Summer 2016: What will you be researching this summer?

[Klonoa]

For many graduate students, summer is used to do research for their thesis or dissertation. What will you be researching this summer? Where do you think your research will lead you? Will you be traveling to different archives? If so, where are you going? What will you be reading? 

May to August seems like a nice chunk of time, but as graduate students, we know that time has a way of catching up with us.

[johnnycomelately]

I will be spending this summer working on language training at UChicago before starting in the PhD program this Fall. I had hoped to do some prelim. research as well, but I don't want to get burned out, so I will be spending whatever free time I have reading for fun

[Calgacus]

I was hoping someone would start a "summer" topic. I know this is about summer generally, but I'd love to hear advice about what people are doing/did do/recommend doing in the summer prior to beginning the phd specifically. 

[dr. t]

I have a paleography course in Toronto, and then I'm off to France for some archival work.

Academic life, it is so hard.

[victoriana]

8 hours ago, Calgacus said:

I was hoping someone would start a "summer" topic. I know this is about summer generally, but I'd love to hear advice about what people are doing/did do/recommend doing in the summer prior to beginning the phd specifically. 

Yes, I second this!  

[AP]

I'm going on my research year!

[Neist]

I'm not entering a PhD, but I'm going to do some statistics MOOCs to improve my skill set.

[mvlchicago]

I'll be at Yale working on Native language work, then back to my archive in Providence. 

[Klonoa]

I'll be collecting government documents as primary sources at my university's library, reading my secondary sources (about 60 books and articles), and outlining my thesis this summer. I have a topic that does not require me to travel as I'm doing a military history, and government documents can be easily found at any university library. My main primary sources are autobiographies, and interviews published through the Library of Congress. So yeah, I will be staying put this summer reading and outlining.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Klonoa

[Neist]

35 minutes ago, Klonoa said:

I'll be collecting government documents as primary sources at my university's library, reading my secondary sources (about 60 books and articles), and outlining my thesis this summer. I have a topic that does not require me to travel as I'm doing a military history, and government documents can be easily found at any university library. My main primary sources are autobiographies, and interviews published through the Library of Congress. So yeah, I will be staying put this summer reading and outlining.

I really hope it's 60 books and articles, not 60 books and some articles. The latter would be rough!  I read quite a lot, and even I think that's heavy. It'd be around 5 books a week, plus everything else.

Either way, it sounds like a very productive summer!

Edited May 3, 2016 by Neist

[Klonoa]

About 60 books and articles combined. I didn't take the time to count to see how much for sure. I probably have about 40 books. With the inclusion of autobiographies it  might be about 60 books, but I have already read those with the exception of 3.

[Neist]

7 minutes ago, Klonoa said:

About 60 books and articles combined. I didn't take the time to count to see how much for sure. I probably have about 40 books. With the inclusion of autobiographies it  might be about 60 books, but I have already read those with the exception of 3.

Yeah, that's definitely better.  A book every few days is a nice pace, at least for me. And auto/biographies are often enjoyable, so they don't weigh as heavily I think.

If I read much faster than that I start to suffer physical fatigue. Even with a book stand, I can't consistently read for much longer than ~9 hours a day. It becomes too exhausting.

[knp]

I have language training from here to infinity...sigh. It's fun, but I forget everything. I've also been procrastinating on finding housing, because my program doesn't provide any and there aren't a lot of options in the town.

[Danger_Zone]

I haven't started my program yet, but I've been working on learning a foreign language and will be continuing to do that over the summer. I'm also trying to read up on a lot of grad school-related things (thesis/dissertation writing, public speaking, teaching, etc.) so I guess I'm kind of doing research on grad school?

[KLZ]

I'll be doing research in Cape Town, South Africa. Tough lot, I know. 

I feel confirmed that I chose the right program with the right opportunities for my project. Very satisfied. 

[rising_star]

9 hours ago, Neist said:

I'm not entering a PhD, but I'm going to do some statistics MOOCs to improve my skill set.

Have you found any good statistics MOOCs?

[TMP]

10 hours ago, victoriana said:

Yes, I second this!  

Before entering my PhD, in that summer, I moved to my school's town and then went to Middlebury to improve my language (happily, my adviser accepted this as part of my language requirement fulfillment).

I'd just focus a bit more on reading up books in your primary field if nothing else.  I wish I had done that to save me a lot of grief in my first semester.

[Quickmick]

Field work collecting data for my MS thesis for much of it, then off to Belize in August for two weeks to do some scientific diving off of Turneffe Atoll.

[kyjin]

I have two language programs this summer: one for a month in LA, another for two weeks in the UK. Aside from that, I'm working on my prospectus to defend at the end of the summer before I leave for my Fulbright in the fall. 

[Neist]

2 hours ago, rising_star said:

Have you found any good statistics MOOCs?

I'm not sure how good they are, but I plan on burning through the free Udacity statistics courses. They are introductory, but that's what I need. I'm hoping to eventually complete their data analytics nanodegree, but that's more than likely going to have to wait until next summer.

My research would greatly benefit from data analytic skills, but I really have no need for a dedicated degree, as fun as it would be to get a degree in it.  

[rising_star]

3 hours ago, Quickmick said:

Field work collecting data for my MS thesis for much of it, then off to Belize in August for two weeks to do some scientific diving off of Turneffe Atoll.

Scientific diving? Can you tell us more???

1 hour ago, Neist said:

I'm not sure how good they are, but I plan on burning through the free Udacity statistics courses. They are introductory, but that's what I need. I'm hoping to eventually complete their data analytics nanodegree, but that's more than likely going to have to wait until next summer.

Let me know how they are. I need to beef up my stats skills again but I'm not sure what to do so Udacity or some other MOOC could be a good option.

[betwixt&between]

While I wasn't accepted to a program this season, I've decided to continue remaining in the academic frame of mind for next year by cultivating a reading. Additionally, I'm planning on a project that focuses on immigrant churches in my city.

[Quickmick]

19 hours ago, rising_star said:

Scientific diving? Can you tell us more???

 

We are headed here: https://www.oceanicsociety.org/projects/turneffe-atoll-marine-reserve which was designated a marine reserve in 2012 (so not that long ago). We will be studying Coral Reef Ecology, probably measuring some corals maybe looking at lionfish populations and looking a abundance/diversity to see how well the reserve is doing since its inception, especially given that it is fairly 'new.' Part of the reason I am going that it should get me very close to (if not there) earning American Academy of Underwater Sciences' "Scientific Diver" status ( http://www.aaus.org/). Should be good for a lot of reasons!

[Danger_Zone]

3 hours ago, Quickmick said:

We are headed here: https://www.oceanicsociety.org/projects/turneffe-atoll-marine-reserve which was designated a marine reserve in 2012 (so not that long ago). We will be studying Coral Reef Ecology, probably measuring some corals maybe looking at lionfish populations and looking a abundance/diversity to see how well the reserve is doing since its inception, especially given that it is fairly 'new.' Part of the reason I am going that it should get me very close to (if not there) earning American Academy of Underwater Sciences' "Scientific Diver" status ( http://www.aaus.org/). Should be good for a lot of reasons!

Well damn, everyone is off doing cool things but me.

[rising_star]

@Quickmick, that sounds so cool! I'm insanely jealous. I wanted to pursue Scientific Diver status a few years ago but I've just never had the time. I'm hoping to do the PADI Divermaster course somewhere warm next summer...