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decent

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Everything posted by decent

  1. Thanks for your reply. Yes, no abstract submitted. Just the advisor's title. I think it reinforces the larger question in my mind: "If this is academia, do I want to be a part of it?" I think that's only something I can answer.
  2. Earlier this semester my phd advisor asked if I'd like to go to an international conference. I assumed I'd have a fly on the wall position since I've shifted fields a bit in my research since my masters. About two weeks ago, my advisor submits a topic for me to present on for a 30 minute presentation! I've spent the henceforth two weeks investigating the topic. Not only do I not have experience in this area experimentally, even if things went PERFECT to plan, it would be just a couple a days before I'd have results before departing, let alone competent analysis. The university contingent has already bought my transportation--much earlier in the year in fact before I knew of any presentation plans. EDIT: I should mention the conference travel starts at the end of May. I'm just really stuck on how to have an honest conversation that this is not feasible. Any thoughts on how to approach this or fresh perspectives?
  3. Hello gang--since I'm distance engineering student, my Masters work seems mostly to boil internally without a lot of academic socialization by which I could lament my struggles and find camaraderie, so I'm thankful for the TGC even if it is "bunch of strangers". I'll try to keep this short and field generic: No thesis here just a culminating 3hr experience, to be executed during the summer in order to make my PhD program in the fall at an in-residence school. My advisor indicated that it would be wise to get a jumpmon the research before the summer, to which I did this Spring by running and analyzing models developed by the advisor. About 2/3s through spring, I informed the advisor that what we were trying to capture was not "working" but that with some more time I could investigate other options. THEN we know how end of semesters can be, and I put this project on the backburner. With the advisors permission, I enrolled in the research credit with this topic in mind still. Very early this summer I exhausted my possible options by examining the problem in force. It seems the advisor's model is limited in scope until the commercial vendor of the modeling software could provide support for a "bug" of this advanced functionality by which I am to write a paper. I report such, the advisor reports that there is a new system update to said software--I implement this software, and get the same bug. I don't hear back from my advisor for quite some while. In the meantime, I begin developing my own model from an "open-source" code library, that is very powerful yet has some weaknesses in its documentation and my understanding of its advanced functionality. My hope was that I could still solve the question with a transposed model from my advisor's. Again I'm a distance learning student and don't see or hear from my advisor too much. BUT finally the advisor writes back after I've sent regular updates 2-3 times of my "independent" work including the last one being my opinion that the level of theory and time to dedicate in a summer was steep. My Advisor wrote back to say "give it two more weeks" and then write up what you have. So the struggle for me has been all the sweat and tears poured into both models, without anything working to show a working model, successful or unsuccessfully predicting our hypothesis. I don't even know how I could write something of consequence without a model utilizing the advance functionality. My last email to my advisor last week asking about some technical details has gone unanswered. Not sure what to do in order to graduate this summer. Any advice on where/how I should spend my energies?
  4. @emmm Thanks bunches for your advice as I needed just that. Shortly after you posted this I started researching alternative programs and applying outside of these two programs. Ultimately I was accepted to the 'proposed' school'. Now I'm working out the financial aid piece. Another thread to follow! Thanks again!
  5. Scene 1: My background is in Engineering Mechanics (focus though not formally), second year. Due to life altering events in my family, I took leave of absence from an on-campus engineering masters program at a state flagship school and am now finishing online through another state's flagship masters programl 3 years later. Due to how the credits worked out, graduation has eluded me until Summer of this year. My research is largely aircraft structures focused. Scene 2: My interest in community and the 'maker' movement has led me to "Making" at a local campus-based lab at a two-year school. As such, the faculty and general atmosphere has led me to try to pursue my interest in teaching, especially undergrads. (I graduated from an all undergrad campus). Scene 3: Out of interest and encouragement in a PhD, contact and discussion is held with professor at an interdisciplinary engineering program not far off. It is explained that my interest in branching to Civil Engineering with an interest in 'unique' concrete implementations would be of welcome and could be built from my core understanding of solid mechanics. In fact, he goes on to state that my Maker program experience could justify employment at the co-located makerspace being started on their campus for youth and community. Additionally, a combination of a TA position would be available in core courses to bolster my teaching experience. Scene 4: Said professor states to stay in contact. We do a couple times a semester. At end of Fall semester, my progress is reported and continued interest in program. No reply. Mid-January rolls around, a "remember me" reminder is sent. Several days later, an email stating to the affect "let's touch base but it would be easier by phone" is sent. Sent my phone number and invitation to call. Nothing to date. Scene 5: Current masters program school states they are now starting a distance PhD program in my department. Of course, self-funded (very economical) which sets in mind that perhaps the local 2-year might be interested in hiring me for their fledgling 'pre-engineering' program, whereby it'd be possible to obtain some teaching experience while enrolled in a distance PhD program that seems to be working for me. So the pros of staying with current school is obvious: familiarity, intriguing problems, good name, solid adviser. Cons of current school: lack of teaching experience, self-funded, and quals. Pros of proposed school is: teaching experience, good for family, applied experience, funded (hopefully) and no quals Cons of proposed school is: lack of engagement by professor What would you do? Contact interdisciplinary graduate program adviser for alternatives? Stick to online program if it's working? Look for another program in-residence (if possible)? This guy is no spring chicken-the plasticity of my brain is hardening and the idea of quals scares the heck out of me as one of the exams is based on a class which garnered a 'C'.
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