Writing that Research Proposal 005

This past week I finally wrapped on my research proposal, a labour of love, hate, and 8months of carrying stacks of papers around. While completing it and having my supervisory committee sign off on it marks the countdown towards my candidacy exam next month, having it finally finished couldn't feel any better.

The research proposal is a critical endeavour of the graduate career, whether it be a master's or PhD program. Typically undertaken after a year of preliminary experiments and background reading, it may be simply a necessity of your program or, in my case, provide the materials around which you will be tested for candidacy. In either case it may represent the first time you, as a student, are asked to think creatively and critically, independent of your supervisor, proposing a hypothesis and the experiments suitable to test it.

I began my own efforts on my proposal at the end of last summer, throwing a blank poster board up on the wall of my living room, and brain storming a concept map around the data I had collected so far. From that map I tried to arrive at a clear hypothesis, and a set of three major research aims.

From September to December, I wrote, scrapped it, and rewrote my draft a number of times. Without deadlines enforced by anyone other than myself, I struggled to prioritize this project over numerous others that sprung up with harder deadlines (applying for funding, submitting abstracts for meetings etc). And that is nothing to say for balancing effective reading and writing with the experiments necessary to move the project along.

Then came the rounds of edits from my supervisor, the flip-flopping back and forth between styles of presenting my aims, and going through things with a fine tooth comb (I am a notoriously bad speller, and incredibly fond of typos). The finished product, 20 full single spaced pages of text, 9 additional figures and some 60 or so references....oh and literal blood sweat and tears put into the effort. (Who ever said there's no crying in science?)

Along the way, here are some things I've learned that would make it go smoother next time around (only there had better not be a next time).

1. When you read papers, take notes! Detailed notes that you can write from. And organize, organize, organize. You'll want to be able to find the reference easily when your train of writing needs it.
2. When you get fed up with writing, take a break. Burning yourself out on one go will only make it harder to get back to it later.
3. Practice writing and reading often. The major pitfall of many proposals is that unclear writing leads to mis-communications leading your committee wondering what you are trying to say (or if you know what you're talking about). Reading other peoples proposals, papers etc. will help  you develop your own writing skills. In particular, if you can read bad examples, you'll learn in a hurry what to avoid. If you're are ESL, take advantage of a friend to read through and give comments on the writing.
4. Say exactly what you mean. Avoid unnecessarily flowery text, or ambiguous statements. This is your proposal, so be confident enough to make clear statements, and be ready and willing to defend them.
5. Remember it's just a proposal, you may never do half of what is in it. Science is often a study of opportunity, a novel or unexpected result may take your project in a directly you could have never predicted. So avoid the sense of anxiety that if you can't complete everything you propose you've somehow failed. Take this as an opportunity to write you ideal project proposal based on what you know now.
6. At the end of the day, sometimes you just have to leave good enough alone. Remember this is a document that only a handful of people will ever read, and is intended more as an exercise in developing the knowledge and skills you will need to apply for grants and run your own group one day. So maybe after that 5th or 6th round of revisions, just call it done.
7. That being said, take it seriously, the skills you have the potential to develop, through preparing an excellent document, will help you enormously through the rest of your career.

I hope some of this advice will help you when you undertake your the writing of your own research proposal. Although I may have hated it at many points along the way (and am dearly looking forward to burning a copy in a bonfire when I finish my candidacy) I managed to produce a document which I am immensely proud of.

10 things to do when grad school is stressing you out

This post was inspired by one I saw on a great mommy blog - The complete guide to imperfect homemaking. I recommend you go read it, especially, I can imagine, if you have kids.

10 things to do when grad school is stressing you out.

1. Sit in on an undergrad class, and take pleasure in how little they know. It may have only been a few years ago, but it's amazing the amount of knowledge we take for granted as grad students. (Caution, this only works for subjects in your immediate field, as a first year physics class would floor me right now.)
2. Attend a talk with free food, and get seconds. Need more be said?
3. Make a powerpoint slide or two of your recent progress. Somehow it's easier to see how things come together when you put them into finalized figures or slides.
4. Go read a paper somewhere with natural lighting. If you can get outside, even better. Sometimes we forget what the sun feels like when we spend all our days in the lab.
5. Cry over your project. Preferably not where your supervisor will catch you.
6. Tackle something easy on your to do list. Sometimes sending that email you've been meaning to send only takes two minutes, but crossing it off your list will leave you feeling good all day.
7. Remind yourself that your supervisor didn't have it all together when he was in your shoes, either, and somehow he still has a tenture track position.
8. Resolve not to multitask when over stressed. Chances are more things won't work than will.
9. Turn off your computer. Sometimes a day away from the constant emails can be the most satisfying and productive.
10. Plan a break. Having even a short vacation/long weekend to look forward to can keep you motivated. If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, than light lots of candles along the way (so to speak).

 

Ponderings of a PhD Student: Grad School Blues

Lately it seems every time I open my inbox, check twitter or flip through the pages of a science community publication, I come across an article that makes me pause to question my graduate studies. For instance, the winter edition of Health Solutions features an article with the sub-heading "A Ph.D. is no guarantee of a university position". The March University Affairs? An article "the PhD is in need of revision", which while lamenting about long times to completion and high drop out rates, also draws attention to the fact that in many fields, 'we may be producing more PhD students than we need.' Says the vice-president academic of UBC, Dr. David Farrar, who goes on to say "They need to know when they get into this where it's going to take them."

Even on my own blog, I've often draw attention to the shockingly low success rate for PhD's eventually finding faculty positions at universities (only 20-35%). The suggested solution? apart from revamping the system to be more selective of graduate student admissions (read as: train fewer of us). Is to provide extra funding (usual only one year) after completion for you to train for another field entirely. Many people opt to head towards public policy, law or business.

As it stands for me, I still can't imagine myself anywhere outside of an academic institution. So what I'd like to see, fewer articles focusing on the negative, suggesting we opt out of academia early; and more good advice on how to develop my self over the next 3 years into becoming a part of that lucky 20%.

The Value of Mentorship Part 1 - 004

Who do you consider to be your mentor? Your supervisor? A helpful Post-Doc? Your parents? The key to academic and career success can often be to find the right mentors early on.

Whether formed organically, intentionally sought after or implemented in a mandatory fashion; there is much to be gained from a good mentoring relationship. A quick qoogle search on 'Mentorship in Academia' gives some 14 million results, interestingly many of the top hits specifically aimed at women. Invited speakers at past Young Women of Influence events have all commented on the importance of strong mentors in their own career success. In fact one piece of advice which stands out came from Evelyn Ackah, who told her own boss "Hello Liz, I want your job" and began a series of mentoring conversations which eventually lead to her running her own law firm.

While most graduate students have a primary mentor in the role of their supervisor, the development of broader mentoring networks is becoming increasingly necessary for success. In fact applications for provincial support in Alberta now require the development of a Mentorship Committee consisting of three or more members (independent from your typical advisory committee). One member of which is specifically intended to be a career mentor. Perhaps this trend is reflective of the increasing numbers of graduate trainees, no longer do Tenured professors take on graduate student protoge's who will replace them one day. Increasing numbers of graduates and shockingly low hiring into tenure track positions, makes it clear than effective career mentorship, early on, is needed to ensure you have a career after graduation.

That being said, seeking out mentors outside your immediate laboratory or research group environment can be intimidating, confusing or forgotten about. As such I'll be focusing the next couple of posts on my own efforts to develop a better mentorship network. My first step? Tonight I'll be attending a Young Women Of Influence Evening Series featuring former biotech CEO and current professional mentor Cynthia Roney, who will talk about The Power Networking and Mentorship.

Have you begun to develop a mentorship network? How have mentors played important roles in your own academic or career success?

How to Ask Good Questions 003

One of the qualities, which I feel truly sets me apart from my peers, is my inability to keep my mouth shut.

Now that opening statement is not what it seems to be. What I am talking about is asking questions.

We've all heard the old adage "No question is a stupid question." and for the most part I have to agree. At the very worst, a question may reveal you're failure to pay attention or your lack of knowledge on the topic. In both of these scenarios, you will still be rewarded with the information you are missing.

I once bravely put my hand up to ask, "What do you mean by ESCs?" an acronym which the presenter had been using without definition, assuming it was common knowledge. Now I don't work with cell lines, I had no idea he meant 'Embryonic Stem Cells.' Sure I felt a little stupid having to ask the question, but I would have felt a whole lot worse to have sat through the whole 20 minute talk not knowing it.

Each week I attend a number of talks, from journal clubs, to work in progresses, to departmental seminars. Typically, when the presenter is finished, and asks if their are any questions, a couple of profs and maybe a post-doc or two put their hands up. It is the rare grad student in my experience who is able to consistently contribute to the discussion with questions.

I however am someone who cannot keep my mouth shut, I am forever curious, and always throw my hand up to ask a question or two. Lately I've been rewarded by comments from other faculty in our department that the questions were 'good ones.' It's good to know that faculty other than your own supervisor are taking note of you.

Some advice for asking 'good' questions:

• Pay attention to the talk, yes they are often mandatory, often unrelated to your work, often incredibly boring. I get over that by taking notes, no matter what.
• Jot down any questions you think of during the talk so you remember them at the end.
• Put your hand up right away. There's nothing worse than thinking of a great question only to have someone else ask it first.
• If something was unclear during the talk ask for clarification, not only does it benefit you and the other students unwilling to ask, it also provides constructive feedback to the presenter.
• If you disagree with some conclusion, ask about it, but avoid being argumentative.
• Remember, the purpose of these presentations is often primarily for trainee development, and learning how to ask effective, informed and critical questions is a skill you should be developing here. Take advantage of the opportunity to do so in a familiar environment.

Finally, for me personally, the best way to learn is to actively participate in the discussion.  If I take the time to ask questions on a topic, I am more likely to retain that information in the long run. As a grad student, my time is precious, and weekly journal clubs and work in progresses cut into that time. I am determined, however, to not have it be time wasted. By asking questions, partaking in the conversation and leaving a good impression of myself, I am able to take full advantage of the opportunity presented each week.

So whatever point you are in your education, don't be afraid to ask questions, like any other skill asking effective questions is one you can and should develop.

Sciencey Youtube Channels you Should Be Watching

I subscribe to a lot of pointless YouTube stuff, lets be honest, who doesn't.

However, there has increasingly been a movement towards the production of high quality, educational channels, with the intent of providing free learning to the masses. I am totally on board for that. So without further ado (I just learned a grammar lesson on that one) here are some YouTube Channels you should be watching, they will definitely not be a waste of your time.

Hank Green's SciShow




John and Hank's Crash Courses (the Biology one was amazing, Chemistry looks pretty good so far)




The Brain Scoop with Emily Graslie (sometimes graphic...dead animal parts)




 DNews (D is for discovery)


The wealth of information, easily accessible online, for free is one of the true wonders of the internet. YouTube, TED talks, and more, wasting time on the internet has never been so productive. What YouTube Channels spark your interest most?

Women in Science Infographic

I had this infographic sent my way via email the other day. If you've been here before you may have noticed that every now and then I have something to say about women in science, or working in a male dominant field. Check out this infographic for some of the stats.

Source: mashable.com via Sara on Pinterest

Do you work in a male dominant field? Do you ever have concerns about your gender holding you back? Have you made career choices based on accessibility to mat-leave or child care?