Today, during lunch, I attended a presentation on the diversity policy of TU Delft, and here's a quick overview of what struck me most:
- Even though the Netherlands is one of the most progressive and developed countries around, it has among the lowest percentages of female professors in the European Union (Belgium was even one place lower in that ranking).
- There was a lot of information on the Delft Fellowship for female academics, in an attempt to attract talented researched. It's aimed at researchers who have spent a few years in industry or as a post-doc, outside of the TU Delft. And this "outside of the TU Delft" seems to stir quite some discussion (should we give our research positions to foreigners?). And do we even need a fellowship which is only for women?
- Who reaches the top? White, male, Dutch academics who studied at TU Delft.
I still need to think about these issues, put it all into the context of my personal experience, and then I'll have an opinion on it. But as of now, I just find it an interesting topic.
A presentation in Dutch
on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Most of the time, I present in English, but every now and then I gt to talk in my native language.
It's a strange sensation that talking about my research in my mother tongue takes me slightly more effort than talking in English, for the following reasons:
- I usually read papers in English, and am more familiar with the technical terms in English
- In Dutch, I feel more tempted to slide into my own dialect, and I have to do extra effort to talk in standard Dutch. In English, I simply have a funny foreign accent.
- I present more often in English than in Dutch, so I am more familiar with presenting in English.
I was wondering if and how other non-native speakers experience presenting their research in their native language...
For those who are interested, here's the presentation I gave:
It's a strange sensation that talking about my research in my mother tongue takes me slightly more effort than talking in English, for the following reasons:
- I usually read papers in English, and am more familiar with the technical terms in English
- In Dutch, I feel more tempted to slide into my own dialect, and I have to do extra effort to talk in standard Dutch. In English, I simply have a funny foreign accent.
- I present more often in English than in Dutch, so I am more familiar with presenting in English.
I was wondering if and how other non-native speakers experience presenting their research in their native language...
For those who are interested, here's the presentation I gave:
Afschuiving in betonnen platen
View more presentations from elantsoght.
Five reasons why I decided to pursue a PhD
on Monday, September 19, 2011
Some time ago, I was asked why I decided to pursue a PhD, and how I got an idea of what a PhD candidate's work life looks like. In fact, I had always liked to idea of simply keeping on studying (there's always more to learn), but when I went to Georgia Tech and was in class with both MS and PhD students, I got a more realistic idea of what I could expect when deciding to pursue a doctoral degree.
Ultimately, these five reasons are the main reasons why I decided to study for a PhD, and why I enjoy my studies and research so much:
1. Curiosity
I wanted to know more, I wanted to figure out things - and for that reason, research is about the best fit possible. I was also curious to explore my own boundaries and abilities and to get off the beaten path and "work my way through the woods".
2. Intellectual freedom
Even though I do have deadlines, I still have enough time and space to spend on developing thoughts that simply seem interesting to me. Also, I dislike authority very much, and being able to work for my degree on my project in all the freedom I like, is about the most ideal work-situation for me.
3. Self-development
While pursuing my doctoral degree, I have been developing my transferable skills much more than I expected to do. I've had the opportunity to attend workshops and trainings for this goal, but I have also had the opportunities to bring into practice what I've learned from these workshops - by presenting for various audiences, traveling to conferences and juggling several smaller projects at the same time.
4. Challenge
The ultimate goal of a doctoral dissertation is to present an original contribution to your study field. To fulfill this requirement, certain intellectual boundaries have to be pushed, or -as my best friend states it- we have to reinvent hot water every day.
5. Fun
Science, and in my case experimental research, is fun. There's always an unexpected challenge (or, for the pessimists among us, a problem) which requires an original and preferable quick fix.
Ultimately, these five reasons are the main reasons why I decided to study for a PhD, and why I enjoy my studies and research so much:
1. Curiosity
I wanted to know more, I wanted to figure out things - and for that reason, research is about the best fit possible. I was also curious to explore my own boundaries and abilities and to get off the beaten path and "work my way through the woods".
2. Intellectual freedom
Even though I do have deadlines, I still have enough time and space to spend on developing thoughts that simply seem interesting to me. Also, I dislike authority very much, and being able to work for my degree on my project in all the freedom I like, is about the most ideal work-situation for me.
3. Self-development
While pursuing my doctoral degree, I have been developing my transferable skills much more than I expected to do. I've had the opportunity to attend workshops and trainings for this goal, but I have also had the opportunities to bring into practice what I've learned from these workshops - by presenting for various audiences, traveling to conferences and juggling several smaller projects at the same time.
4. Challenge
The ultimate goal of a doctoral dissertation is to present an original contribution to your study field. To fulfill this requirement, certain intellectual boundaries have to be pushed, or -as my best friend states it- we have to reinvent hot water every day.
5. Fun
Science, and in my case experimental research, is fun. There's always an unexpected challenge (or, for the pessimists among us, a problem) which requires an original and preferable quick fix.
Blog birthday!
on Thursday, September 15, 2011
Yesterday was PhD talk's first birthday. One year since my first blog post, and I must say it has been a great experience.
I started off this blog to keep track of how I am doing with my resolutions (stay focused and find a work-life balance), but this blog has taken many directions. I've found a way to write about my research, what it means to do research, and many other remotely related topics.
Here's a big "Thank you" for my readers and subscribers! I never thought my writing would be read in the first place, but I'm glad to see your comments and input! Thank you all so much!
So, after a year, how am I doing with my resolutions?
1. Stay focused
Major improvements! My ability to focus and concentrate has greatly increased - partially because I have been training my concentration "muscle", but also partially because I feel more time-pressure on the different tasks I am juggling, which makes me gear up to a higher mode of concentration.
2. Work-life balance
I still spend more hours on my PhD than what you'd spend on a "normal" job, but I enjoy it a lot, and get a lot of energy and joy out of doing research - especially when I "find" something. It looks like a work-life balance to me means a large shot of work and a large shot of "life" in there, and as little "idling" time as possible. I've been working out a lot, playing music a lot, writing in my dairy, blogging, occasionally writing poems and drawing, reading Good Books, modeling, making scrapbooks, spending time in nature, spending time with my family, traveling, sleeping more and trying out new recipes (to mention a few). You might get tired by simply reading this list, but I've found that to keep going is what really fuels me. An evening in front of the TV just feels like wasted time to me.
Research-wise it has been an amazing year, too. I've started to feel confident about my research and to grow as a teacher. Currently, I'm juggling a crazy amount of different tasks - and I totally love it. Since I have a problem with authority, the freedom of academia seems to stimulate me to perform in an optimal way.
Personally, too, this past year (I was 25) has been among my top 3 favorite life-years ever (together with 23 and 17).
I started off this blog to keep track of how I am doing with my resolutions (stay focused and find a work-life balance), but this blog has taken many directions. I've found a way to write about my research, what it means to do research, and many other remotely related topics.
Here's a big "Thank you" for my readers and subscribers! I never thought my writing would be read in the first place, but I'm glad to see your comments and input! Thank you all so much!
So, after a year, how am I doing with my resolutions?
1. Stay focused
Major improvements! My ability to focus and concentrate has greatly increased - partially because I have been training my concentration "muscle", but also partially because I feel more time-pressure on the different tasks I am juggling, which makes me gear up to a higher mode of concentration.
2. Work-life balance
I still spend more hours on my PhD than what you'd spend on a "normal" job, but I enjoy it a lot, and get a lot of energy and joy out of doing research - especially when I "find" something. It looks like a work-life balance to me means a large shot of work and a large shot of "life" in there, and as little "idling" time as possible. I've been working out a lot, playing music a lot, writing in my dairy, blogging, occasionally writing poems and drawing, reading Good Books, modeling, making scrapbooks, spending time in nature, spending time with my family, traveling, sleeping more and trying out new recipes (to mention a few). You might get tired by simply reading this list, but I've found that to keep going is what really fuels me. An evening in front of the TV just feels like wasted time to me.
Research-wise it has been an amazing year, too. I've started to feel confident about my research and to grow as a teacher. Currently, I'm juggling a crazy amount of different tasks - and I totally love it. Since I have a problem with authority, the freedom of academia seems to stimulate me to perform in an optimal way.
Personally, too, this past year (I was 25) has been among my top 3 favorite life-years ever (together with 23 and 17).
Structural engineering conferences
on Sunday, September 11, 2011
There are a few websites I regularly check to see if there's an interesting conference coming up to which I should submit an abstract. These are:
ACI: International conferences
fib events
ASCE Conferences
After attending a few conferences, I now also receive calls for abstracts in my mailbox regularly.
Over the past two years, I've attended the following conferences:
Structural Faults and Repair
This is a conference specialized in repair and strengthening of existing structures. Case studies from practicing engineers as well as academic research are presented. It's organized in the marvelous city of Edinburgh.
fib PhD symposium in Civil Engineering
This conference is organized for PhD students, mainly for PhD students researching structural concrete. Presentations are 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion - so there is plenty of time to go in-depth. It's also a great place to practice presenting skills among your peers.
ASCE Structures Congress
Eight parallel tracks, featuring all topics related to structural engineering... This conference bundles a vast amount of expertise and information into a few days' worth of time - planning your schedule ahead is a must! I learned a lot on bridge engineering, as I chose to mainly attend the sessions in the bridge engineering track.
fib symposium
This conference is entirely focused on structural concrete - and I was very pleased to find several entire sessions dedicated to the problem of shear in concrete. Again, with several parallel tracks, planning your schedule in advance is required.
ACI: International conferences
fib events
ASCE Conferences
After attending a few conferences, I now also receive calls for abstracts in my mailbox regularly.
Over the past two years, I've attended the following conferences:
Structural Faults and Repair
This is a conference specialized in repair and strengthening of existing structures. Case studies from practicing engineers as well as academic research are presented. It's organized in the marvelous city of Edinburgh.
fib PhD symposium in Civil Engineering
This conference is organized for PhD students, mainly for PhD students researching structural concrete. Presentations are 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion - so there is plenty of time to go in-depth. It's also a great place to practice presenting skills among your peers.
ASCE Structures Congress
Eight parallel tracks, featuring all topics related to structural engineering... This conference bundles a vast amount of expertise and information into a few days' worth of time - planning your schedule ahead is a must! I learned a lot on bridge engineering, as I chose to mainly attend the sessions in the bridge engineering track.
fib symposium
This conference is entirely focused on structural concrete - and I was very pleased to find several entire sessions dedicated to the problem of shear in concrete. Again, with several parallel tracks, planning your schedule in advance is required.
Five helpful websites
on Saturday, September 3, 2011
In today's sea of information, I selected a few websites which are part of my daily toolbox.
1. Rescuetime
Together with ManicTime (which does not depend on internet connection), these timetracking software tools have greatly increased not only my productivity, but also my understanding of how I divide my time and how I can take most benefit out of it.
2. GoogleReader
I used to check several websites and blogs at random times. GoogleReader has become the portal through which I manage updates from sites and blogs
3. Diigo
The Diigo toolbar and library website help me to save interesting articles for later, make lists of favorite sites, highlight excerpts of websites here and there and tag all this information into relevant categories.
4. BeoLingus
This extensive, easy-to-operate online dictionary German-English has helped me through several German papers.
5. Scopus
Scopus has become the search engine to which I turn for finding papers and technical documents.
In the background: Grooveshark
When last.fm turned into a paid service, I searched for an alternative, and ended up really enjoying Grooveshark.
Which websites have become an integral part of your daily work and research experience?
1. Rescuetime
Together with ManicTime (which does not depend on internet connection), these timetracking software tools have greatly increased not only my productivity, but also my understanding of how I divide my time and how I can take most benefit out of it.
2. GoogleReader
I used to check several websites and blogs at random times. GoogleReader has become the portal through which I manage updates from sites and blogs
3. Diigo
The Diigo toolbar and library website help me to save interesting articles for later, make lists of favorite sites, highlight excerpts of websites here and there and tag all this information into relevant categories.
4. BeoLingus
This extensive, easy-to-operate online dictionary German-English has helped me through several German papers.
5. Scopus
Scopus has become the search engine to which I turn for finding papers and technical documents.
In the background: Grooveshark
When last.fm turned into a paid service, I searched for an alternative, and ended up really enjoying Grooveshark.
Which websites have become an integral part of your daily work and research experience?
Halfway my PhD
on Thursday, September 1, 2011
Today, I'm exactly halfway the time it is supposed to take me to finish my PhD. Looking back at the past two years, and thinking of what still needs to be done, I find it hard to tell if I am on schedule, but I can say for certain that I've had a fruitful learning experience so far.
What I've done so far:
- Experiments: the largest chunk of my time has gone into preparing and carrying out experiments in the lab. In total we've done 134 tests on 31 specimens by now, and we've just started our smaller, second series of experiments.
- Reading: I've been reading technical papers and reports with an insatiable hunger for a broader knowledge. I'm nearing 500 entries into Endnote (which just looks like a fun number, but it doesn't tell you that much). What matters is that I feel that I've started to get a good overview on what we know with regard to shear in concrete and existing concrete bridges.
- Analysis: I've done the larger part of data analysis of the experiments which I have finished.
- Writing/presenting my research: I've written a few conference papers, gave some talks and am about to finish a set of research reports.
- Case studies on existing bridges: which I found very valuable - maybe mot directly for my thesis, but definitely for my general understanding of my topic.
- Teaching: I've been TA for a course for two years, and I've just seen my first MSc thesis student defend with flying colors and graduate.
- Study: Of only one course I followed the course and finished the exam. Since I have no requirement for a certain amount of credits I should obtain to get my degree, I've been mainly shopping around in some courses to learn what I directly need. I wanted to study more, but I couldn't combine it with my busy lab-schedule. Additionally, I followed some workshops and courses on skills for PhD students, which I found very helpful.
What I still need to do:
- Finish my experiments, 7 more slabs to go.
- Analysis: I'm curious to see what will come out of these new experiments
- Development of a theory: I have a few loose ideas, but I have to do it. This is still an enormous task to tackle.
- Writing: I haven't finished my literature review yet. I haven't written any chapter of my thesis at all (a thought which by times mildly distresses me). I don't have a journal paper out yet, either. Also, I want to write more conference papers.
- Teaching: keep doing and keep learning from practice.
What I've learned so far:
- Writing: When I look chronologically at the different conference papers I've written, I see progress in my own writing. I try to improve step by step.
- Organizing/Productivity: Bit by bit, I've been developing my own ways to keep all my documents and ongoing projects organized and up-and-running.My main goal now is (still) to be able to get as much out of my concentration and focus as possible.
- Teaching: If I compare the way I was TA-ing the course last year and this year, I notice that I've become much better organized and found a way which works very well for me.
It's been an interesting journey so far - and I'm really curious to see where the path will be going.
What I've done so far:
- Experiments: the largest chunk of my time has gone into preparing and carrying out experiments in the lab. In total we've done 134 tests on 31 specimens by now, and we've just started our smaller, second series of experiments.
- Reading: I've been reading technical papers and reports with an insatiable hunger for a broader knowledge. I'm nearing 500 entries into Endnote (which just looks like a fun number, but it doesn't tell you that much). What matters is that I feel that I've started to get a good overview on what we know with regard to shear in concrete and existing concrete bridges.
- Analysis: I've done the larger part of data analysis of the experiments which I have finished.
- Writing/presenting my research: I've written a few conference papers, gave some talks and am about to finish a set of research reports.
- Case studies on existing bridges: which I found very valuable - maybe mot directly for my thesis, but definitely for my general understanding of my topic.
- Teaching: I've been TA for a course for two years, and I've just seen my first MSc thesis student defend with flying colors and graduate.
- Study: Of only one course I followed the course and finished the exam. Since I have no requirement for a certain amount of credits I should obtain to get my degree, I've been mainly shopping around in some courses to learn what I directly need. I wanted to study more, but I couldn't combine it with my busy lab-schedule. Additionally, I followed some workshops and courses on skills for PhD students, which I found very helpful.
What I still need to do:
- Finish my experiments, 7 more slabs to go.
- Analysis: I'm curious to see what will come out of these new experiments
- Development of a theory: I have a few loose ideas, but I have to do it. This is still an enormous task to tackle.
- Writing: I haven't finished my literature review yet. I haven't written any chapter of my thesis at all (a thought which by times mildly distresses me). I don't have a journal paper out yet, either. Also, I want to write more conference papers.
- Teaching: keep doing and keep learning from practice.
What I've learned so far:
- Writing: When I look chronologically at the different conference papers I've written, I see progress in my own writing. I try to improve step by step.
- Organizing/Productivity: Bit by bit, I've been developing my own ways to keep all my documents and ongoing projects organized and up-and-running.My main goal now is (still) to be able to get as much out of my concentration and focus as possible.
- Teaching: If I compare the way I was TA-ing the course last year and this year, I notice that I've become much better organized and found a way which works very well for me.
It's been an interesting journey so far - and I'm really curious to see where the path will be going.
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