Some Things Don't Change

My Ph.D. advisor was in my Big City giving a talk yesterday. I just spent four months back in his group at Sabbatical U (aka Grad School U). The experience was one long deja vu - I even had my old desk back.

Anyway, yesterday, I went to his talk, a well attended affair at a local university, hosted by a local section of the national professional organization. At dinner, my advisor sees me and rushes over. He gave me a big hug, and thanked me for coming, saying he had forgotten I might be there. He catches me up on the group, Amazing Chinese Guy just took a postdoc at Harvard, Really Nice post doc is expecting a baby, etc. I told him I just did a well-received presentation on my campus about what I did on my sabbatical.

"That's Great! Some day you'll have to tell me."

It's true, I owe him a draft.

August Scientiae Carnival: Balance Questions and Answers

Here it is, finally! The August Scientiae Carnival. Happy reading! If I missed something, let me know. I will again blame Harry Potter. The next carnival is scheduled for September 1st at Zuska's.


Balance? Hmm, let's discuss.

Flicka Mawa at A Cat Nap has a blogosphere discussion about balance complete with reading list.

Propter Doc weighs up all the things that must be done and considers a few strategies for coping with it all. Hypoglycemiagirl provides some suggestions for traveling when your life is happening in three different countries and discusses how getting enough exercise is a challenge.

Amelie wonders whether hanging out with scientists all the time is good or bad and Veo Claramente now at Cool Immunology wonders if life in academia can be balanced.

Balance? Smalance! Let's see some science fun!

A carnival reader nominated these posts by Keet Leibowitz at
The Keet and Nini Show with Keet's drawings of girls doing science, along with discussions of burning magnesium and the all important difference between the word organism and a word that is spelled in a similar fashion.

Pat at Fairer Science Weblog decides: Balance No. Oobleck Yes.

Balance? First, can we all agree that academia has some serious problems?

Bug Girl lays out a persuasive argument that academia is a cult. Rob Knop at Galactic Interactions writes an amazing and frank post about leaving academia when he found that his career was interfering with his life. And this older and quite provocative Bitch Ph.D. post about kids, academia and life is very interesting and will likely provoke discussion.

Balance? Perhaps that's not the precise word we're looking for.

Dr. Free-Ride at Adventures in Ethics and Science writes about how her life involves juggling, not balance. Zuska wonders how one balances nothing and talks about what happens when health interferes with your career plans.

Balance? Yes? We think. Maybe.

Rebecca at Adventures in Applied Math describes how she tries to balance by finding a work schedule that works for her and I worry about how and where I choose to do my work influences how others perceive me.

Bug Girl writes about balancing her desire to do one thing for the good of the many with the strategic thing for the good of the one.

MrsWhatsit at I Love Science, Really discusses how you don't think about balance until it is absent and how to balance mental health and career.

Balance? Yes!

Dr. Shellie suggests running for improved balance. Estraven at Proving Theorems finds that balance is easier when you like your colleagues.

Flicka Mawa discusses how having a really full plate helps her achieve balance along with the attitude that grad school is not her everything.

Balance? In progress.

New mom Jane at See Jane Compute shares with us some of her insights and questions from taking Baby Jane to a conference. Among them, she wonders whether people finding out she has a new baby will make her appear less professional and wonders whether men even consider this question.

Two women starting tenure track jobs in the fall Skookumchick and Tenure Track Newbie find themselves already being drafted for committees and other service tasks months before they can expect their first paychecks.

And last but not least, Science Woman writes an incredibly inspiring post about how she will not be a foregone conclusion in her attempts to balance life and career as she begins her new tenure-track job this fall.

***********

A big thank you for all of you who submitted and nominated posts and encouraged others to do so!

It's About Time

After too long of a break, I have finally recruited some research students. Two undergraduates have agreed do research with me this academic year - one starting in the Fall and one in the Spring. Not ideal, as I'd rather have them start together, but I haven't had any students in a while, so this is great news!

The largest group I have had was six - two M.S. students and four undergrads. We got so much done! This was all at my previous institution. Since coming to Suburban Liberal Arts College, I've had a harder time recruiting students. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about why this is so. I believe it is partially difficulties inherent in the department and curriculum. However, that said, I have not been handling the situation strategically. I need to change this to keep momentum going from my sabbatical.

Here are the situational difficulties: We have only about 4-8 majors per year. Most are interested in sub-fields that aren't mine (computational physchembio). We have no mandatory research requirement, and students often don't take classes in my area until their senior year. We are in a heavily populated area with lots of part time jobs available, and many students don't feel they have time to do something "extra". On the other hand, when they are seniors, things change. Many start to consider grad school and they begin to lament the fact that they did not do undergraduate research.

So, what have I done to recruit students? Well, not a whole lot. I've had two summer students work for me at SLAC, but only on a very, very part-time basis. They were too busy with all their other jobs/summer courses/vacation plans. I've occasionally asked other students, but nothing has ever come from this for various reasons. Clearly, I need to try harder.

Here's what I find most frustrating: the students we have are not really driven by science when they come in the door. Often, this attitude persists for most of their undergraduate career and it is only during that senior year that they start to come alive in this way. This is fabulous to see, but four months from graduating is a little late to start research. So what to do? I need to learn how to spot this potential earlier.

At my previous institution, I was slow to figure out how to recruit students as well. Eventually, I did manage to get more than one at a time and then it was much easier. They recruited others. How did I do it in the first place? First, I started to recruit students who were really bright, but who I did not know personally. These students had not yet taken classes in my area (though were about to), and were strong enough students to learn fast. Second, I recruited students with whom I had a good rapport. Often, they were not interested in my area of research, but wanted to work with me anyway because we got on well. How is it I forgot all this?

So, following up on strategy one, I asked this question of a colleague: Which sophomore are really strong students who seem to like the math stuff? I got two names, wrote two e-mails, and now I have two students.

Now, if I can get strategy two to be even half as productive, I should be in good shape.

The Value of Sabbatical

A senior colleague recently remarked that it must be so distracting for me to be at a university for my sabbatical. This comment was made to another colleague of ours who is of more recent vintage.

Younger colleague (YC) was appropriately shocked by his (SC's) comment. She (YC) asked what he meant. SC said all the group meetings and seminars must be distracting! YC set him straight, but she and I both found the attitude so odd. It is also not clear that SC was convinced.

To provide some context: my college is your standard small regional liberal arts college - sabbatical U is an R1 with fabulous research support. Obviously, the context is important here. At SLAC, I have a relatively high teaching load. This is typically something like 3 lectures 2 labs per semester. The exact lecture/lab ratio varies somewhat, as does the load between terms within but this is a good approximation. We have almost no tech support, so lab prep is also faculty responsibility. Research, then, takes a back seat to teaching during the academic year. While some time can be carved out for ongoing research, the truth is that the majority of this is done in the summer. For me, it is very difficult to initiate new projects in the small amount of time available in the summer.

Here's what I've found to be the true value of a sabbatical leave for me:

1. Exposure to new ideas
   
   Seminars and group meetings have been excellent opportunities to hear about what is going on in my subfield. We have only very sporadic research seminars at my SLAC. These are graduate school recruiting seminars and are rarely related to my subfield of study. At Sabbatical U, with frequent colloquiums and seminar series, there is no problem finding something relevant to attend. In fact, Sabbatical U has a biweekly interdisciplinary seminar series in my sub-sub-subfield. This series is narrowly enough defined that I'm sure it would be of little interest outside the target audience. In fact, the title of the series made YC laugh when she heard it. However, it is directly relevant to my research.
   
   Most seminars I've attended have given me at least one idea to use in research or teaching. So I guess they are distracting, but in a good way.
   
   I also have a budding collaboration with a seminar speaker. Though this was not originally in my plans, it has set me off in a new and exciting research direction. This kind of serendipity is priceless.
   
   
2. Time to read, talk, listen and discuss
   
   Working with people in the same research area has been a great way to learn new techniques, consider new approaches and get excited about science again. This is perhaps a no-brainer, but coming back after being out of the environment so long makes the contrast obvious. Sure, at my college we may discuss current literature in seminars occasionally, but these discussions are almost never relevant to my research. On the other hand, papers discussed in group meetings at Sabbatical U. usually are. Being in close proximity to other researchers allows me to "think out loud" and try out new ideas, and gives me immediate feedback and often very helpful advice. Having more time to devote to reading the literature has also been a luxury.
   
   
3. Time to think
   
   This is perhaps the most important thing for me. Having no teaching responsibilities this semester beyond picking textbooks and similar administrative tasks for the Fall has left me with much more time on my hands. Of course, this gives me a chance to actually make progress on the projects I am working on. However, the focused time to think - really think - about new ideas and directions has been the most refreshing thing. Sure, sometimes people get good ideas as epiphanies that just come to them. But, it seems that ideas flow much more freely for me when my brain is not focused on, say, my class prep for tomorrow. Instead, my brain has time to synthesize ideas from the paper I read this morning, the seminar I heard yesterday and something the grad student sharing my lab said twenty minutes ago. This I was not expecting, because it is hard to imagine synthesis happening until it does.
   

Of course, YC and I both realize that some group meetings and some seminars turn out to be unproductive. But, this is the price for the productive ones. One just hopes the ratio of productive to unproductive is suitably high.

YC and I discussed SC's comment. Considering it in his context is helpful. His last two sabbaticals (at least) involved preparing something specific related to teaching. In both cases, he had a well defined project and knew 95%-100% of what he needed to to implement it. His goals did not include working out plans for research for the next X years, as mine do. In his case, he believes that going to seminars would have taken away some of what one might call his "production time."

In my case, I needed time to work on research projects. I also needed to learn a few new techniques to stay current in my field. But, none of this would truly make a difference in my professional life if I don't have new research ideas that might be publishable. Thanks to my sabbatical leave, I think I do.

The best possible outcome

A month or so ago, I applied for an open Assistant Dean position at my college. I had mixed feelings, as it is something I would like to do down the line, but not now. I've had a productive and helpful sabbatical so far and have about two or three years worth of research projects planned. (It's amazing how having time to think and reflect helps one think clearly.)

I decided to apply anyway. Two reasons: (a) the opening is now not later and (b) there are several other administrative things that will be coming up shortly, so I thought it advisable to apply for the assistant dean to get on the radar.

To: twice@slac.edu
From: dean@slac.edu
Date: April 27, 2007
Re: Assistant Dean Position
.
.
.

[Insert stuff here about candidate chosen (not me) and why. Fabulous choice btw.]
.
.
.


I was very, very impressed with your interview and think that it would be Small College's loss if you did not continue to be involved in administrative work at the College. I would like to talk to you about this more. Would you be willing to give [administrative assistant] a call and set up a time to meet?

I could be wrong, but I think this means I am on the radar.

A Semester to Focus

My sabbatical is half over. It seems like now is a good time to reflect on my progress.

Dr. H. is also on sabbatical, and we decided to get away. This has been good, but time-consuming due to logistical challenges. There is the new day care for the kids, the economics of maintaining two households and the like. We are spending our sabbaticals at the well-funded R1 university where I did my Ph.D. This means excellent library access and frequent top-notch seminars.

So here is what is good:

• I'm learning a new technique "everybody" does. Why is it the cool girl at the party? It appears to be very good for certain applications, and it allows us to do things we could not do before. Still, I can't help thinking some of the technique's popularity is simply because it is "in". Whatever the reason, because everyone does it now, I must also do it to be able to continue to publish in my field. I'm making some progress on this.
  
  
• I'm working on a paper for a project that has been gathering dust for years. Hopefully, I will be able to submit it in a few weeks.
  
  
• I may have set up a collaboration that could be very lucrative. This would have never happened had I not been here.
  
  
• The kids love their new daycare. It is a unique place and it is like they are on sabbatical too.
  
  
• Did I mention the library access?
  

What's bad:

• The "overhead" of being away cuts into our research time. It is likely this is compensated for by the removal from departmental/institutional time sinks at our home institutions, however.
  
  
• Dr. H feels more isolated here than I do. I am more at home in my department and am in a formal research group. He is working on a writing project, a much more solitary endeavor.
  
  
• Not everyone realizes we are on sabbatical to work. Relatives, for example, wonder why we can not just visit any time we want - or why they can't just visit us whenever they want. I've heard the second problem is much worse if you go on sabbatical somewhere like Hawaii.
  
  
• Did I mention that maintaining two households is expensive?
  
  

Despite the expense and overhead of being away, I would do it again. If we had stayed local I would not have such great access to journals and people, and I'd probably be spending half my time dealing with departmental stuff. It sucks you in. Now I just have to figure out a way to fend off time sinks and chatty colleagues when I return. ...assuming the e-mail in my previous post comes to naught.