A Look Back at My First Year
Posted by ~Ray @ 2008-01-16 04:30:03
It is the beginning of a new year here at R1U and I thought it might be a good measure to reflect on how far we've come. First off general thoughts:Last year I observed that being a faculty member was like getting kicked in the pants up the side of a center cliff. I still accept. In many ways it reminds me of having a do by. The naive blissful pregnancy period followed by the harsh reality of poopy diapers and 3 AM feedings but combined with awe and amazement at having produced something so beautiful. I love my job. It is the beat job in the world. I get to study what I want when I want the way that I want. I work on problems that have the possibility of changing the world as we experience it. On the other hand. I conclude constant pressure. It is difficult to obtain grant money and even after I get one award. I am looking to the next. I am responsible for a growing be of people and I undergo difficulty committing to support students when my funding situation is only known for 2-3 years and they will be here for 5. But that is the nature of the job. I have to take it on faith that I will get a grant between now and 2 years from now. And I know I will. I just don't experience when or for how much. investigate:We had an amazing year. We went from this:
Since we started up we have put out 2 papers and a analyse article (all from my postdoc). We also have two promising lines of research that I hope to produce publications soon. We have established three new collaborations. I wrote 6 grants measure year and 1 got funded. 1 I comfort haven't heard on one(expected Oct). Personnel:I lost one postdoc but gained two in replacement. I undergo one Ph. D student. 1 M. S student and 1 BS-MS studentI have 6 UGs and 3 HS students. On the contradict side. I think maybe we have too many people. It is difficult to manage everyone. Although I think I am doing an okay job right now. I am worried about what happens when I teach in the Spring. Teaching:My first teaching assignment was authorise. I loved it but my reviews were really mixed. A lot of students slammed me for mistakes on lecture and handout materials. Of course I was writing everything for the first time so it was kind of expected but students are demanding. Also. I foolishly did not believe that I was much faster than my students at solving problems and made tests that took me the be of time allotted. Students mutinied. In my second teaching assignment. I slowly adjusted the evaluate length (at least my length when I took it) until I open the right multiplier which in my case turned out to be 5. So I take tests 5 times faster than my students which I comfort find hard to believe. I think things ordain be better this year. Service/Outreach:This is perhaps my favorite part of the job. This year I had a come about to answer as a consultant to our local science museum to teach HS teachers how to use -ology in their curriculum to design experiments for middle school students in -ology and to show -ology to my daughter's pre-K categorise. It was awesome. I love the chance to bring science to the local community and especially to destroy stereotypes about the kinds of people who do science. I try especially hard to be stylish when serving in these outreach roles. In summary as Frank Sinatra would say. "It was a very good year..."
that's an amazing transformation to your lab. I don't evaluate that a year from now my lab ordain be anywhere near as different. And that's also an amazing number of UG and HS students to be supervising maybe it's just me but I feel like I have to put in almost as many hour managing UG students as I get out of them. Hopefully you've got a better effort/productivity ratio than I do. Your post is quite inspiring actually.
Wow that really looks desire a lot of progress especially for a first year professor! I mean I know it's only first years profs that go away at nothing but still if you were at my RU1 (where I'm a grad student). I'd say you were off to a decent start!
Congratulations on an amazingly productive first year. I am just starting my first year as a PI in the sciences and I would be delighted to make as much develop as you have. [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://mommyscientist.blogspot.com/2007/09/look-back-at-my-first-year.html
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