Let me start out by giving shout-outs to teclo, D and IrishLibra, it was really cool to only be here for two days and already have some people leaving comments. Thanks!
I had an interesting experience today. My lab has a weekly meeting, it's actually a joint meeting between two labs, the heads of which are my respective thesis advisors. THere aren't that many people, I think when everyone shows up, which they never do, there are maybe 13 or 14 people. We listen to one of my advisors run her mouth off for about 30 minutes talking 'lab business' (basically, a chance for people to vent their petty frustrations) and then for the next 90 minutes someone from one of the labs is responsible for giving a presentation. Usually with postdocs and grad students (like me) you spend that time talking about your project, what kind of experiments you're doing, why you're doing them and how they've turned out so far. It's kind of annoying to have to do, but you end up getting some good feedback from other people in the lab (people ask LOTS of questions) and it forces you to organize your thoughts and give some perspective on how much you've accomplished. And with this many people, you only need to give a presentation maybe two or three times a year, which isn't bad.
Well, today the person presenting was a technician in the lab, which means basically an assistant without an advanced degree who is hired to help out the researchers in the lab with menial stuff that nobody else wants to do. It's kind of a shit job, but I worked as one for two years before I started grad school, because it's a good way to get yourself into graduate school if you have... um.... some difficulties with your grades in college. And if the professor you work for is cool, a lot of times they'll give you your own project, which is really good practice.
Anyway, this girl gave a presentation, which one some levels was quite good, and on other levels was pretty bad. Well, maybe not bad, but I guess sophomoric would be the best description. Not having that much experience with doing experiments, she tends to overstate the results of whatever it is that she's talking about, and makes it sound like a very limited, small experiment has just solved one of the great scientific mysteries of the ages, when it clearly hasn't. She does this a lot, and for some reason it really pisses me off.
I was wondering why it pisses me off, because clearly it's just a result of her lack of experience, I'm sure I was probably the same way when I was a technician without much practice doing science. I remember hearing somewhere that some of the things that annoy us the most in other people are aspects of our own character that we dislike. So I wonder how much of that I do myself.
It's always kind of interesting to take a step back and evaluate the kinds of things you were thinking a year, or five years, or ten years ago, and see how much you've changed. I used to be embarrassed when I did that, thinking how everyone must have thought I was spouting out stupid shit while feigning brilliance. Now I wonder if maybe they just silently shook their heads and wondered when I was going to get my shit together and figure things out for myself. It makes me wonder if I've figured anything out at all, if a year from now I'll look back on the way I am today and think "What a doofus."
I don't know how I ended up there from where I started. My editor is on vacation, I guess.
Until tomorrow (or later tonight, if I get bored)...
I had an interesting experience today. My lab has a weekly meeting, it's actually a joint meeting between two labs, the heads of which are my respective thesis advisors. THere aren't that many people, I think when everyone shows up, which they never do, there are maybe 13 or 14 people. We listen to one of my advisors run her mouth off for about 30 minutes talking 'lab business' (basically, a chance for people to vent their petty frustrations) and then for the next 90 minutes someone from one of the labs is responsible for giving a presentation. Usually with postdocs and grad students (like me) you spend that time talking about your project, what kind of experiments you're doing, why you're doing them and how they've turned out so far. It's kind of annoying to have to do, but you end up getting some good feedback from other people in the lab (people ask LOTS of questions) and it forces you to organize your thoughts and give some perspective on how much you've accomplished. And with this many people, you only need to give a presentation maybe two or three times a year, which isn't bad.
Well, today the person presenting was a technician in the lab, which means basically an assistant without an advanced degree who is hired to help out the researchers in the lab with menial stuff that nobody else wants to do. It's kind of a shit job, but I worked as one for two years before I started grad school, because it's a good way to get yourself into graduate school if you have... um.... some difficulties with your grades in college. And if the professor you work for is cool, a lot of times they'll give you your own project, which is really good practice.
Anyway, this girl gave a presentation, which one some levels was quite good, and on other levels was pretty bad. Well, maybe not bad, but I guess sophomoric would be the best description. Not having that much experience with doing experiments, she tends to overstate the results of whatever it is that she's talking about, and makes it sound like a very limited, small experiment has just solved one of the great scientific mysteries of the ages, when it clearly hasn't. She does this a lot, and for some reason it really pisses me off.
I was wondering why it pisses me off, because clearly it's just a result of her lack of experience, I'm sure I was probably the same way when I was a technician without much practice doing science. I remember hearing somewhere that some of the things that annoy us the most in other people are aspects of our own character that we dislike. So I wonder how much of that I do myself.
It's always kind of interesting to take a step back and evaluate the kinds of things you were thinking a year, or five years, or ten years ago, and see how much you've changed. I used to be embarrassed when I did that, thinking how everyone must have thought I was spouting out stupid shit while feigning brilliance. Now I wonder if maybe they just silently shook their heads and wondered when I was going to get my shit together and figure things out for myself. It makes me wonder if I've figured anything out at all, if a year from now I'll look back on the way I am today and think "What a doofus."
I don't know how I ended up there from where I started. My editor is on vacation, I guess.
Until tomorrow (or later tonight, if I get bored)...
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
that is interesting (finding aspects of other people which you dislike, which, through self reflection, are really just qualities you dislike in yourself), i was thinking the same thing when choosing friends.
as in :::
you're close to someone and you think "gee, this person is quite needy" you do some self reflection, and "hey, i'm pretty damn needy too."
it sounds bitchy, but mainly, i use those sorts of epiphanies to change aspects about myself which i dislike.
it's tons of fun.
and thanks for the "shoutout" ... rock on.
+++
edited to say :::
i got hungry and ended up eating leftovers and going for a walk later on to see some friends, who didn't have any coffee, but it was too late for the coffeeshop anyway.
[Edited on Dec 01, 2003 10:07PM]