Crashes and Dissertations
On July 16, 1994, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 began it’s week-long assault on the planet Jupiter. It didn’t work out well for the comet. And, it tends not to work out well for dissertation students when they do the same thing… I started graduate school in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago just a […]
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Giving and Dissertations
July 15th is National Give Something Away Day. You can celebrate by giving back, paying it forward, or sharing something. One of the top three complaints I hear from doctoral students is that they’re all alone, let’s talk about how giving can break this cycle… On a daily basis I hear doctoral students tell me […]
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Solo and Dissertations
July 13th is Han Solo’s birthday. (OK, technically it’s Harrison Ford’s birthday, but stay with me on this one.) Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on the life of Han Solo and the lessons it has for your dissertation… 1. Han Solo was proactive. Just after we first meet Han Solo, he is confronted […]
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Simplicity and Dissertations
July 12th is National Simplicity Day. Today is a day to think about the core you and your core life. What things are complicating your life and getting in the way of you being your authentic self? And, while we’re at it, what can you do to make your dissertation simpler? Oliver Wendell Holmes said, […]
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Loneliness and Dissertations
July 11th is National Cheer Up the Lonely Day, and dissertation students are some of the loneliest people out there… Yesterday I discussed some of the incredible passions that doctoral students hold dear to their hearts. They want to share, motivate, and inspire. They want to make an impact in the lives of those around […]
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Scopes and Dissertations
On July 10th, 1925, the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial began in Dayton, Tennessee. The trial was actually concerned with a misdemeanor offense resulting in a $100 fine. However, the fallout from this trial changed the world by firmly establishing the concepts of separation of church and state, freedom of speech, and academic freedom. This notion […]
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“Dr. Livingstone, I Presume” and Dissertations
On July 9th, 1867, E.D. Young set out to find Dr. David Livingstone who had disappeared about two years earlier on an expedition of his own to find the source of the Nile River. The search successfully concluded nearly four years later with the famous salutation, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Those familiar with history would […]
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APA and Dissertations
On July 8th, 1892, the American Psychological Association was first organized in Worchester, Massachusetts. Since then the APA has worked tirelessly to promote the development and application of psychology, to establish high standards of research ethics, and to become the bane of existence for doctoral students working on their dissertations everywhere… Despite the APA’s many publications, divisions, […]
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Sliced Bread and Dissertations
On this day, July 7th, in 1928, the Chillicothe Baking Company sold the first loaf of sliced bread. “Kleen Maid Sliced Bread” was marketed as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped.” Sliced bread has since become the metric against greatness is measured, in everything from food to inventions to […]
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Kisses and Dissertations
July 6th is World Kiss Day. Hopefully, when you woke this morning, you gave your partner a kiss. Maybe you have young children who still live at home, and you were able to give them a kiss before you rushed off to work today. A kiss from a mother can soothe a scrapped knee. A […]
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