Thursday, March 29, 2007
Mooped
Can't get going with work today at all. It's really quiet in the department as the undergrads are on holiday and half my group are away at a conference. So far I have totally tidyed out my desk (man alive I had no idea quite how bad it was. Hopefully I can try and keep it reasonably organised from now on) and faffed about on the internet. The weather certainly isn't helping things much either. It's all grey, wet and totally depressing out there. Still at least it's just a 4 day week for me as tomorrow is the boyfriend's graduation. Hope the weather improves a bit for it though.
Labels: mooped, unproductive, weather
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Miscommunication
Feeling a bit bummed out at the moment as I gave possibly the worst work presentation of my life. I really need to get my presentations written up properly well in advance of the actual presentation date I think so that it's all clear in my head, not bogged down in all the background of reading and data analysis I've done when actually writing the presentation. Also I really need to practise my talks on the boyfriend as he is handy having the same background knowledge of my work as the average person in the department I present to.
To me, my work is great, and I think I'm pretty good at getting my ideas and work across to people outside the area on a one-to-one basis, but presenting to a mixed group is a lot harder. In practise my experimental system and results are pretty nice and straightforward but filling in enough background to explain why the work is worth doing and make sense to people is much much harder.
To me, my work is great, and I think I'm pretty good at getting my ideas and work across to people outside the area on a one-to-one basis, but presenting to a mixed group is a lot harder. In practise my experimental system and results are pretty nice and straightforward but filling in enough background to explain why the work is worth doing and make sense to people is much much harder.
Labels: interdisciplinary perils, presentations, science communication
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Networking
Sometimes I think I'm really not that cut out to be a scientist and stuff as I see my attitude to work seems so different to most other people around me. Sometimes I don't know whether it's an age, gender, cultural or discipline thing, or if it's just me. I went along to a cross faculty networking event which I thought it was great. It was great to practise talking about what I do briefly and in very general terms to people with very little biology or chemistry background. I think I managed to put myself and my project across pretty well as a couple of people were interested in talking to me longer about my work and general ideas. Despite this small personal sucess it was pretty sad to see such a low turnout to the event. Judging by the number of namebadges left on the registration table less than half the people who registered actually bothered to turn up, and that didn't seem to be many people to start with.
However, it was really good for me as I met a really nice newish postdoc in the department who is keen to start up/be involved with more postdoc networking, socialising, training in the department and we had a really good chat with the person in charge of training and skills for staff in the faculty. Unfortunately I'm now stuck in a department where the head of school doesn't believe in training (and also doesn't believe people like me can be successful - but that's a whole other kettle of fish for a post in the future) but hopefully if people like me and this other postdoc can put the word about and provide positive feedback from training and networking events hopefully things should keep on getting better.
However, it was really good for me as I met a really nice newish postdoc in the department who is keen to start up/be involved with more postdoc networking, socialising, training in the department and we had a really good chat with the person in charge of training and skills for staff in the faculty. Unfortunately I'm now stuck in a department where the head of school doesn't believe in training (and also doesn't believe people like me can be successful - but that's a whole other kettle of fish for a post in the future) but hopefully if people like me and this other postdoc can put the word about and provide positive feedback from training and networking events hopefully things should keep on getting better.
Labels: different attitudes, networking, training
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Procrastinitis
Well I'm pretty much done with the monster data analysis and catch up. Now I just need to print out all the summaries and stuff, glue them into the labbook and think about the next round of experiments. What I really want to get cracking on is the glovebox but what with conferences and holidays I'm not sure that it's really going to be possible until after Easter.
I suppose I should get on with some of this reading and literature survey and working on a lab talk.
I suppose I should get on with some of this reading and literature survey and working on a lab talk.
Labels: procrastination
Friday, March 16, 2007
Pimp my picture
I am soooooooo glad it's friday. Nearly finished off half the data analysis but now I'm staring blankly at 100s of pictures which all look the same and need some serious tweaking, fiddling and general pimping before giving to my boss later this afternoon. Unfortunately I don't really understand how to do and it takes ages just to find the right file to pimp up and stuff.
I am so annoyed with myself for so totally neglecting all this data which needs looking over. I am a bit of a data whore and love being in the lab generating it all but I am so not keen on sitting in front of the computer processing and compiling it but I am so ashamed I neglected it so completely and for so long. In fact it's so bad at the moment it almost makes me wish I was back in a bio lab spending days doing qualitative rather than quantitative stuff. Still at least this week has been a bit of a wake up call for getting myself better organised and on the ball and that quite a lot of this data is not quite as bad as I first thought.
Right off to launch myself back into the miseries of origin to try and get a few more sensible looking graphs out of this mound of data. I may be some time
I am so annoyed with myself for so totally neglecting all this data which needs looking over. I am a bit of a data whore and love being in the lab generating it all but I am so not keen on sitting in front of the computer processing and compiling it but I am so ashamed I neglected it so completely and for so long. In fact it's so bad at the moment it almost makes me wish I was back in a bio lab spending days doing qualitative rather than quantitative stuff. Still at least this week has been a bit of a wake up call for getting myself better organised and on the ball and that quite a lot of this data is not quite as bad as I first thought.
Right off to launch myself back into the miseries of origin to try and get a few more sensible looking graphs out of this mound of data. I may be some time
Labels: data analysis, qualitative misery
Thursday, March 15, 2007
it's oh so quiet
Man alive I am getting in a worse and worse mood this week. I've been stuck at the computer reviewing and sorting and generally piecing together all my data but I feel like I'm also going totally mad. I've hardly spoken to anyone at all this week. My office is hardly social central but I think I'm losing it today as I'm not speaking, just stuck listening to an officemate who has been wittering on at people on the phone all bleeding day. Can't he see I'm trying to concentrate and get some work done. And even worse, I find his voice sooooo grating and annoying. Argh. Still it's almost friday and then the weekend where hopefully I might get a bit more conversation and human contact. And then maybe next week I can do a few more experiments in the lab and chat to people over there.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Coffee break
Like I said before I like my job and I have such a sound boss but it's really lonely. One of the things that gets to me most is the lack of sociable coffee breaks. The students go off and have coffee together but it seems a bit of a post-doc free zone. And the other post docs in my office don't really drink that much coffee, have it at their desk or sometimes just have coffee with 1 other person like a PI or student. The only social coffee I get is if I track down old friends from my old department and pay out for a coffee at one of the places on campus.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Socialising
Just feeling a bit mooped at the moment as I've had a productive day at the computer doing data analysis but now I need some human interaction and no one from my office ever goes to the pub.
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