My current project is still moving along, albeit much slower than I had hoped. Once it is finally done, though, I will have enough research to get one substantial paper out of it, and perhaps an additional one or two smaller papers. The slowness of all this has me riding on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at times, because I hate being in limbo. I have to say the most frustrating aspect for me is the down time, either while waiting on others who are contributing to my work or for reactions to finish. While I have been wanting to pursue other lab projects during this down time, my supervisor advised against this, saying it would be a distraction. I argued that I have the down time anyways, and he recommended I use the time to begin writing my thesis. This wasn't something I was expecting, as I didn't think one began writing a thesis until all the work is complete -- but in hindsight, it does make sense not to wait until the end to commence writing. The suggestion has provided a nice filler for the downtimes.
I've also reconciled with the pressure to finish in three years. I don't think that will happen, simply because it's not work that I'm doing solo. I can't force other researchers and equipment bookings to work around my schedule. In discussing this with some of the veterans of our group, I've learned that out of the hundred or so graduates, only two were able to finish in three years or less. One worked eighteen hour days and weekends to do so. Everyone else took longer than three years, and funding continuation is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The impression I got is that funding won't be a problem, but it's just not explicitly discussed. Worst case scenario, I can finish elsewhere.
After further delays, our research group is finally going to be moving in September to our new building. My particular area won't move until the end of the month. Next week will be the last week I can do work in the lab. The following week is when we pack. The good thing about the timing of this move is the break from work. When there is no choice about the break, it makes it easier to just let things go and relax.
My break will actually be longer than just a few weeks. I am traveling to Dartmouth in October to work under Professor Paul Calvert for a month. He seems like a brilliant guy, and I expect to learn a lot from him and his group. Michelle will be in Dallas on a business trip during this time, and we join up again in Canada in early November for the last week and a half of our trip. We'll be having a look around the University of Waterloo, and I'll be giving a short presentation to the researchers there. That university has likewise been experiencing tremendous growth and investment, lately, and it may be where I park my career for awhile (or at least establish regular collaboration). We'll be looking at the neighborhoods, as well, to assess real estate (even though it's a long ways off, yet).
Once I get back here, I'll pick up my project where I left off, and I'll probably have a paper to write from my results at Dartmouth. Additionally, I'll have my annual departmental seminar to prepare. Next year promises to be busier as I take on my final project(s) and move towards wrapping everything up.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
City to Surf 2008
This past Sunday we ran the annual City to Surf charity run. There were over 70,000 people there, making it the largest chip-tracked race in the world. The race starts at Hyde Park in the Sydney CBD, and heads east for 14 km until the end at Bondi Beach. Michelle ran it last year, and since I've been doing more running, I decided to join in this year.
This winter has been longer and colder than last year, so the morning started out quite chilly. We caught the bus sponsored for the university group at about 6:45 a.m., and arrived at the start around 8:15. We were joined on the bus by one of Michelle's friends, Tajeen, and her boyfriend, Jerome, whom we met up with after arriving.
The sea of people was an impressive sight, and what made it even more fun were the costumes some people wore. (It's somewhat of a tradition for this race to dress in absurd costumes. There was a gorilla and a banana; a set of tools; Batman and Robin, and a number of other superheroes; cowboys and Indians; sumo wrestlers; women in formal gowns; men in bathrobes, and so on.)
There were four groups for the crowd. The first group contained all the most elite runners who either qualified or were invited; the second group semi-elite runners; the third group runners with no verifiable time records; the fourth walkers. Michelle was in the second group due to her time last year. I was in the third group. Michelle's friends were in the fourth group.
We all started towards the back of the third group rather than split up. I was a bit surprised how many in the third group kicked back and walked. They really should have been in the fourth group, or at least had the decency to move over to the side so those who wished to actually run could get by. Needless to say, the first third of the race was spent weaving through all these slow people who positioned themselves in the wrong group.
The course is a scenic route through the city, and decently challenging. I wouldn't say it was a difficult course, but at the halfway point was the so-called "heartbreak hill" -- which I think earned its moniker moreso because it's a long hill rather than for its steepness (it certainly isn't).
I ran quite well until about halfway up heartbreak hill, then I started inserting periodic walk breaks. Had it not been for the crowd, I likely would have been able to push myself better, as I've done on the local trails. Once I was over the hill, I picked up a full run again for a good stretch. However, for the final third of the race, I had to continue with the walk breaks to keep from over-exerting myself. The last couple of kilometers of the race were the longest. I got the impression I was nearing the finish line, so I kept pushing. But every block turned into another block, and time seemed to slow down.
Then I finally saw the beachfront, and you can imagine my disappointment when I realized it was farther away than I initially thought. Nevertheless, I continued to push myself as much as I could, and finished in under 100 minutes. I was exhausted. The only injuries I had were a couple of very minor blisters under one of my toes.
After replenishing my fluids with water and Gatorade, I caught up with Michelle and we found a nice cafe at the far north end of the beach where we got coffee and a couple of pastries. Overall, it was an enjoyable event -- though I probably wouldn't do that particular race again simply because it's overcrowded. A year ago there's no way I could have run that kind of distance. This year's trail race series starts up again next month, and I'm really looking forward to those.
This winter has been longer and colder than last year, so the morning started out quite chilly. We caught the bus sponsored for the university group at about 6:45 a.m., and arrived at the start around 8:15. We were joined on the bus by one of Michelle's friends, Tajeen, and her boyfriend, Jerome, whom we met up with after arriving.
The sea of people was an impressive sight, and what made it even more fun were the costumes some people wore. (It's somewhat of a tradition for this race to dress in absurd costumes. There was a gorilla and a banana; a set of tools; Batman and Robin, and a number of other superheroes; cowboys and Indians; sumo wrestlers; women in formal gowns; men in bathrobes, and so on.)
There were four groups for the crowd. The first group contained all the most elite runners who either qualified or were invited; the second group semi-elite runners; the third group runners with no verifiable time records; the fourth walkers. Michelle was in the second group due to her time last year. I was in the third group. Michelle's friends were in the fourth group.
We all started towards the back of the third group rather than split up. I was a bit surprised how many in the third group kicked back and walked. They really should have been in the fourth group, or at least had the decency to move over to the side so those who wished to actually run could get by. Needless to say, the first third of the race was spent weaving through all these slow people who positioned themselves in the wrong group.
The course is a scenic route through the city, and decently challenging. I wouldn't say it was a difficult course, but at the halfway point was the so-called "heartbreak hill" -- which I think earned its moniker moreso because it's a long hill rather than for its steepness (it certainly isn't).
I ran quite well until about halfway up heartbreak hill, then I started inserting periodic walk breaks. Had it not been for the crowd, I likely would have been able to push myself better, as I've done on the local trails. Once I was over the hill, I picked up a full run again for a good stretch. However, for the final third of the race, I had to continue with the walk breaks to keep from over-exerting myself. The last couple of kilometers of the race were the longest. I got the impression I was nearing the finish line, so I kept pushing. But every block turned into another block, and time seemed to slow down.
Then I finally saw the beachfront, and you can imagine my disappointment when I realized it was farther away than I initially thought. Nevertheless, I continued to push myself as much as I could, and finished in under 100 minutes. I was exhausted. The only injuries I had were a couple of very minor blisters under one of my toes.
After replenishing my fluids with water and Gatorade, I caught up with Michelle and we found a nice cafe at the far north end of the beach where we got coffee and a couple of pastries. Overall, it was an enjoyable event -- though I probably wouldn't do that particular race again simply because it's overcrowded. A year ago there's no way I could have run that kind of distance. This year's trail race series starts up again next month, and I'm really looking forward to those.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Various Updates
I didn't realize so much time had passed since my last post! These past few months have been quite eventful. Research is in full swing, our group is moving to a new campus in a couple of weeks, and free time is spent on recreation and relaxation.
Michelle and I spent a weekend in Sydney in early July for our anniversary. We visited the Australian Museum next to Hyde Park, spent a lot of time shopping and walking around, and enjoyed a few favorite haunts in the city.
My research project is still the same one I've been working on since about March this year. I've also been collaborating with other researchers on their projects and becoming more of a go-to guy in the lab. Currently I'm at a bit of a roadblock in my work, because the materials I'm making for cell culture are killing the cells when we try to culture them -- and I need something that doesn't kill cells. I've been reviewing scientific literature and have lots more ideas to try -- but those will have to wait a few weeks now, as our group is set to start packing for the move next week.
The new campus we are moving to looks extremely impressive. All the buildings are of very modern architecture, virtually all glass. That means lots of natural lighting, which will be a nice improvement over current conditions. I've got a desk right by a window. The campus is just a 5 minute walk from the beach. I'm looking forward to having that as a stress outlet during the day. We will be spending two weeks packing and disposing of old chemicals, followed by a week or so to move everything, then a week to unpack. That means work won't really resume until about September 1st (and that assumes no major hang-ups from the move).
On top of that I've been planning a trip to Boston for the whole month of October. I'll at Dartmouth working with Professor Paul Calvert. He attended the inkjet printing workshop we had last year and gave a nice presentation about his printer robot he built. The purpose of the trip is to learn all I can about this system he built and assess what it would take to build one for our group. It will be non-stop work all month, but I'll be able to add another chapter to my thesis from this project.
Despite all the demands on my schedule, I've still been able to easily fit in leisure. I got some new Salomon trail running shoes recently (thanks to friends in the States!), and tried them out this past weekend (they were great!). Michelle and I have been going for trail runs more often, and I'm noticing vast improvements in my endurance and strength. We also go to the gym for either a workout on equipment or swimming several nights a week. I'm also finally getting back into my guitar again after taking nearly a year off it. So basically we have a nice routine going that has a healthy balance of everything at the moment. (And I'll make sure the next post isn't so far out!)
Michelle and I spent a weekend in Sydney in early July for our anniversary. We visited the Australian Museum next to Hyde Park, spent a lot of time shopping and walking around, and enjoyed a few favorite haunts in the city.
My research project is still the same one I've been working on since about March this year. I've also been collaborating with other researchers on their projects and becoming more of a go-to guy in the lab. Currently I'm at a bit of a roadblock in my work, because the materials I'm making for cell culture are killing the cells when we try to culture them -- and I need something that doesn't kill cells. I've been reviewing scientific literature and have lots more ideas to try -- but those will have to wait a few weeks now, as our group is set to start packing for the move next week.
The new campus we are moving to looks extremely impressive. All the buildings are of very modern architecture, virtually all glass. That means lots of natural lighting, which will be a nice improvement over current conditions. I've got a desk right by a window. The campus is just a 5 minute walk from the beach. I'm looking forward to having that as a stress outlet during the day. We will be spending two weeks packing and disposing of old chemicals, followed by a week or so to move everything, then a week to unpack. That means work won't really resume until about September 1st (and that assumes no major hang-ups from the move).
On top of that I've been planning a trip to Boston for the whole month of October. I'll at Dartmouth working with Professor Paul Calvert. He attended the inkjet printing workshop we had last year and gave a nice presentation about his printer robot he built. The purpose of the trip is to learn all I can about this system he built and assess what it would take to build one for our group. It will be non-stop work all month, but I'll be able to add another chapter to my thesis from this project.
Despite all the demands on my schedule, I've still been able to easily fit in leisure. I got some new Salomon trail running shoes recently (thanks to friends in the States!), and tried them out this past weekend (they were great!). Michelle and I have been going for trail runs more often, and I'm noticing vast improvements in my endurance and strength. We also go to the gym for either a workout on equipment or swimming several nights a week. I'm also finally getting back into my guitar again after taking nearly a year off it. So basically we have a nice routine going that has a healthy balance of everything at the moment. (And I'll make sure the next post isn't so far out!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)