Can this man please be fired?

I hope you have all seen the great things coming from NASA today...

Being taken seriously.

I just read Elli's post about wanting to feel like a "real" scientist and it really hit home for me. Her situation is quite different than mine- she is just starting graduate school and I am beginning the process for tenure. However, I still feel that I struggle to be taken seriously and to be seen as a "real" scientist. I am almost 37 years old, yet am frequently mistaken for a graduate student. While, I do enjoy looking young, it can also be a disadvantage.

I was recently introduced to a professor emeritus in another department and he asked "are you a grad student?" My colleague had introduced me as someone he was collaborating with, yet I was still assumed to be a student. At a conference I recently attended, I was mistaken for a grad student by current grad students! The frequency of this misidentification has recently caused me to question other aspects of myself: Do I come across as unprofessional? Does my work seem too basic? I try to convince myself that it's just my "youthful appearance", but can't help but wonder.

The other issue that I face is that I am in a discipline where some people are social scientists and others are natural scientists. While my social science colleagues no doubt see me as a scientist, there are others who do not. My research has always been scientific, but I do occasionally feel like a "second class" scientist.

To address the scientiae carnival theme of "how we are hungry", I'd have to say that I am hungry to be taken seriously: in my discipline, in my university, in my college, and even in my own department. I am in a technical, natural science part of my discipline in a male-dominated department, so this is often a tall order. I have to wonder if things will change when I get tenure? Given the experiences of my female senior colleagues, I have to doubt it. Which brings me to my final point: If I were male, would I have these same problems?



scientiae carnival

Yes, I do have a complaint and thanks for asking.

I was sent a survey about the most recent conference I attended and one of the questions asked how they could improve future conferences. Here is my response:

I was extremely disappointed with the "structure" for the poster session. The posters were set up in what felt like a back hallway of the conference. I stopped by a few times each day to see if anyone was visiting my poster and the area was almost always deserted. I know that people stopped by because my small sample posters were taken, but I interacted with very few people there.

The reason I like to present posters at conferences occasionally is so that I can obtain one-on-one feedback and discuss my research in depth with others who are interested or do related work. In order for this to occur, it is critical that poster sessions include an actual session time (during a social gathering is always nice) where the presenters are standing at their posters. The last [Association Meeting] I attended (and presented a poster) was in [East Coast City] and we had a two-hour time block to stand at our posters and talk with interested conference attendees. This format is much preferred to the setup at the [Southern City] meeting. It was very unprofessional.

I don't know if they will actually listen to my comments, but it felt good to voice my opinion after such a poor setup. The conferences I attend have many poster sessions at the same time as concurrent paper sessions (for my BIG conference) or they have posters up during the entire conference, then include a social hour/poster session at the end of one of the conference days.

I still have that other conference post rolling around in my head that I need to write (about being a woman at a technical conference that is 90% men). I still plan to write that one soon!

What happened to the week?

When I did the Dante Quiz earlier, I was shocked to see that I hadn't posted since last Thursday (which was VERY short) and before that was a meme! Given my neglect, I thought I would fill you in on the exciting goings-on here in Small College Town (or at least my house). My mother-in-law (I will call her "MM") arrived from Very Distant Country* last Friday, so we've been visiting with her and taking her shopping- we told her to pack light and she followed our instructions, so we've been buying her some clothes and good walking shoes and other things that she has trouble finding (or are outrageously expensive) at home. It's been very good having MM here. I get along well with her and we all feel relaxed being here together. She hadn't seen D since she was 3 years old, so it's been nice for them to get reacquainted, as well. I am determined to do a couple of things during the time she is here: stick to my diet (see my posts over at the active academic if you want to hear more) and keep working on the paper I need to finish write. I would like to start waking up early again, so I can get in a few work hours before anyone is up- however, that has not worked so far. Today D stayed home sick, and I had a meeting at school this morning, so I ended up accomplishing nothing. I almost feel like trying to work now, but it's after 9:00 and I feel it's futile. As far as dieting goes, I am trying to eat very light lunches (= salad), so that I can eat the tasty food MM cooks later for dinner.

D, MM, & I visited a local park on Monday. Look at the hill we climbed!
(That's D & MM at the top)

Other things rolling around in my head:

• I never did write about the last conference I attended, and I still want to. I guess if I write it tonight, I can still get it in to Scientiae...
• I am still pondering this year's unsuccessful job search. My first reaction was to say "I'll show them" by getting something even better! However, I am not entirely sure about going on the market again in the fall. I would feel a bit odd applying for Assistant Prof jobs, when I am already in the tenure process. However- if they are departments a "step-up" for me (i.e. they have PhD programs), then maybe that isn't such a bad approach (if I actually look competitive enough). I also feel like I should apply for jobs in case tenure falls through- not that I am overly worried that this will happen, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility, either. I prefer the idea of keeping my options open. I definitely think I should be selective in where I apply. The person hired at Mountain U is leaving a place that I might be interested in, so I could watch for an ad from that place- that would very weird!
• I have a self-imposed deadline to have this next paper written by June 15th and I only have an outline now (and some more analysis to finish!) I wanted to start getting something on "paper" before finishing the last step, to help me meet my goal and I can write the intro, background, and methods before the analysis is completely done.
  

So that's what I've been up to- sorry this got so long! I usually try to keep it short, but this time I had too many thoughts piling up in my head. Maybe I'll go print out some articles and do a little reading tonight...


*I think it is more deserving of very distant country, since it takes about 24 hours to get from VDC to here by plane.

Another blogthing to show how E-VIL I really am!

As seen at Seeking Solace's place...

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Last note on the plagiarizer...

Remember this incident? Looking at my final grade lists yesterday, I realized that this student was taking the course pass/fail. A pass requires a C- or higher, so this student probably would not have passed even aside from the plagiarism! Not that I felt about the outcome before, but now I realize that it probably didn't make any difference anyway!

Here's a Music Meme...

…since I have NOT been productive today, D is watching Lazy Town, and Dancing with the Stars isn’t on until 9:00.

As seen at Dr. Crazy's...

1. What's your earliest music memory?
My mom playing piano. My brother and I used to dance and spin around the room when she played. I loved the ragtime pieces (Swipesy Cake Walk by Scott Joplin comes to mind)

2. What's the first pop song you remember hearing?
Wow- that’s hard to say… it could have been Bread (If) or some other 70s music

3. What's the first rock song you remember hearing?
Again- tough one- maybe something from ELO

4. What's the first classical music piece you remember hearing?
Something my mom played on the piano- I’m not sure which piece or composer- probably Beethoven.

5. What's the first piece/song you remember that doesn't fit into those genres?
I loved disco (Saturday Night Fever) in the late 70s. Junior high was a Duran Duran extravaganza. In the 80s I got into “alternative” (U2 and Simple Minds were favorites- I saw them both in concert).

6. What's the first album/cd* you bought for yourself/you asked your parents to buy for you?
Grease Soundtrack or Shaun Cassidy (I saw him in concert when I was 6!). I remember being mad at my mom once because she wouldn’t buy me Diana Ross “Upside Down” (All vinyl, baby)

7. What's a favorite song from grade school?
Too many to choose! J. Giels Band "Centerfold", Olivia Newton-John (Xanadu was my favorite when I was 10!), Grease Soundtrack, etc.

8. A song that reminds you of school dances?
Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (slow dance) or B52s “Rock Lobster” (this was the 80s!)

9. Which genre do you listen to most now? ("Most" can mean you have one more song in that genre than in any of the others)
Mostly indie or alternative. I don’t listen to the radio much (my car stereo has miserable reception), so my new music exposures are pretty limited these days. I LOVE The Shins & Coldplay at the moment. Cocteau Twins are always a good choice, too.

10. Which favorite song/album/piece from your musical history are your readers least likely to know?
Anything from Meat Beat Manifesto. I loved them in college. (& still have all of their CDs!) This meme hasn’t really covered all of my musical tastes over time, so I’ll add a #11!

11. Anything else to add?
I love music and different songs take me back to specific places and times in my life. After my high school alternative days, I got into classic rock in college (I had a boyfriend who was into it) and loved Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, etc. Later on, I added some reggae (Bob Marley, of course), then got into industrial and techno in the early 90s. Since H is from Distant Country, I have also been introduced to music that he grew up with (sorry- no specifics on the blog!)

*I didn't buy a CD until college!!

Random Bullets: Gotta Get in Gear Edition

This is week #2 of my summer research time. Last week went respectably well, so I want to keep the momentum going. Here are some RBOC:

• I found those labs that I lost at the beginning of April. I got new copies from most of the students and just calculated grades without that one for the others. They were sitting out (face-down, but uncovered) in my BEDROOM.
• I need to set some deadlines for this summer or I will squander it like I often do. I would like to finish the project I am currently working on and write a paper, then I have some research money to get started on a fall project (a month's worth of work this summer), and some other partially finished work I could finish up and write a paper
• My mother-in-law arrives Friday from Distant Country, so I will have to be especially careful about budgeting my time. She is staying for more than a month, so I will still be working while she's here- again I need the deadlines.
• I may have a new collaborator in research state! When I went to that last conference, I met several people who knew this person, so I emailed. We have a phone meeting planned for next week!
• My allergies are really bugging me. I am thinking of trying one of the OTC meds, since I don't really need to see my doctor. Any recommendations for allergy meds?
  
• I still have some cleaning to do before MIL arrives. I am thinking of doing research work in the mornings and save cleaning for afternoon when I am not as productive anyway.
• A list of goals may follow...
  

Crocs

Yesterday at the mall, I finally revealed my true feelings about one the latest trends in shoes. I let loose at my husband and admitted that I despise those shoes and think they are the ugliest things I have ever seen. I continued to rant about them while we waited in line at Starbucks. He told me that our neighbor was telling him how comfortable they are that he had thought about getting some (now, coming from H it's hard to know if he was joking or not). Since everyone on earth seems to be wearing these things, I wondered if I was the only one offended by them (feel free to comment). I think they look like gardening clogs- and while I'm no shoe snob and wear mostly comfortable shoes- this is where I draw the line. I googled "i hate crocs" and was pleased to see that I am not alone! Check out some of the links: like this one and this one. I won't expend any more energy than it has taken to write this blog post, but I was curious if anyone else out there hates them, too. btw- I know most shoe production is not environmentally friendly, but I can't imagine that making those things is good either (what exactly is PCCR anyway? I bet it's petroleum based...)

And I like to hang around Addy's bird feeder!

According to Dr. Brazen Hussy, I also bite hard...

Your Power Bird is a Cardinal

You believe that each day is precious, and you spend your times as best as you can. You see the wonder in small things, and you are often content with what you have. You live an interesting, colorful life - and you bring color to those around you. Confident and expressive, you believe you know how to live a good life. You're living it!

What's Your Power Bird?

It's official:

I've been rejected by Mountain U.

They hired the internal candidate and another person who I suspect they at least knew already (I could be wrong, though). I'm pissed, even though I knew it was coming.

They even had the nerve to say "we hope you will apply for future open positions"

I already shredded the letter & envelope.

A sign that I should move?

As seen at Cheeky Prof...

Addy N. -- [noun]: A hermit living in the big city 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I am getting tired of living in Small College Town- It shouldn't take an hour to get to a decent Indian or Thai restaurant!

I have some blog posts floating around in my head, but this week has been fairly productive so far on the research front and I am reluctant to take the time to write a substantive post. Mountain U never called, so it's safe to assume that someone else got the offer. I am disappointed, but also pissed- they interviewed several of us for multiple positions* and I can't believe that I was actually near the bottom of the list. And I am NOT one to "toot my own horn" either. I did get wind that there was an internal candidate who has a spouse elsewhere on campus. Makes me suspicious... I am settled in here for the summer, anyway. I plan to do some more extensive job-searching in the fall- even though my tenure review process has already begun (external reviewers are already requesting copies of my pubs!) With all of this in mind, I am determined to make myself as marketable as possible by getting some papers submitted before the fall semester starts.

In other news- my mother-in-law is coming from Distant Country next week! It's been far too long since she was here, but because of visa delays we couldn't get her here last summer. Yay!

OK- back to work... more later.


*I am being intentionally vague about these numbers. E-mail if you want more details.

Airport Blogging!

What are the odds? Conference city has free wireless in the airport, too! I don't have anything exciting to say, other than I am tired and ready to be at home for a while with no trips planned for the rest of 2007. I wish my conferences were more spread out over the year- they're all in the spring. I downloaded a movie to watch on the plane, so I'll see if I feel like watching it once I get on. I'll deliver on that promise of a conference post later. btw- the man sitting near me at the gate is snoring! (It's not that early!)

Job Watch (aka Job Torture)

I'm driving myself crazy. I haven't hear anything from Mountain U, so I am (of course) assuming the worst. They didn't give me any specific time table, other than when the search committee was meeting (last week) and that they wanted to speed things along, because it's so late in the semester. I figured that I would have heard by now, but I have no idea how their bureaucracy (time required in the dean's office for approval of hires) operates there. So, I know nothing, but I am assuming it's over (because this is how I operate).

Sigh.

I am also having quite a low-key conference trip. Since I am by myself and none of my friends from this subdiscipline are here this year (damn, them!), I have been eating more room service than I would prefer. I have also met some people (which is nice) and gone to the social gatherings alone (but run into some new acquaintances). I will probably do another post on the conference for the scientiae carnival, since this a technology-oriented conference and probably has a 10:1 ratio of men to women (if I was a single grad student, I would be set!) This is typical for this subdiscipline, but still odd to see so few women here. I'm off to the afternoon sessions in a few minutes. I skipped this morning and took a long-ish walk instead (almost 3 miles). It was good to get some exercise, but I think I will be sleepy for the afternoon talks, now.

My mini-vacation

I've arrived here in conference city and the weather is gorgeous. I almost feel guilty about staying in this nice hotel room, except that I will be paying for it, because the amount my U provides only covered registration for this conference! Still no word from Mountain U, but I guess it is still a bit early. I'm waiting for my room service dinner order to arrive, and later I am going to watch Blood Diamond on Amazon Unbox. I have an early morning tomorrow (I signed up for a workshop), so I should try to get some extra sleep. Here is my hotel view (18th floor!):


Pretty snazzy, huh?

Grades Submitted!

My semester is officially over and I am very happy about that. I went to graduation yesterday and saw some former students walk across the stage to get their diploma covers (including the plagiarizer!) I can head to my last conference of the season tomorrow, knowing that I don't have grading left or lectures to plan or students to worry about (other than getting emails from dissatisfied students who think they deserve a higher grade- but I can always ignore them if I want to!) With the summer ahead, I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief, BUT I need to get some research done this summer. With all the papers accepted late last year and early this year, I'm left with nothing in review. That needs to change by August. I am also still in this strange limbo, since I don't know the outcome of my Mountain U interview yet. If I don't hear this week, I will assume that I am staying put- which would make for a more productive summer. If we are moving, I'm sure I wouldn't get much time for research this summer. I am proceeding as if I am staying here (because there is nothing else I can really do!) If I do stay here, I need to get some papers out, too, because I am going to go on the market again in the fall. In the mean time, they are sending requests to my external reviewers for my tenure packet. I guess things will be settled in the next week or so, but for now I just don't know... I'll keep you posted.

Academic Dishonesty & Co-Dependent “Kids”

I had a case of plagiarism this semester in my freshman general education science course. I reported the incident to my department chair and the student was notified. S/he immediately called his/her parents, who called my chair AT HOME. It turns out the student was supposed to be graduating. I don’t get many seniors in my class- just those that put off the requirement until they need it to graduate. The student was also barely passing the class before the assignment was graded. What this all boils down to, is that the plagiarism decision also decided the student’s ability to pass the course. As you can imagine, the meeting was not pleasant, but the final decision was that the student was to be held accountable for submitting someone’s work as his/her own. I’m left feeling anything but vindicated and the entire process was an ordeal (no wonder people don’t bother to report it).

However, I have larger concerns about the process and outcome in the context of academic integrity. During the meeting with the student (at which the parents spoke more than the student), it became clear that neither the student, nor the parents were willing to accept that the student had intentionally done anything wrong. I’m sure they are still convinced of this, despite the chair’s decision. The student pays the penalty of failing the assignment, but has s/he learned from this? Is s/he less likely to be dishonest in the future? When the perpetrator plays victim it seems unlikely for the experience to be a learning one.

Another aspect of this case is the “pleading ignorance” defense (which I did not buy, since the student was a senior). Give me a break! The student knows what s/he did and that it was wrong, but again, what will s/he learn from it? S/he sabotaged his/her own graduation from college, but the family had no problem blaming me, as the course instructor- again they are the victims of my cruel plot. I’m very disturbed by the turn of events: the total lack of responsibility for one’s own actions, the reliance on parental intervention (with one parent even referring to him/her as a CHILD- your “child” is at least 21 years old!), the dishonesty to plagiarize in the first place…. It’s a sad state of affairs. I think when I was college, my mom once offered to call about something and I was mortified! I can’t imagine meeting with a professor and having my mom there to speak for me. Get some distance from mommy and daddy and get your act together.

scientiae carnival

Me, too!

You Belong in the UK

Blimey! A little proper, a little saucy. You're so witty and charming... No one notices your curry breath

What English Speaking Country Are You?

It's only fitting, since one of my favorite expressions is "for fuck's sake!"

As seen on everyone else's blog...

Airport Blogging!

Not only is Mountain U awesome and Mountain U City awesome, but there is FREE wireless in the airport! I think things went very well. Of course, it's impossible to really know, but I feel good about everything including my research talk this time. After my talk, I asked one of the faculty who is not in my area if he could follow it and he said "yes, actually it was quite good." They are going to be deciding this week, so if I am selected I could hear early next week. I gave them my cell number since I am going to ANOTHER conference next week (will this insanity ever end??) I hope they call!

I really need to grade on the plane today or I"m going to be in grading jail hell when I get home. Almost time to board- I'll keep you posted on the Job Watch.