Lessons from this week…
This week I learned an important lesson about thinking too big and making things too complicated. I was concerned about doing a valid study and really made the process more complicated than it needed to be. Today I watched a TED Talk given by Rachel Pike (2009), a graduate student in environmental science. During her talk she mentioned that her study was on one type of molecule that is found in the atmosphere and is affected by climate change. Between listening to this talk and talking on the phone with Dr. Holley, I was able to really simplify things and bring my study (and my head) down to size.
A doctoral dissertation is not the solution to some grand problem. It is a study of a problem that will contribute to the body of knowledge around that problem. It’s taking one little piece of the problem and examining it closely and reporting on it. The dissertation project becomes much less overwhelming and tiresome when the student keeps that in mind.
References: Pike, R. (2009). Rachel Pike: The science behind a climate headline. New York, NY: TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rachel_pike_the_science_behind_a_climate_headline.html.
Image Credit: Image was retrieved on February 15, 2010 from Ph.D. Comics.
