS8q8rHwYUp1/s320/IMG_2621.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water lily out at Thetis Lake! I scared up a number of green frogs getting to this photo. </td></tr>
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With the ending of one thing, comes the opportunity for another beginning. Right now I'm feeling a lot of uncertainty about how Counselling Services (CS) will adapt and modify the TCGs that have been running for so long. Janet mentioned that CS would likely be contacting students who were involved in these groups to let them know about the upcoming changes, but it's also been made clear that the groups as they've happened so far won't continue. It sounded to me like the format will switch to a more satellite organized thing, where staff from CS will check in with self-motivated groups whose formation they'll help facilitate in the fall semester. I'm crossing my fingers that the transition will be a smooth one, but for now can't do anything other than wait. I'll let you know how this resource changes in September, as soon as I hear. :)<br />
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I've kept in touch with two colleagues from my TCG, and if nothing else, will pursue check-ins with the two of them. We're on roughly a similar timeline, with the three of us aiming to wrap up our degrees in the fall. Here's to keeping up the momentum.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-27241172671989734682016-07-24T12:19:00.001-07:002016-07-24T12:29:36.372-07:00Post 88: Science Advocacy in Action! Participate!I intend to write a longer post putting together some of my thoughts about science (and specifically academic scientific knowledge production) and its relationship to the public soon, but for now I want to <b>highlight an opportunity to contribute to giving the federal government feedback about science funding in Canada. These opportunities don't come along that often, and personally, I'm really excited by the opportunity to participate, and strongly encourage you to do so as well</b>, especially if you think about, appreciate, or reflect on the role of science in Canada.<br />
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<a href="https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en/about">Evidence for Democracy</a>, an organization that sprung from the momentum gathered by scientists concerned about the <a href="http://www.academicmatters.ca/2013/05/harpers-attack-on-science-no-science-no-evidence-no-truth-no-democracy/">regressive policies, funding cuts, and scientific program shut-downs of the Harper government in Canada</a>. In July of 2012, thousands of scientists, citizens, and activists rallied across the country in a series of "<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/scientists-take-aim-at-harper-cuts-with-death-of-evidence-protest-on-parliament-hill/article4403233/">Death of Evidence Rallies</a>" to demand "transparent, evidence-based decision-making" (EforD, 2013). Since then, this organization has become one of the leading advocates for evidence-supported policy in Canada.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJj4zpoMiamrrG2nqL3BkGe9kgBdRDbJK2xlfRl0URzuEC48x0yMlZ6SkRybQbt-vx_qTogQkSznN7kRKnZL7wcu_b2ZJNY_IJoJE2rd6KguBDB-PbsAyYUfYZ5r8e4Mq-y53LahKXtNC/s1600/IMG_2419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJj4zpoMiamrrG2nqL3BkGe9kgBdRDbJK2xlfRl0URzuEC48x0yMlZ6SkRybQbt-vx_qTogQkSznN7kRKnZL7wcu_b2ZJNY_IJoJE2rd6KguBDB-PbsAyYUfYZ5r8e4Mq-y53LahKXtNC/s320/IMG_2419.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild strawberry patch on campus! What a yummy find! Small, but SO delicious!</td></tr>
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They are helping put together a synthesis report of contributions from scientists and others across Canada, that will be presented to the federal government's panel for the review of fundamental science in Canada that's under way right now. On June 13th, 2016, Canada's Minister of Science, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, <a href="http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1083789">announced on that the review was underway</a>. Much of the review focuses on how fundamental science is currently funded. <br />
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<b>Please take 10 minutes to participate in the review! </b><br />
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You can do so by either by contributing comments to Evidence for Democracy: <a href="https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en/fundamental-science-review">https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en/fundamental-science-review</a><br />
I couldn't find their deadline to submit comments on their website, but I encourage you to do it right away, before you a) get to busy, b) forget, or c) miss their deadline. (In my mind, I had a deadline of July 31st, which seems appropriate if they are going to compile a synthesis report.)<br />
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Or, contribute directly to the government's open invitation here: <a href="http://www.sciencereview.ca/eic/site/059.nsf/eng/home">http://www.sciencereview.ca/eic/site/059.nsf/eng/home</a><br />
Their deadline to contribute comments is September 30th, 2016.<br />
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Or, if you're feeling really motivated, do both!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkr2m9kD7Hl7_puDLnQjn9_bjvjUCqR7Z9YdFMGFjRUAoqj_ebDjDlDreXDGJ1mim96Hq7tRQsVcSd1Xe_Y9AfshAbCVAySCz6QlgyEvX05uw8ufBnD2MCQwz4Q7XpX79lJQkOQXzi8nY/s1600/IMG_2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkr2m9kD7Hl7_puDLnQjn9_bjvjUCqR7Z9YdFMGFjRUAoqj_ebDjDlDreXDGJ1mim96Hq7tRQsVcSd1Xe_Y9AfshAbCVAySCz6QlgyEvX05uw8ufBnD2MCQwz4Q7XpX79lJQkOQXzi8nY/s320/IMG_2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Summer hydrangeas after a rain. :) </td></tr>
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<b>And, after you participate, share this opportunity with others!!</b> The more participation the better. To me, this is one of many ways of participating and contributing to a healthy democracy that goes far above and beyond voting once every four years in a federal election. :)<br />
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If you want a kick-starter for your reflections about science in Canada, I suggest going back to the article I mentioned in my <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2016/07/post-87-summer-reading.html">previous post here</a>: "<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process" style="background-color: white; color: #2988d4; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">The 7 biggest problems facing science, according to 270 scientists</a>." I think there are several relevant points they bring up, and they may lead you to think of others.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-19896772035535003322016-07-15T15:57:00.000-07:002016-07-15T15:57:01.766-07:00Post 87: Summer ReadingAs grad students, the work doesn't stop for us during the summer when classes have ended. Labs keep running, some TA for summer classes, but there's always another journal article or book to read, more data to analyze, or another paper to mark.<br /><br />It's for this reason that I advocate for some lighter summer reading, not only because I've been reading broadly to keep myself sane, but because it's good to give yourself a bit of a mental break here and there (arguably, this kind of lighter reading should happen during the year, too, but I think the pressure from September - April can be more intensely felt).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaxUgyFuFY6Tp1FUvLe5MujVn7kmPZfONFKRBzzWb92_QZcJXzk_cMt-rlVPpB9ollDsl-zSq4ONNu-0VVmZx_kojNXxkd7EzUDzEsblIxLZd2k__Bo7hgGJhnMW1DhQrrA02E14-znqh/s1600/IMG_2548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaxUgyFuFY6Tp1FUvLe5MujVn7kmPZfONFKRBzzWb92_QZcJXzk_cMt-rlVPpB9ollDsl-zSq4ONNu-0VVmZx_kojNXxkd7EzUDzEsblIxLZd2k__Bo7hgGJhnMW1DhQrrA02E14-znqh/s320/IMG_2548.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first Himalayan blackberries (<i>Rubus armeniacus) </i>are already ripe!!! </td></tr>
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Some of this summer's reading so far has brought me to a more serious, well-considered post like Vox's "<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process">The 7 biggest problems facing science, according to 270 scientists</a>," which delivers findings from a survey undertaken with graduate students, researchers, and scientists across the globe. The seven major problems with science that the survey identifies are:<br /><br />1. Issues to do with funding<br />2. Poorly designed studies being the norm<br />
3. Not enough studies are being replicated, because scientists aren't incentivized to do so<br />
4. Peer review doesn't work they way it's supposed to<br />
5. Scientific knowledge is stuck behind paywalls and is generally inaccessible<br />
6. Academic science isn't well communicated<br />
7. Early career scientists have a rough go of it<br />
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It's an article with substantive depth and broad in its coverage, which I also find quite relevant for the current conversation in Canada where the federal government is currently reviewing funding for science. <a href="https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en">Evidence for Democracy</a> has been inviting comments, and I was composing my thoughts to contribute earlier this morning, when I came across the article. (By the way, they're still accepting comments, so follow the link above to get to their main page for the link.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPw-Wyx8Aw4ZHUVgviolyItrg7xxTnrhYCx01fc0bItS8Iv0gN-j71ih78nigHVKUIB_y9KYwNTaKC6891s7JqLWoN6r6a1mQ_EpV-DfjefAowL2iFZINeSRI_EUynNnSt0UfNsWg5wAg/s1600/IMG_2538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPw-Wyx8Aw4ZHUVgviolyItrg7xxTnrhYCx01fc0bItS8Iv0gN-j71ih78nigHVKUIB_y9KYwNTaKC6891s7JqLWoN6r6a1mQ_EpV-DfjefAowL2iFZINeSRI_EUynNnSt0UfNsWg5wAg/s320/IMG_2538.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very cute Starwars themed balloons for a birthday party in the neighbourhood.</td></tr>
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Following up on some of the links in the Vox article, I came across these two really fun Twitter tags that I thought some readers might enjoy, and want to participate in:<br /><br />The first is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sixwordpeerreview&src=typd">#sixwordpeerreview</a> which, as the tag describes, has scientists making comments about being reviewers or receiving reviews in six words. Some of my favs:<br /><br />"I would have written it differently." (Adam Swallow: @perspectives45)<br />"Didn't cite me. Revise and resubmit." (Noah J. Toly: @noahtoly)<br />"No paragraph explaining paper structure. Reject." (Isabelle Augenstein: @IAugenstein)<br /><br />
And that also led me to find a few other fun Twitter hashtags like <a href="https://storify.com/leafwarbler/is-this-a-science-of-kissing-book-princessbridesci">#PrincessBrideScience</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeerReviewHaiku?src=hash">#PeerReviewHaiku</a>, though it looks like that one hasn't been used in quite some time. But, super fun to read through. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvVssjvfEEDtnuufL58zEGsAoE18AAc9zRnMIH0CWtwkJVE8HPba3eUgleTVR1LIWO9tj6t46LSgaruPVf4bEA1rLkamFGqGYnM1JoRpwqw68hiwp9k774pmBbrTtPDItgug4pBoN8_s9/s1600/IMG_2545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvVssjvfEEDtnuufL58zEGsAoE18AAc9zRnMIH0CWtwkJVE8HPba3eUgleTVR1LIWO9tj6t46LSgaruPVf4bEA1rLkamFGqGYnM1JoRpwqw68hiwp9k774pmBbrTtPDItgug4pBoN8_s9/s320/IMG_2545.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most amazing balloon unicorn during the Victoria Pride Parade (July 10th), giving out hugs!</td></tr>
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I also learned about <a href="https://elifesciences.org/about">eLife, a relatively new open-access journal</a> that takes a collaborating peer-review editing process, whereby editors and reviewers work together to generate feedback from a full-review of an article, so authors know exactly what they are responding to. Their process of a quick turn-around assessment from a cover letter and pdf of the article BEFORE it goes to full review is a good idea, and I like the collaborative aspects of their reviewing. This seems quite different from the usual peer-review process that can have reviewers making contradictory comments for an author to respond to, is generally more time consuming, and can hold up the print for an article. (Acknowledgement of heresay: I have yet to publish an academic journal article, but this is what I've heard can stump authors.) Their short introductory video about their process was pretty great, and now I'm wondering if there is any social science journal doing the equivalent. Anything out there? Let me know in the comments below!<br /><br />Alongside this fun reading, I've also immensely been enjoying a second read through of Italian writer <a href="http://elenaferrante.com/">Elena Ferrante's</a> contemporary feminist book series, the Neopolitan Novels, which have amazed me as much the second time going through them as when I read them the first time. They are timely, relevant, detailing the ups and downs of a turbulent friendship between two girls from Naples, Lila and Lenu, the former marrying young, having a baby young, and diving head on into the working class relationships of their neighbourhood, and the latter pursuing education as a path to leading her out of that small neighbourhood, with its gossip and petty politics. After finishing her bachelor's degree, Lenu becomes a writer.<br /><br />This short detailing of superficial plot doesn't tell you anything about the depth, clarity of insight, and experiences of these two women, and of Lenu's telling of the story, which is masterfully done. I highly recommend these novels, with their violence, the force of their honesty, and the two different stories of women growing older in Italy.<br /><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAoZQDIrAgJeuUZ9X0FA1ct2VtGryOH5Zgmy8kdAOFaWB17p3UtyhsxbM_ljhJySHV-hkDXIs4I0FxoIpdEvrnxVchq8GddiZyh_sRBh2NXn4ktmUsLkz1x6S5x8McZOl0leblhflhadX/s1600/IMG_2468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAoZQDIrAgJeuUZ9X0FA1ct2VtGryOH5Zgmy8kdAOFaWB17p3UtyhsxbM_ljhJySHV-hkDXIs4I0FxoIpdEvrnxVchq8GddiZyh_sRBh2NXn4ktmUsLkz1x6S5x8McZOl0leblhflhadX/s320/IMG_2468.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Some kind of rose down in the James Bay area. Gorgeous!</td></tr>
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Do you have any recommendations for fellow students? Books you think have been wonderful, remarkable, eye-opening? You're welcome to leave a comment below. :)<br /><br />Happy summer reading!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-23790489844696141502016-06-20T12:33:00.001-07:002016-06-21T14:36:21.734-07:00Post 86: Grad Student Resources: Tech Help on CampusI'm writing this post with my colleague Sally in mind. Sally is a mature graduate student, having returned to university to complete a PhD to study other folks' motivations for similar volunteer work that she has done for years and years. There's a lot to admire about Sally: her kindness, her empathy, her hard work, her humour, and her willingness to problem solve and seek out resources when she doesn't know how to do something herself. She has a skill I'm not particularly good at: asking for help! For a bit more context, Sally is in a position where technology has quickly moved past the skills she learned and applied during her professional life, and she's had to do some scrambling to pick up some of those skills for her PhD work.<br />
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At the same time, I'm writing this post because I think it's generally quite useful to know your resources as a graduate student, because you never know what'll come up when you're working with software and hardware during your degree! So this post will talk about some of the tech resources we have on campus here at the University of Victoria, whether you want some extra help in making tables in Word, or learning how to make diagrams and visual models from your data.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7SSP30qlxBYg1yCmLTijlEFzrNjbGS_orVQ8kimj_f-AT-3hPdL-jk7U6CVd0cpm8rtVMCdEnq8mylxLk_giJZpgI9NPmixG0jNm8UVvZRspLi1WNrg1K3pwFiO2nc4Z8K0Pf-ivAAHC/s1600/IMG_2233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7SSP30qlxBYg1yCmLTijlEFzrNjbGS_orVQ8kimj_f-AT-3hPdL-jk7U6CVd0cpm8rtVMCdEnq8mylxLk_giJZpgI9NPmixG0jNm8UVvZRspLi1WNrg1K3pwFiO2nc4Z8K0Pf-ivAAHC/s320/IMG_2233.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several different roses at the BC Parliament Buildings. Gorgeous!</td></tr>
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Resource 1: Your Colleagues and Peers<br />
Intergenerational graduate student relationships are SO important during grad school. They help to <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/search/label/Impostor%20Syndrome">counter the Impostor Syndrome</a>, build collegiality and community, and if you're the one asking for help, you get to let other people look and feel smart and valued! And, by the time that people are in graduate school, you never know what kinds of skills and resources they have brought with them from their previous years of experience! Ask away! Ask people in your own cohort, as well as those further into their degrees: either second year or third year and up master's students, or other PhD students. In my own lab, a previous graduate student of my supervisor's gave us a presentation on how to use NVivo, a qualitative data analysis program that I subsequently used for my thesis work. I also met with her one-on-one for a more in-depth discussion afterwards, which was quite useful. I also had other graduate students make recommendations for me about different programs to use and other tips, so you never know what will all come up when you happen to fall into research conversation. And as you advance in your program, make yourself available for newer graduate students so you can help them out if they need a hand. I just responded to a few questions about transcribing for a colleague, and it was helpful for me to reflect on my own progress and the programs that I've learned to use during my degree.<br />
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I was also recently stumped about how to make a specific diagram for my thesis, when <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/environmental/graduate/profiles/index.php">my awesome colleague</a> Tanya recommended <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/?utm_expid=11945330-447._VgdAoteTpStHrSIOFnBOg.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F">Lucid Chart</a>, which she has been using for her own thesis. The free version is quite good, and has been more than enough to meet my thesis needs so far. If we hadn't bumped into each other and talked at the office, I certainly wouldn't have been able to solve my problem so expediently!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_401NaBG-tbACn4ccOnARA1sKGaRyxwCOs486PBQctG62C2o0CAdHIlIJJs4MoOaXq9Cum54OfiGdZ-IeBWmK8afw7GkLW7paXe9eZCdkskPr6-2GDBWsyu2KyloigXedHjcJPTshsHNX/s1600/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_401NaBG-tbACn4ccOnARA1sKGaRyxwCOs486PBQctG62C2o0CAdHIlIJJs4MoOaXq9Cum54OfiGdZ-IeBWmK8afw7GkLW7paXe9eZCdkskPr6-2GDBWsyu2KyloigXedHjcJPTshsHNX/s320/IMG_2386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the texture and aesthetic of these little stonecrops (<i>Sedum</i> sp.)! </td></tr>
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Resource 2: Your Supervisor<br />
If your supervisor wants you to use a specific program or software for your graduate work, they probably have used it themselves, or know why they want you to use <a href="http://atlasti.com/">AtlasTi</a> instead of <a href="http://www.qsrinternational.com/product">NVivo</a> (different software for the same purpose: qualitative research analysis). Your supervisor will be a treasure trove of information on specific programs or software, and will also know about other resources if they aren't entirely certain themselves. Sometimes the reasons for choosing on program over another are as arbitrary as exposure—NVivo has been around longer than AtlasTi—but in any case, your supervisor should not be an underestimated resource. A few weeks ago, my supervisor and I could be found in our office meeting room problem-solving how to import the UVic thesis template into Scrivener, the composition program I've been using to write my thesis in.<br />
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For high-learning curve programs like ArcGIS or Adobe Photoshop or R (statistical data analysis program), you will likely be taking specific classes to learn to use these, and some of them may even have been requirements for entry into your grad school program, depending on your department. Frequently, however, graduate school is an opportunity to dive deeply into something, and learning new programs or statistical methods are certainly within the scope of what you can do in grad school. It depends partly on what you want to learn, how you see the opportunities available to you in grad school, and what you need to negotiate/discuss with your supervisor.<br />
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But that brings me to another thought: you can ask other professors in your department or across campus for their two cents of advice when you need it. Your supervisor can make introductions, or you can take initiative and reach out on your own. If they're not able to help you with the specific question you have, then they can likely make recommendations for where you need to go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbFSENiaAzEk4Ktl_rKPUxW8TLa8XYkFbWHmK6iQqxN3GqwnnwAk2ZQwSE07gKOcX2VUz23KL5s4wMiDwp0fweltBepNmmcd3MG3kWSF6QMFYjyCTFm6jlGzJKL4ksom3_5tKgbttGNNF/s1600/IMG_2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbFSENiaAzEk4Ktl_rKPUxW8TLa8XYkFbWHmK6iQqxN3GqwnnwAk2ZQwSE07gKOcX2VUz23KL5s4wMiDwp0fweltBepNmmcd3MG3kWSF6QMFYjyCTFm6jlGzJKL4ksom3_5tKgbttGNNF/s320/IMG_2360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foxglove (<i>Digitalis purpurea</i>) from a wander on Galiano Island!</td></tr>
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Resource 3: The Computer Help Desk<br />
The <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/systems/services/helpsupport/computerhelpdesk/">Computer Help Desk </a>has saved my butt and my work both during undergrad, and during my graduate degree. They are there to help problem-solve computer related issues, including equipment repair and network problems. Go check them out if you're getting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Screen_of_Death">Windows' blue screen of death</a>, or the Mac <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5565827?tstart=0">equivalent of the blinking folder with a question mark</a>. But also, <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2016/03/post-78-research-data-management-plans.html">please be wise, and make back-ups and follow other general data-management to-dos</a> so you don't have them telling you that your hard-drive is corrupted, and all your work is gone.<br />
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Resource 4: Computer Labs at UVic<br />
There <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/systems/facilities/">are several Computer Labs</a>, some with specific focus, on campus. Each of these has friendly and capable staff that can provide help for your Windows or Mac questions. I haven't used these much myself, but the help is there. They are there for graduate student use, as well as for undergrads, so if you're teaching and need to make recommendations for your students, it's good to know about these as well.<br />
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Resource 5: The McPherson Library's Media and Music Equipment to Borrow!<br />
So it turns out that you can borrow a whole bunch of different equipment from the library: everything from laptops and computers, to <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/library/locations/home/media/equipment/index.php">noise-cancelling headphones, to video cameras, to foot pedals for transcription</a>! Bill Blair is the Music and Media librarian, and you can contact him about availability of the equipment, though I suspect if you were really in a pinch, you could ask him about how to use some of the equipment as well. For more involved tech stuff, your supervisor or your colleagues will probably be more helpful in either troubleshooting specific hardware issues, but I have an inkling that Bill would probably be able to make some useful suggestions for where to go as well. If not, there's always The Internet (discussed below).<br />
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The Music and Media Commons area also has <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/library/use/computers/inthelibraries/index.php">some other hardware and software</a> that you can use. Everything from scanners to Google Earth Pro, to the full Microsoft Office suite and Open Office Suites, to Garage Band, and lots and lots of others. It's actually amazing to me how many different programs there are available to use. There are tutorials within the programs (and Help pages, too), though you can likely also ask the librarians in that section of the library for help. I think that you'll have some thinking to do about where to spend money on programs that are needed for your thesis projects. Do you use the resources publicly available though perhaps limited in scope because of sharing the resource, or do you spend some of your own research budget to get your own copy of these programs? Asking these questions should probably happen with your supervisor, as discussed above. However, doing simple things, like using the scanners and turning hard copy versions of journal articles into digital ones, are things that aren't too difficult to learn on your own.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYHfLWux_1vC3GBO4bUfcFaroLZNcejq0nU_iF4SFdIfF1Ggyc1c_ZeGPmTGnUUyaMmYQ2PuKStMhnlofOPl-GP8giV_qHXnD3-oqtTtxZGS_AtU9QL8PUktT5kL1NCdrEuYV-wZ1Jc1M/s1600/IMG_2277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYHfLWux_1vC3GBO4bUfcFaroLZNcejq0nU_iF4SFdIfF1Ggyc1c_ZeGPmTGnUUyaMmYQ2PuKStMhnlofOPl-GP8giV_qHXnD3-oqtTtxZGS_AtU9QL8PUktT5kL1NCdrEuYV-wZ1Jc1M/s320/IMG_2277.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Starflower (<i>Trientalis latifolia</i>) from a wander through <a href="https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-trails/find-park-trail/east-sooke">East Sooke Park</a> recently. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Resource 6: Other Specific Tech Resources<br />
Are you TAing a class? Do you have power-point presentations? Do you want to show videos during your lectures? Do you need to organize a meeting with between your supervisor and committee member, but one of them is out in the field in Ontario, and needs to be video-conferenced in? The <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/systems/services/avmultimedia/">Audiovisual and Multimedia services</a> on campus is our resource for all of these things at UVic!<br />
<br />
My lab group and I have had one, if not two, presentations on Blue Jeans, the video-conferencing software that the University of Victoria has recently endorsed. We had a presentation from one of the fellows from the Audiovisual and Multimedia services, and it was super helpful! Your department may be pro-active and organize one of these presentations for your and your grad student cohort, or you may need to take initiative and get such a presentation organized yourself, but the resource is there.<br />
<br />
Resource 7: The Internet<br />
If it's 1:32AM, and you're at home plugging away and your research project, and you're asking yourself, what kinds of software is out there to help process interview files, you can always ask Google (<a href="http://mashable.com/2016/06/16/polite-nan-google-reply/#EbW_yMwRxiqy">no need to be as polite as this British grandmother, though!</a>). This is how I came across <a href="http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/">Express Scribe, a free transcription software</a> that was easy to use, and super helpful for transcribing my interviews.<br />
<br />
Maybe you have a more specific computer issue that you're dealing with? Google and the dispersed intelligence of the Internet can probably help you, too. So, don't be afraid to look around for help in unexpected places. Afterall, we're researchers. We can ask questions, and get resourceful about finding the answers to those questions.<br />
<br />
There are likely other resources (both on-campus and off) that I have missed. If you know of any, let me know, and I'll update the post!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-63776158984382586692016-06-16T10:58:00.000-07:002016-06-16T10:59:34.248-07:00Post 85: Academic Surprises -- Visiting Scholars!!About two weeks ago, my supervisor announced that we'd have a guest for basically the entire month of June. <a href="https://www.grad.ubc.ca/alumni/profile/ella-furness">Ella Furness</a> is a <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/research-students/view/102653-furness-ella">visiting PhD candidate from the UK</a> (Cardiff University), who is conducting qualitative (interview-based) research with folks doing ecological restoration here in Victoria. She really enjoyed Eric's book "<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/nature-design">Nature by Design</a>," which was part of the motivation to come here to visit, as well as undertaking (some of) her fieldwork.<br />
<br />
When speaking with her last week, I realized that I could have someone to chat with about qualitative research methods, which I'm really interested in, and I asked her to lunch today with that premise. Turns out that we had multiple connection points, and we ended up talking for about half an hour. One point of connection was that I realized I'd recently read one of the papers she published from or shortly after her master's work at UBC, about whether human values and community participation are key to climate change adaptation, published in the journal <i>Climatic Change.</i> That was such a lovely surprise!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTtmoROAlxNkEet8KZJKbE0ebJwcdZMeEposHxg6PKMfFPBF_3wQ5-glcQZwA-2haUC4xrkcPAQ3rY4Frc8D-D107adEDAi1YLkDhuW43ahHIozsL53KAOzncDI4TV1Ary7ewuUSzulT-/s1600/IMG_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTtmoROAlxNkEet8KZJKbE0ebJwcdZMeEposHxg6PKMfFPBF_3wQ5-glcQZwA-2haUC4xrkcPAQ3rY4Frc8D-D107adEDAi1YLkDhuW43ahHIozsL53KAOzncDI4TV1Ary7ewuUSzulT-/s320/IMG_2400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several Pacific sideband snail (<i>Monadenia fidelis</i>) I spotted while out with a wander on Galiano!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also shared a moment discussing the struggles of impostor syndrome (which I've <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/search/label/Impostor%20Syndrome">previously written about here</a>) and ways to cope with it, and that was also unexpected, kind, and heartwarming. The impostor syndrome is so common in graduate school! I'm amazed that we don't talk about it more frequently, sometimes.<br />
<br />
So this post is a quick plug to encourage taking the plunge to connect with those you bump into in your grad school endeavours. Some of these connections will yield meaningful relationships, whether they last for a lunchtime discussion, or branch out into lasting friendships.<br />
<br />
I'm also reminded of the excitement of previous visiting lecturers, visiting scholars, and visiting PhD students that I've come into connection with. These visits don't happen that often, but when they do, it can be super nice for your supervisor to introduce you to them, or for you to introduce yourself. Likewise, speaking with the PhDs in your department, or other graduate researchers—your colleagues and peers—is, I think, immensely important for finding shared support and encouragement for the work that each of you is undertaking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLnniGEeArNV4qaZMfTZex8sOk14kOtkyjgeJ6-iiRTlq8zTfelD8lM9M1zP4k99UYeO5EbQFiGf1vRNR68ijKrigk2k4tYTpEs9OLMmw9dFzgHWD7n-1ILGmA8J4qqyOeQDwPhdV28kJ/s1600/IMG_2399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLnniGEeArNV4qaZMfTZex8sOk14kOtkyjgeJ6-iiRTlq8zTfelD8lM9M1zP4k99UYeO5EbQFiGf1vRNR68ijKrigk2k4tYTpEs9OLMmw9dFzgHWD7n-1ILGmA8J4qqyOeQDwPhdV28kJ/s320/IMG_2399.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright green maple leaf (<i>Acer macrophyllum)</i> also on the trail. Wonder why it fell...</td></tr>
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I'm excited for Ella's presentation about her research. I'm sure we'll have some good discussion over lunch later today, but it's also great to give someone a meaningful platform to share their work.<br />
<br />
I'm so glad that I said hi this morning! You never know how you can connect with someone until you start a conversation.<br />
<br />
And now, back to thesis writing and editing. :)<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-74824106255855326072016-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:002016-06-20T11:08:44.440-07:00Post 84: FOMO, Grad School, and YouEverywhere we go, there are opportunities to do things, get involved in projects, meet new people, attend workshops. And at some point, if you want to finish your thesis, you're going to need to start saying no to some of these things.<br />
<br />
Time is a valuable thing. We only have so much of it to spend. <a href="http://abc13.com/1382459/">I'm reminded of this watching the news and updates come in from Orlando</a>, where a senseless massacre of innocent, wonderful people who I did not know happened, this weekend. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/christina-grimmie-dead-fan-claims-singer-greeted-her-killer-with-open-arms-for-hug-a7077691.html">A talented young singer lost her life</a>, and nearly 50 people lost their lives to a man with a history of violence. <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/06/12/3787581/obama-haunting-confrontation-pro-gun-activist-just-days-orlando-massacre/">It is my great hope that the US gets its act together and institutes significant gun reform laws</a> so that we don't have to worry about safety and losing others that are loved, to insanity like the events of this weekend.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pV_pDkrMDY7GY2rvvBiKeZzxWh8YMBC_dw4XCDH66EXtq_GbIx6mpkVZHpxP5mfBKEFy-ZFAWfGC1qQpwfkHc2LJU8McV9JBqD_CeUgK7BVx27LxdBcbJeNjJsF1bEWoxcAuWaaMGpaT/s1600/IMG_2384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pV_pDkrMDY7GY2rvvBiKeZzxWh8YMBC_dw4XCDH66EXtq_GbIx6mpkVZHpxP5mfBKEFy-ZFAWfGC1qQpwfkHc2LJU8McV9JBqD_CeUgK7BVx27LxdBcbJeNjJsF1bEWoxcAuWaaMGpaT/s320/IMG_2384.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red or common poppies (<i>Papaver rhoeas)</i> from my friend Jenna's garden on Galiano Island. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/pulse/united-states-after-911-6-things-have-changed-2001-2093156">After 9/11, everything from box cutters, scissors, and liquids over 100mLs were banned from air travel.</a> When will Americans realize that people with guns kill people, and that they need to be regulated, and that they shouldn't be as easy to access as buying penny candies from a convenience store?! (Okay, it's not <i>that</i> easy,<a href="http://jezebel.com/it-took-a-reporter-7-minutes-to-buy-an-ar-15-1781949370"> but this reporter was able to buy an AR-15 in under 7 minutes,</a> which to me, is pretty horrifying.)<br />
So while in Canada, the likelihood of being massacred in a nightclub or at a concert isn't as high as it is in the United States, <a href="http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/hpcdp-pspmc/33-2/ar-06-eng.php">and the chance of unintentional death caused by things such as poisoning, motor-vehicle crashes, cycling, recreational boating, drowning, falls, or burns accounted for about 4.2% of the Canadian population in 2011.</a> Accidents happen, and I have things I want to get done before my life comes to an end!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LRn3-iD7TGPrUaRNOCjngwWM3CZCWRY9TOlnURn9ke8JCHuQ7-o_qLmkRDmOkwb4iPOz5jz0h1oGoZFrMEntxpNAkIvlMWY4l1hgj3GzdJUjCWC6cOl9odWe-of5dVHDvDe2Qz3101ER/s1600/IMG_2343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LRn3-iD7TGPrUaRNOCjngwWM3CZCWRY9TOlnURn9ke8JCHuQ7-o_qLmkRDmOkwb4iPOz5jz0h1oGoZFrMEntxpNAkIvlMWY4l1hgj3GzdJUjCWC6cOl9odWe-of5dVHDvDe2Qz3101ER/s320/IMG_2343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neighbourhood California poppies (<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Eschscholzia californica)</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> with a visiting bee!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of those things is finishing my thesis so that I can get a stable, fulfilling job working on projects bigger than myself, that attach to communities bigger in scale than simply the circles I walk in. I have a big heart, and I have a lot of energy I want (and try) to spend on the progressive causes that I care about.<br />
<br />
So here's to knuckling down, kicking FOMO in the ass, and wrapping up this thesis!<br />
<br />
FOMO stands for the fear of missing out, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out#cite_note-PMDG2013-2">Wikipedia has a great article all about it, here.</a> So whether you deal with it a lot, or only sometimes, know that if you want to finish your thesis, it'll take a bit of work to understand your own behaviours, the way you make decisions, the kinds of actions you take, and how you prioritize tasks in your life.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8G9P4BMYzbEDJevg0pdPp-xUjxk196T7BzdLoIBS90KOv0nvlx0SD7HYaiep1O22hUAnix0eY7xt6FJ5T_FOTR77chVKq00DqJNwaVikc1kz0HgBbtfy2S2ustKBRv4JaPGNNSrDcZu_G/s1600/IMG_2388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8G9P4BMYzbEDJevg0pdPp-xUjxk196T7BzdLoIBS90KOv0nvlx0SD7HYaiep1O22hUAnix0eY7xt6FJ5T_FOTR77chVKq00DqJNwaVikc1kz0HgBbtfy2S2ustKBRv4JaPGNNSrDcZu_G/s320/IMG_2388.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Gorgeous "ruby heart hens and chicks" (<i>Sempervivum) </i>succulent from Jenna's garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As an introvert, I love meeting up with friends for coffee or over shared meals, and doing this on a one-to-one basis. I don't like big groups, I rarely attend big group parties and massive social gatherings, and value being able to stretch my legs over a catch up, or over a board game. I have also lived in Victoria for almost 10 years now. So when I live quite a ways from campus, so it can be difficult to say no when a colleague or friend wants to meet up for a coffee or get together that requires extra travel and time. I've seen a few days zip by that are 'running errands' and a coffee date, going to the library for one more book, and then I don't get any writing done! Watch out for those days. Don't let those be a habit. But <i>do</i> also make sure to balance your work time with your social time. So don't line up a coffee date or two every day, but do line one up here, and another on the weekend. Go for coffee during breaks, and take your watch so you know your timeframe and don't break it.<br />
<br />
Prioritize your writing and work every day. Schedule your writing time and guard it. You can do it, and just like me, you're going to finish your thesis. I'm into the last chapters of my thesis, now. The end is in sight.<br />
<br />
Happy writing/editing/revising!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-71711976781519722582016-05-23T13:47:00.001-07:002016-05-23T13:47:36.428-07:00Post 83: Book Review: Scheduled Writing, Habitual Writing, or "How to Write a Lot"This post is written with, once again, big hugs and thanks to my colleague Dr. Garrett Richards, now a post-doc at the University of Saskatchewan, who recently recommended the book the title of this post refers to.<br />
<br />
"How to Write A Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing" by Paul J. Silva is a practical, no-nonsense book geared at helping academics (and graduate students) learn how to write more productively. While the book specifically targets psychology graduate students and academics, its principles are general enough to appeal to those across other disciplines, too. <br />
<br />
From my reading of the first—excellent—three chapters, the basic messages of the chapters are this:<br />
<br />
1. Writing is a skill that can be learned, especially if one is willing to put in the time to learn how to write well.<br />
2. "<span class="s1">Academic writing shou</span><span class="s2">l</span>d <span class="s1">be </span>more routine, boring, <span class="s1">and </span>mundane <span class="s3">than </span>it <span class="s4">is."</span><br />
<span class="s4">3. Scheduled, regular writing is more important than the number of hours in a day or days per week. (This is the establishing the mundane part of writing.) </span><br />
4. Any of the common excuses you make for not writing are not good ones, so don't make them. Some of the common and pervasive excuses that the book blasts in Chapter 2 are:<br />
<span class="s4"><br /></span>
<span class="s4"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdej4Bee9gmN0ZdbHGCMCYWJRrmcwuoOWjvrTwHq12w50dvm5etR9R4LtW9PPnApt4fBRe2I9l0y-5U9bW5Yy188ZGqquMrRbNNYcLdZ4_ICp2JRx-vHJQnsAhPH1xGmNBqoQtEwG5Jru/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdej4Bee9gmN0ZdbHGCMCYWJRrmcwuoOWjvrTwHq12w50dvm5etR9R4LtW9PPnApt4fBRe2I9l0y-5U9bW5Yy188ZGqquMrRbNNYcLdZ4_ICp2JRx-vHJQnsAhPH1xGmNBqoQtEwG5Jru/s320/IMG_2215.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wisteria on campus at one of the Chapel entrances. Very lovely!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="s4">A. You don't 'have the time' to write; you do: you allocate time to write every week/day, and are rigid about that time. This way, writing is regular and expected. </span><br />
<span class="s4"><br /></span>
B. Need to read more, analyze more data, run more tests... This is fine, as long as you actually do these things during your scheduled writing so you can get closer to putting words down on paper for yourself. Whether it's reading another article, running another statistical test, or reading through a journal's submission guidelines. As long as you're not using those things as excuses to avoid sitting down and working on or getting closer to what you need to be productive with your writing.<br />
<br />
C. (This one is most obviously excuse-like:) Need a better desk, chair, computer, etc., in order to write. Need the 'right' notebook, or something like that. **Note: I haven't encountered this excuse myself, and while I can't say as much about the other ones, I haven't found myself talking about this, either. But in short, you don't need the latest and greatest technology in order to write.<br />As a side note: If you have an existing repetitive-strain or motion injury (I've dealt with one of these myself before), then <i>do </i>do your homework and figure out what ergonomics you need to change in order to be able to write comfortably, and without injury. <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/search/label/ergonomics">I've written about my discussion with the on-campus ergonomics person here. </a><br />
<br />
D. You want to wait until you feel like writing. This one has to do with feeling inspired to write, and the idea that the best writing comes from those inspired emotions. However, this leads to inconsistent, erratic writing patterns that usually doesn't produce a lot of words, and if you want to finish your thesis, then you need to regularly be putting words to paper and doing something with them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlWzOGVdKwxqGrCqUYEJKH0ZgOm0FsYfB0kd-WT10fn2luGw3cIsEPhm2ZrGoARbN5zdddY33G96oagf8L-VpHzicRoNf-nnQ-8haZBooLuwKA7Tz0CHxbH0GCvK2QU9sAxTKX4e7v21X/s1600/IMG_2319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlWzOGVdKwxqGrCqUYEJKH0ZgOm0FsYfB0kd-WT10fn2luGw3cIsEPhm2ZrGoARbN5zdddY33G96oagf8L-VpHzicRoNf-nnQ-8haZBooLuwKA7Tz0CHxbH0GCvK2QU9sAxTKX4e7v21X/s320/IMG_2319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely white harebells (<i>Campanula rotundifolia)</i> with tiny dragonflies in them!! Walking James Bay this May. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Chapter three starts in on some motivational tools to get writing. And I've found some of them helpful myself.<br />
<br />
The first is setting small, manageable project goals. You want to be able to measure your progress and keep moving forward in a way that you feel good about. Setting small milestones is a great way to get to passing big ones. You can also have an ongoing list of things that you want to write, which, when you have a regular writing schedule, become an ordered list of things to do. "A binge writer," Sylvia writes, "would feel anxious when confronted with this long list of writing projects, but you have a schedule." And you will get all your writing done in your scheduled writing time. :) (There's a lot more in the book about goal setting... and I'm really squishing this material down. Forgive me.)<br />
<br />
Prioritizing your writing projects. Silvia suggests this order of things after his discussions with successful graduate students:<br />
1. Projects with deadlines (eg. papers for classes, grant proposals, etc.)<br />
2. Curricular writing (eg. a thesis!)<br />
3. Professional publications (eg. an academic article or a white paper)<br />
4. Other, miscellaneous writing (such as this blog!)<br />
<br />
Then Silva spends a bit of time discussing monitoring your progress, or collecting data about yourself and your writing habits, behavioural patterns, and outputs. You set yourself a writing schedule for 8AM-10AM every morning of the Mon-Fri work week, but you are not a morning person, and you get discouraged because you sleep through your start times. Okay, so maybe mornings aren't your best time to write. But you can keep track of different times you set to write for yourself, and track that data! Then you can start to see when you meet your writing goals (keep them small and manageable), and then you keep up your momentum and motivation.<br />
<br />
This chapter finishes with a quick note about writer's block. Basically, Silvia argues that academic writers can't get writer's block. "What are you trying to write?" he asks. "You're <span class="s1">not </span><span class="s2">crafting a deep </span>narrative <span class="s3">or </span>composing metaphors <span class="s1">that </span><span class="s2">expose </span>mysteries <span class="s4">of </span>the <span class="s4">human </span>heart. <span class="s5">The </span>subtlety <span class="s3">of </span><span class="s2">your analysis </span><span class="s3">of </span><span class="s2">variance </span>will <span class="s1">not </span><span class="s2">move </span>readers <span class="s4">to </span>tears, <span class="s2">a</span><span class="s6">l</span><span class="s2">though </span>the tediousness <span class="s4">of it </span>might (p. 45)."<br />
<br />
He goes on to say: "Saying that you're not writing because of writer's block is merely saying that you can't write because you aren't writing." I think this is true enough. When I think of things that prevent me from writing (impostor syndrome, fear of failing, perfectionism...), these are things I allow to get in my way, but not because I don't know what to say. It's because I'm afraid that what I'll write won't be good enough. Though if I think about that, that's what revision is for!! :)<br />
<div class="p1">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWN7Q6CT45Jpr_Yl0OxkqkRKRsklI_TvKVlkic8O0k4tH0JsMrZWKSpfQJaNI_OtwVQwL7nXbLhessuSKiE6vvB-gnBzsCm0zc0TxekE7opcgVFN0gb1mdgWMzeoJOBrDMyltIjxXuLIj/s1600/IMG_2168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWN7Q6CT45Jpr_Yl0OxkqkRKRsklI_TvKVlkic8O0k4tH0JsMrZWKSpfQJaNI_OtwVQwL7nXbLhessuSKiE6vvB-gnBzsCm0zc0TxekE7opcgVFN0gb1mdgWMzeoJOBrDMyltIjxXuLIj/s320/IMG_2168.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Stewie: the tiny and oh-so-cute deep sea octopus print from the <a href="http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/wpy2014/">Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 Exhibit at the Royal BC Museum</a> that I received as a lovely late-birthday present. <3</td></tr>
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As a graduate student, human being, and world citizen, you<i> do</i> have lots of things to write and say and share, whether it's for yourself or for others. It's a lot less stressful sitting down to write out a draft of something, revise it, and figure out how best to express it than to get caught up in worrying about how you might say the things you want or need to, but not giving yourself the change or set up to be successful in doing so. (I write this as a reminder to myself, as well.) :)<br />
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The book has five more chapters, continuing on with how to form your own specific writing group, a discussion of style, one chapter each on how to write journal articles or books, and finishes with a short chapter on "The Good Things Still to Be Written", or reinforcing how scheduled writing will be rewarding, that you will spend more time writing, as opposed to wanting to write, that you will enjoy life more because you aren't stressing out about how much not writing stresses you, and that you can write as much or as little as you want. Cheers to that!<br />
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And, as the book mentions: <span class="s1">"Let </span>everyone <span class="s1">else </span>procrastinate, <span class="s1">daydream, </span>and <span class="s2">complain-spend </span>your <span class="s1">time </span>sitting down <span class="s3">and </span>moving <span class="s3">your </span>mittens." Wishing you much happy, scheduled, regular, and mundane writing ahead!<br />
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Citation:<br />Sylvia, P. J. (2007). <i>How to write a lot: A practical guide to academic writing. </i>Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-74129089663243267862016-05-17T14:33:00.001-07:002016-05-19T11:09:26.974-07:00Post 82: Thesis Images and Due Diligence re: CopyrightsThis post is dedicated to one of those other niggly detail things that you need to keep track of as you get close to finishing your thesis: images and diagrams that you have borrowed or altered from other texts or sources, that appear (cited) in your thesis, how you do that, and how to find out if you need special permissions when using someone else's work.<br />
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Currently, the best resource to go talk to about this is <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/library/research/librarians/ikehoe/index.php">Ms. Inba Kehoe, the Copyright Officer at UVic.</a> During my discussion with her, it became clear that in order to follow through on due diligence, it's best to handle each image individually, because different sources and different formats may require handling their copyrights differently. Speaking with her in person is a great option to do this. If you're at the end of your degree, and are no longer living in Victoria or cannot make it to campus, it is possible for you to send your images or part of the article with your images ahead to her, so she can look into a few things, and the discussion can happen over email or otherwise online.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BxpvBZrHZl43_nGy3h3wTABnlnbaZ04kQ2r6yBAChbnVPJsUHMZyLqxBg9QQlKEMkZC6ZWFNlDoa-pke-FRa-q8B5CZr_4UZuvixBYH0b8IOjo2Y1wvVvCVOAVxnUpBi1bBUIO0Re84t/s1600/IMG_0811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BxpvBZrHZl43_nGy3h3wTABnlnbaZ04kQ2r6yBAChbnVPJsUHMZyLqxBg9QQlKEMkZC6ZWFNlDoa-pke-FRa-q8B5CZr_4UZuvixBYH0b8IOjo2Y1wvVvCVOAVxnUpBi1bBUIO0Re84t/s320/IMG_0811.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful BC Mountains -- flying back to my home province a little while ago.</td></tr>
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Unlike citations for other written works, including the grey literature, books, or easiest of all, journal articles, I felt a little bit more concerned about reproducing an image from someone else's work. Is it as straightforward as listing the author and publication year [eg. (Lettrari, 2016)], as with written works? Do I need to obtain special permission? How do I go about that? Do I need to do it for a single image? For every image? Where is the cut-off line? Is there one?<br />
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I'm happy to say that Ms. Kehoe was very helpful in answering all of my questions, and I now know a lot more about having to look for the "Terms and Conditions" or otherwise Copyright information use for reproduction. For websites or online information, it's usually located at the top of bottom of the page; generally, I was told, federal government information is quite good about informing users of what they need to do to use their information.<br />
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Best of all, after this discussion, I no longer need to stress about figuring out how to cite the images for my thesis: in my case, I was interested in three images, and here's what I learned...<br />
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1. From a historical government technical report (dating to 1974), in which the authors had made their own graphics, depicting a basic schematic of the life cycle of the mountain pine beetle, and its relationship with the local weather conditions. Since the authors created the image themselves, and for that specific report, and because I am using less than 10% of the publication, I can simply cite the report directly. The 10% figure comes from the<a href="http://www.uvic.ca/copyright/policies/copying_guidelines/index.php"> "Fair Dealing Copyright Guidelines"</a> at UVic. I also found a useful schematic to look at here, too (<a href="http://www.uvic.ca/copyright/assets/docs/Copyrightflowchart.pdf">Copyright Flowchart for Online Course Materials</a>), which, although designed for a specific context, I also found relevant for thinking about my thesis materials. I do still recommend checking in with Ms. Kehoe if you have further questions or concerns.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtLuPtqHkYjTd1wnm0tGGmWzEoYgniZ4-k-Gr7-4itXkIAkNj8I-04Mx15hune8T9bc6ttQ3RZedSct-BZDJGADneGGPskqmeAE_DswzkSdqyLFVfKqvLy9FaDWHqlMDUpMTkvaCVi15l/s1600/IMG_2165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtLuPtqHkYjTd1wnm0tGGmWzEoYgniZ4-k-Gr7-4itXkIAkNj8I-04Mx15hune8T9bc6ttQ3RZedSct-BZDJGADneGGPskqmeAE_DswzkSdqyLFVfKqvLy9FaDWHqlMDUpMTkvaCVi15l/s320/IMG_2165.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely red chestnut blossoms (<i>Castanea </i>sp.) lining Craigflower road this time of year!</td></tr>
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2. The second image I want to use is a map of the spread of the mountain pine beetle during the first dozen years of the most recent outbreak. Produced by the Canadian Forest Service (Natural Resources Canada), it shows its rapid range expansion from British Columbia further north and east into the boreal forest -- and is, in other words, a key image for my work. Because I retrieved it from an online publication, we tracked down the site's Terms and Conditions, wherein it explained exactly how to work with the data on the website.<br />
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There were three conditions they gave if the work was used for public, non-commercial (which my thesis work falls under); the first two were very straightforward (1. If I don't alter the image, then I don't need to do anything else; 2. I need to give proper attribution), and the third was including a disclaimer with the citation for the image that it is published by the government of Canada, and that it has not been reproduced in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Government of Canada. That is not onerous at all.<br />
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3. The third image I want to include in my thesis was one generated by my library's Summon—the portal that does all the searching through the databases and journals, etc., when I am looking for something, which in this case, was the rising incidence of journal articles published with "novel ecosystem*" in its keywords. I was trying to acknowledge in my literature review chapter that the concept was really being taken up since the publication of several key articles between 2006 and 2009 and onwards. Indeed, this year, the <a href="http://esa.org/ftlauderdale/">Ecological Society of America (ESA)'s annual conference theme</a> is novel ecosystems.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOh0dPhFmuf2b4TLlMUjuAF1GW9OLuz4ce0ssglV7LudhJe1NyYEUh6zeg3Vm0ElBYNiQGvDY7WSwk034bAmGBUbeXCG-JSHBodef2dTEYSWWZ1VY-pmkwk78EOJMqJ1p5eNfl-hjBBE4/s1600/IMG_2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOh0dPhFmuf2b4TLlMUjuAF1GW9OLuz4ce0ssglV7LudhJe1NyYEUh6zeg3Vm0ElBYNiQGvDY7WSwk034bAmGBUbeXCG-JSHBodef2dTEYSWWZ1VY-pmkwk78EOJMqJ1p5eNfl-hjBBE4/s320/IMG_2221.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect end to a summer day: fresh strawberry rhubarb crisp in the evening! :)</td></tr>
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I am very pleased to have made the appointment with Ms. Kehoe. It was a very informative and ultimately relieving meeting that made me feel more in charge of my work.<br />
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I also learned that I do NOT need to cite images or figures that I produce myself for my thesis. There is not need to 'self-cite.' This does not apply for work that is already published and exists elsewhere, which will need to be cited as per usual practices. But if this is a new diagram or image produced for your thesis or dissertation, you simply include the descriptive text that helps explain the thing, and off you go! It's standard to assume that it is the work of the author(s) if there is no citation. This also makes me realize why it's very important to cite properly; you could otherwise inadvertently be taking claim for someone else's work!<br />
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Onwards and upwards! The list of things to do to finish my thesis is starting to get smaller! :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-44991243823303343392016-05-14T16:21:00.000-07:002016-05-14T16:21:43.859-07:00Post 81: Whole Health Grad Student: Finances Part 2I've been thinking about a couple of posts that I've wanted to write about thinking of your whole health when you're a grad student. Some of these thoughts have to do with health issues or stressors I've encountered along the way—a consistent reminder that my body isn't just two legs and a torso that walk my brain around on campus—and realizing that my norms of behaviours can dramatically influence my well being.<br />
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The first of these types of posts follows up on the financial post I wrote in the fall of 2014: "Post 32: Making Finances Easier: The Graduate Student Tuition Income Offset Plan," where I discussed that graduate students have the ability to arrange for their tuition to be paid in monthly instalments over a semester, instead of one giant lump sum at the beginning of the month. Depending on students' financial situations, it can be difficult to pay several thousand dollars all at once at the beginning of the semester. As well, funding is typically disbursed in monthly instalments, so it can be very useful to align your tuition payments with your monthly income patterns.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLIHSg3bR6S_39gaZt2nzOV0w_hyvJa_aOBGiEwYu3Wj06IlubBwSfxOz4gk667WzF5hawv6iN_38DH5e23QrqfrBEfD6CJEK99dc_5rPQEJ5X91aO-ZEt7TuXbQb4l-gtBEfIwzTkGXu/s1600/IMG_1776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLIHSg3bR6S_39gaZt2nzOV0w_hyvJa_aOBGiEwYu3Wj06IlubBwSfxOz4gk667WzF5hawv6iN_38DH5e23QrqfrBEfD6CJEK99dc_5rPQEJ5X91aO-ZEt7TuXbQb4l-gtBEfIwzTkGXu/s320/IMG_1776.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Super fun wall paper from a store down on Johnson Street.</td></tr>
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Improving your financial literacy, understanding what your options for tuition payment are, and managing your finances well as a graduate student are all important things. Grad school is stressful enough without having to worry about additional stressors like having enough money to buy casual professional clothes, going out for a drink or two with new colleagues/friends/fellow grad students, or, something more fundamental such as food.<br />
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With that in mind, I'm going to suggest having a gander at my friend Mike Renaud's blog called <a href="http://frugalinvictoria.com/">Frugal in Victoria</a>: it champions financial literacy, managing your finances well, offers suggestions for finding affordable by healthy options when eating out, and otherwise covers a variety of topics from tenants' insurance to credit cards, to investing, psychology, philosophy, transportation, hobbies, and more. It's a great blog, and I've learned a lot by keeping up with it. Take a look through the Posts by Topic to get a good sense of what the blog is about, and pick a couple posts that look interesting to you. The posts offer a good balance of general financial 'cents,' as well as tips specific to Victoria. Great to check out if you're going to school in town here, or at Royal Roads. :)<br />
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Some of the blog's recommendations, such as managing your monthly expenses, knowing where you spend, being aware of the cognitive biases that influence where you shop and what you buy when you do, have been very important for me.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-akGyIOV5oqYW7bMpdcNlreZFp1TreTTV-sjkKTIRJ3EaouhkYN5U-MjVxi4GuepQOIS39bSlrs7aBxtAizT6v16VZ8HPej7UPX8J4mkS6o3xsUgVA6nfnIHcSj4MZG5_ZYuXVfn91XI/s1600/IMG_0903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-akGyIOV5oqYW7bMpdcNlreZFp1TreTTV-sjkKTIRJ3EaouhkYN5U-MjVxi4GuepQOIS39bSlrs7aBxtAizT6v16VZ8HPej7UPX8J4mkS6o3xsUgVA6nfnIHcSj4MZG5_ZYuXVfn91XI/s320/IMG_0903.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dew-decorated neighbourhood clover leaves! :)</td></tr>
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As a graduate student with a limited income, it's also been very important to me to feel in charge of where my money's going, and have a good overview of what my expenses and savings are, so that I can set myself up for a bit of a break when I'm done this degree. Feeling like my finances are in order is one helpful way to avoid another stressor in this whole thesis experience, and I keep a monthly Finances document where I keep data on my purchases, my income, projects/donations, and hobbies that I spent money on. It's a good system, and I know that I pay my credit card off in full every month (and build my credit rating at the same time!), put a small payment towards my still remaining student loan (from undergrad), and save what I can when I'm able to.<br />
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I know that I keep an <a href="http://frugalinvictoria.com/what-do-you-want/">emergency fund</a>, and a minimum of $1000 balance in my main checking and expense account. Buffers are really, really good for your financial health.<br />
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Cheers to being in good financial shape. Writing this post also brings to mind advice from a friend in undergrad: "Don't go to grad school if you have to go into debt to do it." Thanks to generous funding for my program, and work that I've maintained during and on the side of my degree, I haven't had to take on additional loans to complete this degree. I am so so grateful for this, even if working and TAing after my fellowship and grant ran out has extended the time it's taken to finish up. If your grant application doesn't go through, or your savings aren't enough to cover the possible expenses of the degree, or you don't see where you have other income coming in to help fund your way through, it might be a good idea to have another sit down stew with yourself about whether the program you've been offered a spot in is really worth it for you. At least, have a good conversation with yourself about what your financial <i>as well as</i> your educational goals in this experience are.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CL6lwchlJ47nZvB9BpqRuwUYtTC05jGEjJt8YUnOzXbrIKLzJnpWTtoj4yT6BQ-WPnZXmBtEzlfRkmNFDsIbEz4bvVLiQoHOfNYU3CJ40gmJM5mta3cUhqx9-wEoK2zNKpzfyDO589mf/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CL6lwchlJ47nZvB9BpqRuwUYtTC05jGEjJt8YUnOzXbrIKLzJnpWTtoj4yT6BQ-WPnZXmBtEzlfRkmNFDsIbEz4bvVLiQoHOfNYU3CJ40gmJM5mta3cUhqx9-wEoK2zNKpzfyDO589mf/s320/IMG_2210.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First salmonberries (<i>Rubus spectabilis</i>) of the year! Thank you David Turpin courtyard!</td></tr>
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As I've written about previously, it's also not guaranteed that your program will take you as long as advertised. Many things can come up, from program structure, interpersonal conflicts with supervisors, mismatches in project understandings, funding, health issues, or the impostor syndrome. In other words, sometimes life doesn't pan out the way you envision, and it's good to have as much on your side for fielding the unexpected as possible. That includes your finances.<br />
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If you are struggling to keep your finances in order, aren't sure where your money's going, and have panic attacks when you sign in to your online account because of how much (or little) money is remaining, send me a line and I'll email you the spreadsheet I use to keep track of my expenses. It works really well. Alternately, I know that Mike at Frugal In Victoria is also always open to an email, and he thinks about this a lot more than I do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-31049149221662969052016-05-12T16:46:00.002-07:002016-05-12T16:46:50.708-07:00Post 80: Research Ethics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Finally this post! This one is a bit of a long one, but ethics are important, so it's worth it. The week following the presentation on <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2016/03/post-78-research-data-management-plans.html">research data management plans</a>, <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/environmental/people/faculty/bannatalie.php">Dr. Natalie Ban </a>also organized a discussion-based workshop on research ethics with Human Resources Ethics Coordinator Ms. Eugenie Lam. Since several of the students in the new cohort of graduate students this year were beginning or in the middle of their ethics applications, it seemed like a good time to check in with Ms. Lam to ask any questions.</div>
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I went because I really enjoy thinking about research, and had to submit my own ethics application for my thesis research. I also attended this presentation with a few specific questions around technology and ethics: how best to gather and store confidential data using the internet? Are there any best practices around what technologies/programs we can or should use? Or should <i>not </i>use?<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKzRijmov344HCYUEmmM13LmuMHDWIndWp6Ao7PowDiX92bIPXIn0aBEW809mYNQvY_4tso7Al9rI317YbHnxhW34njn9PwLbAFaSan2V7NEixMN81nlj0eEMqmqTldklFD27R5W65i7a/s1600/IMG_1900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKzRijmov344HCYUEmmM13LmuMHDWIndWp6Ao7PowDiX92bIPXIn0aBEW809mYNQvY_4tso7Al9rI317YbHnxhW34njn9PwLbAFaSan2V7NEixMN81nlj0eEMqmqTldklFD27R5W65i7a/s320/IMG_1900.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A fairy hill of fawn lilies at Thetis Lake! </td></tr>
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For a little bit of background: researchers in Canada (and likely in different countries, according to those countries' regulations) are bound by federal law to comply with a set of research ethics and standards. In Canada, <a href="http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/index/">the Tri-Council </a>(the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council or SSHRC, the Natural Science and Engineer Research Council or NSERC, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research, or CIHR) sets out regulations that govern research across the country, and each higher education institution needs to ensure that its researchers comply with those regulations. <a href="http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2-eptc2/Default/">The policy can be found right here, actually. </a> It's the same policy that Ms. Lam and the Human Research Ethics Board look at when assessing applications.<br />
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As graduate students, we typically need to start thinking about, and then following through on applying for our ethics applications towards the end of our second semesters, or when coursework finishes up. I remember spending about 40 hours—an entire week—working on my ethics application. The hard work paid off in my case, however: I didn't have any revisions to make when my application was assessed, which I understand is unusual. But I was very diligent, made sure to include ALL of my recruitment materials, appendixes, and fill out every question in the form. <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/research/conduct/home/regapproval/humanethics/">UVic's ethics application can be found here</a>. There's also an annotated version that helps you understand what information each section of the form is asking for. So useful!<br />
<br />You want to take a look at the application form early into the semester, not only because you get a sense for the kind of information you need to think about, but also because the form is so detailed, it may actually help you with the design of your study.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbWmglrMwEYXD2FSARudjJrNRAy2e1d3P8K67QpR4KtXz0jICSlkE-UQIQgom3FN7wRYdnIErWkS4h5_WrILMmjvUQp3Lv1K6RkG8ZeefsiOoQqRfrD6Qn49IXkORo7C2jhI54f_y13Ia/s1600/IMG_1861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbWmglrMwEYXD2FSARudjJrNRAy2e1d3P8K67QpR4KtXz0jICSlkE-UQIQgom3FN7wRYdnIErWkS4h5_WrILMmjvUQp3Lv1K6RkG8ZeefsiOoQqRfrD6Qn49IXkORo7C2jhI54f_y13Ia/s320/IMG_1861.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More lovely quince! </td></tr>
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One word to the wise: the UVic Research Ethics Board is fantastic! The staff there are extremely helpful, and I would encourage all graduate students to think of them as allies. They are not there to police you and shut down your research. Instead, they will help you figure out how to do what you want to do, even if there are some changes that need to be made.<br />
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You should complete your ethics application <i>before</i> you gather any data, but it's a good idea to make some initial contact with some of the folks in the community you want to study (speaking from a qualitative/interview-based research perspective), whether to suss out your initial research questions, or just get a sense of whether your project is possible/worthwhile/interesting. An observation from Ms. Lam at the session was that if you want to conduct research with First Nations communities, you likely need to either have pre-existing connections to the community you want to study, or you will need to rely heavily on pre-existing relationships that your supervisor has established, otherwise it will be very difficult to quickly build the trust, rapport, and relationships you typically need to recruit participants for your study. There is often an expectation that work with specific communities will also result in co-benefits for the participants or community as well, so keep that in mind, too.<br />
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Once your application is approved, it will be valid for one year. I highly recommend filling out the simple form to extend the duration of your application even if you are already writing your thesis and all your data collection is complete; you never know what might come up, and it's much easier to fill out a 2 page form, than to go through a whole new application if you didn't renew but need to go collect more data or something. Don't do that to yourself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXmebaU3RiA6cgk7R9uN1SqsPCp_4NnLZJJLJ-_4KppdUQglfGxEHPXisvVJxfv_n6BbRBsqFEAkLbAif_aoIPN6QESFHoIj4hcMyho_SIW7_z4DdP-C654bcrAnXLEISw2bLY9xVNkDH/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXmebaU3RiA6cgk7R9uN1SqsPCp_4NnLZJJLJ-_4KppdUQglfGxEHPXisvVJxfv_n6BbRBsqFEAkLbAif_aoIPN6QESFHoIj4hcMyho_SIW7_z4DdP-C654bcrAnXLEISw2bLY9xVNkDH/s400/IMG_1906.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon Thetis Lake reflection. </td></tr>
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If you make any substantive changes to your study design, or the questions that you submit (for example, I submitted tentative interview questions, and updated my application with an amendment when they'd become finalized), you can easily modify your application. Just make sure you do it. You can always send an inquiry email first, describing your planned changes, to help determine if you need to submit an amendment or not.<br />
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What I also recommend is talking to other students in cohorts before yours, or other students of your supervisor's, or your supervisor's own work. If they have done similar research to yours, see if you can get a copy of their ethics application. Ms. Lam stated that the Ethics Board isn't able to keep A+ ethics applications from other researchers (I asked, because I do really well with models), but also recommended talking to your supervisor. Seeing how someone else thinks through similar questions can be incredibly helpful, and I know helped my own thinking along. If you want a copy of my ethics application, please drop me a line. I'd be happy to send it along, as long as it's only for your individual use.<br />
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Did I get my questions answered during this presentation? Well, yes and no. Turns out that there don't seem to be any best practices for how to gather data using the internet, Skype, or Google Hangouts... the best that you can do is be transparent with your participants so they know that you're using Skype or whatever the technology is, in order to talk to them.<br />
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Carrying through on due diligence for your research ethics ensures that you know how you're recruiting your participants, what you'll say, what you're asking from them, how you're going to obtain that data, what you will do with that data afterwards, and how you'll store if past your project.<br />
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So while it will take a good bit of work to think through the ethics application form, it can also be fun, and by the end of it, you'll know how to engage with your participants in an ethical, respectful, and safe way.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-1561060028761090202016-04-29T21:22:00.001-07:002016-04-29T21:22:47.107-07:00Post 79: Fresh flowers, fresh flowers! Come get your ORCIDs now! Okay, so you may have noticed that I spelled 'orchid' wrong in the title of this post...<br />
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Gotcha!! I'm not actually referring to the the flowers "orchids;" orchids native to the Pacific Northwest might not be out for another few weeks or so, despite many other native and non-native flowers that have already been out and blooming.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5NgHvoDeG35naKAd3KxHTayOnk2E5hF4iYaTV3QhGsFUBahh_0ThwJGDwm9c6IBEpX6qGPn6CA6WfRwZyIcaYr-5uEVl5ofghXZGEdhVT5JEtLOFV1YXUX-3q4SzmVrkLMmjw1pA1TsE/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5NgHvoDeG35naKAd3KxHTayOnk2E5hF4iYaTV3QhGsFUBahh_0ThwJGDwm9c6IBEpX6qGPn6CA6WfRwZyIcaYr-5uEVl5ofghXZGEdhVT5JEtLOFV1YXUX-3q4SzmVrkLMmjw1pA1TsE/s320/IMG_1863.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More neighbourhood quince! <3</td></tr>
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An ORCID refers to the unique persistent digital identifier for a researcher, which will stick with you and offer respite from the dopplegaenger researchers who share your name, field, and subfield, especially as your institution changes, name changes (for marriage or other reasons), and disciplinary changes (do your MSc and PhD in ecology, and publish a few articles there, but then undertake an MA in Librarian Studies, and publish there, too). The point is that your ORCID will stick with you no matter how your professional work and life change.<br />
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Kristin Briney wrote about this in a blog post on her site <a href="http://dataabinitio.com/?p=615">Data Abinitio here</a>, commenting on some of the recent news that important publications are requiring that researchers and authors have an ORCID in order to publish with them. Some of the publication include The American Geophysical Union, PLOS, <i>Science </i>journals, Frontiers, and the Royal Society. The list of recent signatories to ORCID's <a href="https://orcid.org/content/requiring-orcid-publication-workflows-open-letter">Open Letter can be found here. </a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf5cAUW_YrXiJwe8JOq_y91UblkIT2TsGrfZ-J07vTukjy_aftHRYBN0ptDouULpSkYCp9EKEX-5vUpqrpBRypaXOHD5QxdWIWyF_Q1Cpkp7uxWgEFN_fNqX3hYKptWdKYXbmogZ18vsm/s1600/IMG_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf5cAUW_YrXiJwe8JOq_y91UblkIT2TsGrfZ-J07vTukjy_aftHRYBN0ptDouULpSkYCp9EKEX-5vUpqrpBRypaXOHD5QxdWIWyF_Q1Cpkp7uxWgEFN_fNqX3hYKptWdKYXbmogZ18vsm/s320/IMG_1877.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satin flowers, or <span style="background-color: #f1f1f1; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Sisyrinchium douglasii</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">!! I found a patch of them while out walking! </span></td></tr>
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Overall, I share Kristin's idea that this is a good thing. It can be frustrating to get to a temporary dead end tracking down the work of an author that you've really enjoyed reading.<br /><br />ORCIDs are also the kind of thing that I think would be good to talk about during a weekly lab meeting at the beginning of the year, or something like that. Maybe in a presentation for new graduate students at the start of their program so they can start to think about this as part of being an academic and publishing. It strikes me as a similar idea to obtaining a <a href="http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/what-is-doi.aspx">DOI (digital object identifier)</a>, which is a persistent digital link for content that exists digitally (or in print), so you can always find it. I've heard of some recommendations for doing this even for data or supplemental information that researchers make accessible online.<br /><br />I can certainly support systems and classifications and markers that help make easy identification, organization, and ways to credit specific authors for their intellectual work, which ORCIDs and DOIs seem to support. So cheers to that!<br /><br />Let me know if you have any thoughts to the contrary! I'd love to hear!<br />
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PS. Post on Research Ethics Still forthcoming. It's a longer post, so I'm taking more time to do a good job with it!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-69950085360229557342016-03-30T21:41:00.001-07:002016-03-30T21:53:00.724-07:00Post 78: Research Data Management Plans -- the Future of Data CurationAbout a month ago, Wednesday, 24 February, found me sitting in the School of Environmental Studies' Dry Lab, a large meeting room in the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/home/about/campus-info/maps/maps/ssm.php">David Turpin Building</a> on campus. It was a sunny afternoon, and I was waiting with anticipation for my colleagues and the presenters from the on-campus library who were going to tell us about research data management plans.<br />
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The presentation seemed timely to me: for my own thesis project I had asked participants to allow me to keep their interview data (the recordings and the transcripts) for 10 years after they'd taken place (until 2024), and now that I'm nearing finishing my thesis, I'm starting to think about where to keep them once I'm finished. Some of my participants opted for full confidentiality to protect their identities, and I take that quite seriously. Once I'm out of academia, how do I best keep/store/move these protected data?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rce-vAbH5znO1BUMOm4OGogowTyrroiR_Ckd56yHdMG6_AIaaL_Ni89Z-HoJbkgIBhydrDoCE_AQuGuW3Mu09yND_UIGDHmICUAse6IVspk39VIxsUGURzi9BlBSprnwEFBnJCbEuclb/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rce-vAbH5znO1BUMOm4OGogowTyrroiR_Ckd56yHdMG6_AIaaL_Ni89Z-HoJbkgIBhydrDoCE_AQuGuW3Mu09yND_UIGDHmICUAse6IVspk39VIxsUGURzi9BlBSprnwEFBnJCbEuclb/s320/IMG_1866.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chaenemeles </i>species, or quince flowers! These ones are quite orange; others are more deep pink in colour. </td></tr>
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Research data management plans (RDMPs) are supposed to help with those questions, and, as I learned, a whole lot more. Our two wonderful presenters delivered a phenomenal talk on Research Data Management plans were Daniel Brendle-Moczuk, the subject librarian for the School of Environmental Studies (and other departments), from the Library References Services, and Kathleen Matthews, from Library Collections Management. Daniel delivered the presentation with input from Kathleen, and both answered questions at the end of the presentation. The presentation covered the what, why, why now, research data life cycle, and components of a data management plan, and I'll cover a brief overview of the presentation here. (In case I don't make sufficiently clear in the post, all of the material I share is from the presentation).<br />
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As Brendle-Moczuk and Matthews characterized, Canada is quite behind on its thinking about and thinking through RDMPs. This became quite apparent throughout the presentation, as Daniel's referred and source documents were all either America or out of the UK. For example, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Data-Management-Researchers-Organize-maintain/dp/1784270113/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">"Data Management for Researchers" is written by Krisin Briney</a>, a US-based data management specialist, as are Mark Allen and Dalton Cervo, authors of the text <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0128008350/ref=rdr_ext_tmb">"Mulit-Doman Master Data Management"</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Data-Protection-Cloud-risks-great/dp/1849287120/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459396162&sr=1-3">"Data Protection and the Cloud: Are the Risks too Great?"</a>by UK author Paul Ticher. Brendle-Moczuk also frequently cited documents and resources from the <a href="https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/">UK Data Service</a> and <a href="https://www.dataone.org/about">DataONE, or Data Observation Network for Earth (US based).</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_V9TI9jCQJhAa-amSkv275q4fMIW5INI601GHf4FEewqXYnlR9M1zTzdx8OAnvrYlSL1mhYsNlMxxVn6PaUDfoOXPDtObej8_0DmuxKufuLANrjtIbJKF-1dsMDS6bJmLais38I-5mBr/s1600/IMG_1868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_V9TI9jCQJhAa-amSkv275q4fMIW5INI601GHf4FEewqXYnlR9M1zTzdx8OAnvrYlSL1mhYsNlMxxVn6PaUDfoOXPDtObej8_0DmuxKufuLANrjtIbJKF-1dsMDS6bJmLais38I-5mBr/s320/IMG_1868.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard <i>Camellia</i> flowers that have fallen. They're beautiful splashes of colour, but they don't last long!</td></tr>
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All of this is to say that RDMPs are coming to Canada, and they're overdue. Research data management plans make you think through all aspects of your data: how to gather them, what kinds you want to gather (photos, audio, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, numerical data, geo-spatial data?), how you are going to name your files and organize them (a filename of "Sam's data" is probably only useful to Sam... unless detailed metadata^^^ exist to tell us how to use and interact with the data in the file), what the best formats for them are (remember floppy disks? Or will [proprietary software of your choice] be available in 10 years?), how you are going to treat confidential data and transport them, and how you are going to store and share them. Other questions are also important to consider, such as who has access to my data? And how is it protected if it needs to be?*** What is the researcher's responsibility when it comes to the lifetime of the data, and what are the ethics and legal considerations to take when working with data. The RDMPs make you think about all of these things, and it's very likely that your RDMP is going to need to accompany your grant applications in the future. <br />
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***Some of these questions you need to think about when you (if you) complete a Research Ethics Application, which I will cover in an upcoming post.<br />
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^^^metadata are the notes and data that tell you about a different set of data. For example, my thesis project is a qualitative research project that collected interviews as the primary data. I also had academic and grey literature that informed my research. The metadata would be a set of notes that are key to explaining my data: where the interviews are kept, how they are kept, which files they are located in, what different acronyms are, where my literature is kept, how that's organized, which program was used to analyze my data, etc. The metadata would be necessary for someone else to understand my data, and how it all fits for my project. Are there organizational responsibilities when it comes to metadata? You bet! Be neat. Be organized. And be consistent with your file names and organizing. And if you ever have the thought "I'll remember this later..." WRITE IT DOWN! I guarantee you, you won't remember.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos_VSgW_e4bXk6jh7JXMenCS5HBenaIIu2OXE59gyZAjFS9S03WWOw261-h7KTSS63Yxl72ElMvquRJb5epObhC6d41tYOjQEDEWXWWY-bHwLl3vJH9-2-h_aOLGD156fT6WaUO3yUa74/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos_VSgW_e4bXk6jh7JXMenCS5HBenaIIu2OXE59gyZAjFS9S03WWOw261-h7KTSS63Yxl72ElMvquRJb5epObhC6d41tYOjQEDEWXWWY-bHwLl3vJH9-2-h_aOLGD156fT6WaUO3yUa74/s320/IMG_1891.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bouquet of neighbourhood daffodils I picked for my landlady Kathryn, before her trip!</td></tr>
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Currently, there are strong indications that RDMPs are going to become required for researchers in Canada in the future. The Tri-Council of Canada issued <a href="http://www.science.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=83F7624E-1">a draft statement of principles on digital data management</a> in July of last year, that outlined researchers' responsibilities when it comes to data management. These responsibilities include the collection, formatting, preservation, and sharing of their data through out the lifetime of a project and beyond. There's no telling when that statement will no longer be a <i>draft</i> but become a requirement for researchers, but it applies to the hard sciences and social sciences a lot, so I think it's wise to begin thinking through research data management now.<br />
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For a very cute video that added some humour to the presentation, check out <a href="http://youtu.be/N2zK3sAtr-4">"Data Sharing and Management Snafu in 3 Short Acts"</a> (I'm so glad that Daniel found this!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZdzEYA3zvC9wtRxRlFx9m6jFr_pe_RFnV8HwcbHegXkviKNiOzIVwKy8PD49LS-kaJVxE1zNsqK26GlfMLgI3mLwvukkuX3gL1iwoo9ry8sdtBw3dAXkpJ32NdEoQ95C7SkhtOO_tmB9/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZdzEYA3zvC9wtRxRlFx9m6jFr_pe_RFnV8HwcbHegXkviKNiOzIVwKy8PD49LS-kaJVxE1zNsqK26GlfMLgI3mLwvukkuX3gL1iwoo9ry8sdtBw3dAXkpJ32NdEoQ95C7SkhtOO_tmB9/s320/IMG_1908.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous <a href="http://www.cityoflangford.ca/EN/main/lifestyle/amenities/thetis-lake-park.html">Lower Thetis Lake</a> reflection. Where does the water start and stop?</td></tr>
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A quick and flashy reminder: <b>always make backups of your data</b>. Always. Follow the 3-2-1 Rule:<br />
3 copies, in 2 different media, with 1 backup located offsite.<br />
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And one last note: a practice becoming more frequent is for researchers or organizations being asked to prove their research impact, which Brendle-Mozcuk and Matthews recommended as being most easily done with a DOI, or a digital object identifier. It is a persistent link that follows the data, and that can be used when citing data that's used. In Canada,<a href="http://nsl-bsn.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/home/"> the National Science Library provides</a> a service through <a href="http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/publications/library_services/datacite/index.html">DataCite Canada that is</a>: <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;">A data registration service that provides Canadian data centres and libraries with a mechanism for registering research data and assigning digital object identifiers (DOIs) to them. These identifiers allow research data to be findable, citable and accessible for replication and further use." So make sure to check this out if this may be applicable to you. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;">Good luck, fellow jedi researchers! I'm sure that you will plan and manage your data well after this post, or at least avoid making some very painful errors with your data. Hugs! </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257833103990678655.post-65833005590396423902016-03-16T13:17:00.001-07:002016-03-16T13:17:10.514-07:00Post 77: Dealing with Impostor Syndrome, AgainIt's always the small things that set of my insecurities.<br />
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I've known since the beginning of the semester that this week would be my week to present <i>something</i> in my weekly lab meeting about my work, and I find that since last week I've been worrying, and stewing, and brainstorming. Here's kind of the muddled craziness that I am able to upt together:<br />
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What can I present? What do I have that's good enough to present? Am I good enough to present and take up peoples' time? What do I have I can present about? I'm don't want to over-burden my already busy colleagues with extra work, so I can't be sending them things to read ahead of time... If I'd wanted to send them something, I should have done that last week. (I thus, have not sent them anything to read.) Well, if I'm not going to send them anything to read from my current chapter, then how can I adequately present about the writing for a chapter? Do I think that I can?<br /><br />
How does one put together a presentation? I don't know how to put together a presentation, or at least, I am concerned that I've forgotten how to. How did I do it before? Well, if I don't have anything from my current chapter, then how can I put a presentation together? For a presentation, you need to have good content. Right. That's where you start. So what do I have I can present about?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIe9K1V41K-ayriqrGy_aFnAEAZTOLFQ7vBhPU7U8h_KEI5r31csGMK_NC-YEFa48SQt7uTJL07nKnAGadGCuhUNpzXa_YRaxle1up8ko6KVNGaMxqDczLZTkC5GDbPf3_qCqE_39l6DL/s1600/worrying+becky+barnicoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIe9K1V41K-ayriqrGy_aFnAEAZTOLFQ7vBhPU7U8h_KEI5r31csGMK_NC-YEFa48SQt7uTJL07nKnAGadGCuhUNpzXa_YRaxle1up8ko6KVNGaMxqDczLZTkC5GDbPf3_qCqE_39l6DL/s320/worrying+becky+barnicoat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/beckybarnicoat/charts-that-make-sense-to-people-who-worry-constantly#.ek3XYGm2xW">Becky Barnicoat at BuzzFeed</a> for capturing this so well! </td></tr>
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Haha! So that's some of the worry whirly-gig going on in my brain for the last few days. It's gotten a bit more wild the closer I've gotten to my presentation tomorrow morning. Watching myself go through this silly bit of brain work is a little bit funny, once I start to see what I'm doing, and have an awareness about it, instead of simply being in it. (Writing this post is helping me to laugh at myself, and deal with it, once again.) (I've written previously about the <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/07/post-25-impostor-syndrome.html">Impostor Syndrome, here.</a>)<br /><br />It's called the impostor syndrome. And it shows up in all kinds of wacky ways. A colleague of mine shared a post this morning from the blog of <a href="http://hopejahrensurecanwrite.com/2013/12/03/how-i-cured-my-impostor-syndrome/">Hope Jahren, who thinks she's cured herself of it with the simple solution of getting tenure</a> (which is, admittedly, a big deal in academia). Good for her! At the same time, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a merely temporary solution for her. I'm more inclined to think, Once a worrier, always a worrier (and yes, I realize that worrying and the impostor syndrome done have a perfect overlap in the world of Venn Diagrams, but I think they're pretty close). Also, I am nowhere near getting tenure, and am undecided about whether to pursue that route at this point. I'm just trying to finish my master's thesis, which seems gargantuan enough a task at this point! :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Ym-bzT6QlhuHSJpz307jmLR9sw0yLuzmBnUUx3wT2o7aDKzGi-Koa9IAceHJTCnkhbNwSx9pPT3mBKshhqD7GROp2mEn-7Js_Jr1UOBjXHGarRf0L7gTaThjZ5cyJg8DlxqAsvniATO/s1600/IMG_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Ym-bzT6QlhuHSJpz307jmLR9sw0yLuzmBnUUx3wT2o7aDKzGi-Koa9IAceHJTCnkhbNwSx9pPT3mBKshhqD7GROp2mEn-7Js_Jr1UOBjXHGarRf0L7gTaThjZ5cyJg8DlxqAsvniATO/s320/IMG_1795.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More beautiful spring flowers to brighten up my room! Much needed to combat the grey!</td></tr>
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Ms. Jahren's post is quite funny, and I will be going back to read more of her blog. I've signed up as a follower. :) Finding other women in academia, writing about being in academia is definitely an interest of mine.<br />
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So. I have this presentation tomorrow morning, and I think that alongside preparing a slide or two about my current chapter, providing a (short) overview of the <a href="http://hlmasters.blogspot.ca/2014/07/post-23-manuscript-or-monograph-style.html">Monograph style thesis that I'm using</a>, and explaining what that means for my current chapter, I also want to take about 15 minutes (half of my time) talking about <i>process</i>. And this is definitely part of it. Struggling with this. And not giving up, even though I can go through intense periods of time feeling like I still don't belong here, still don't know what I'm doing, and still struggle to get words on the page and share them with my supervisor. At the same time, I am still at it! The outline of my final chapter was approved after its fourth draft, so full steam ahead to finish this up, and then revise, revise, revise, which is an ongoing process anyways.<br /><br />So for today, beating the impostor syndrome is about admitting that I am good enough. I am good enough to take half an hour of my colleague's time tomorrow, to let them know where I'm at, and to have them give some input on how they deal with things. I don't really need inquiries about how my thesis work is going; I need invites to work and writing sessions, at this point. Easter Long Weekend, anybody? <br /><br />
I can definitely put together a summary and overview of the assertions and arguments I'm trying to make in my last chapter. It's my <i>final chapter</i>. I'm almost there. And I'd love my colleagues to share in my excitement about this. It's been a long journey to get here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLv5wg5W-BoAfS0NBMmxF0u_VP87d0vcw-r-bjcP80fCF3mIJbpw87ep8lBOkckns0JSFEvpR7f6NbHA327SORjZeLfvdmzXrmBoNBB7g2VfGKXEiqPt77QYlIO-aTqNyF6FpaQg__Rav/s1600/IMG_1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLv5wg5W-BoAfS0NBMmxF0u_VP87d0vcw-r-bjcP80fCF3mIJbpw87ep8lBOkckns0JSFEvpR7f6NbHA327SORjZeLfvdmzXrmBoNBB7g2VfGKXEiqPt77QYlIO-aTqNyF6FpaQg__Rav/s320/IMG_1807.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon sun at UVic. Lovely, lovely day!</td></tr>
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One sentence at a time. One. Word. At. A. Time. This thesis will get finished. I can do this. And so can you, if you're a grad student reading this, going through your own whirly-gig of worry. You've got this. Worry or no worry. We've got this. <br /><br />***<br /><br />I am aware that I promised a post on Research Data Management Plans, and I have another in the queue about research ethics, both based on extra workshops organized by Dr. Natalie Ban in the department, and those are coming next. I needed to deal with myself and this lab presentation first. :) Thanks for your patience. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17123235852594962070noreply@blogger.com0