Welcome to all those who joined my list at Congress in Ottawa. It was great to meet you and I hope that I can continue to provide you with useful information to help you achieve your research goals.
If you want to know more about me, check out the Who I Am page on the website.
For those of you who want the credentials and academic details there is a link to my résumé in that page. And through the wonders of the internet, my publications list is clickable. Some of the links will require subscriptions, which I assume you have through your institution.
For those that prefer a more personal connection, I keep a personal blog called Tricotomania & more.
Enough with the preliminaries, how was congress?
If the main purpose of academic conferences is to meet new people and share ideas, how did I do?
Here’s a little round up of things I learned.
The Book Fair
On the down side, standing up all day is really physically tiring. Doing it for 8 days is pretty tough. I’m the kind of person for whom the phrase “woman in comfortable shoes” was invented but it took me a few days to find the ideal pair. In hindsight, it seems obvious that Clarks should have been my first choice.
On the up side, I met a lot of interesting people doing interesting things. And I got a lot of positive responses.
A few tenure-track people perked right up when I told them what I did, immediately recognizing that there is help available for them as they negotiate this new life as university professors.
And senior people were also interested. More than one listened attentively, and then took my card to give to junior colleagues who they thought might benefit from my help. That vote of confidence was important for me.
The majority of those I spoke to, and those who signed up for the list, were students. I hope that I can help make your time as a graduate student more enjoyable and more rewarding whatever you decide to do once you are finished.
I also learned that many people think once a week is too frequent. So my posting frequency may drop a bit while I figure out what works.
In future I would do things differently.
While the cozy living room atmosphere wasn’t a terrible idea, the coffee table was too low for signing up for things. And I rarely sat in the chairs. Most people walk by and stop briefly. Only a few want to commit to sitting down and having a conversation.
Maybe a tall table with the bar-stool type chairs would be more appropriate. I think the furniture people call it a “bistro” table and chairs. Those who don’t want to sit can at least write things at that table height. And maybe I don’t have to stand for 8 days straight.
I also need to have better signage. Most people were baffled by the lack of books, but seemed worried that I was going to sell them insurance. Even a basic sign could allay that fear and invite questions about how I can help you achieve your research goals.
If you were there and have ideas, please let me know either in the comments or by e-mail.
Managing Your Research Career
The presentations went well, despite some technical issues on Monday. Compared to giving the presentation by candlelight in a windowless room (which I have done before), it was a piece of cake. I’ve posted the PowerPoint slides here. There is no audio. The slides are an outline of the talk.
I received positive feedback and now need to think about how I can build on that presentation in positive ways to help you actually manage your career more effectively.
One thing I might work on in the next few weeks is adding audio to that slide show.
But I’m also wondering whether some kind of group class delivered using web technology (possibly asynchronous, because you are all busy) might help. Somewhere to check in with me and others in a similar situation when you are stuck, and something to give you some structure so you do the things you want to do.
In the meantime, I welcome suggestions from faculty who would find a “Managing Your Research Career” class helpful. What kinds of things would you find helpful and how often? You can comment on this post or send me an e-mail.
If you are reading this in an e-mail, you can click through to the website to leave comments.
I hope your research is going well this summer. Don’t forget to take some time to enjoy the good weather, relax and recharge.
